Close As Strangers

Five.

Now Playing... Make Me Cry

After Lana's little comment, we both death glared at her, and she bit her lip to keep from smiling.

Typical Lana.

"That obviously struck a nerve." She smirked. "But seriously, you two need to rid of your stubbornness and talk."

I rolled my eyes, and thankfully, Teen Wolf started playing again. At one point, Wes and I reached for the remote at the same time, causing his hand to rest on top of mine. Our eyes locked for a split-second, but then we both jerked away.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, was the most cliche movie moment of my life.

"That was the most cliche thing I've seen in my nineteen years of life." Lana busted out laughing, and Wes and I both shot her a dry look. She noticed and bit her lip again.

Wes sighed. "I'm out of here."

"Another one night stand?" I questioned, batting my eyelashes at him, and a smirk played on his lips as he leaned closer to me.

"What, jealous that it isn't you?"

Heat crawled up my neck as I looked away from him, and he chuckled under his breath before walking out the front door. It was silent, until--

"He just roasted you to hell and back, Molls."

I glared at Lana as she busted out laughing. "Shut up."

And that was the end of that conversation.

***

On Monday I had three classes, and although nobody felt like doing actual work on Mondays, I didn't mind, because the class was the only way I could air out my thoughts. It wasn't a typical college writing class. We had assignments and quizzes on popular writers, but mostly, we wrote journal entries, and those were the majority of our grade.

Once dressed, I grabbed the supplies I needed for the day and headed out to my truck. As I stepped outside, I noticed Wes had walked out behind me, and to my shock, he walked over to a fancy, brand-new car.

"When were you able to afford that?" I asked, pointing to the car, and he shrugged, twirling the keys in his hand.

"Mom and dad bought it for me."

I rolled my eyes. "Figures the spoiled brat gets what he wants."

As I drove down the highway towards the campus, I noticed yet again that Wes was following me, and my heart dropped in my chest as the realization that he was going to the same university as me set in.

One I reached the campus, I walked to my first class for the day. As I sat in my seat, I thought about the rest of the day, which would consist of two more classes and work after. My shifts were sometimes awkward, but they worked with my school schedule. I worked longer on Saturdays, and that made my boss satisfied. So much so, that one more promotion and I would be assistant manager. I watched as people filed into class and took their seats. The professor, Dr. Robertson, walked into the room with a smile on his face.

"Good morning, class." He walked to the front of the room, resting against the podium. Just as he was about to speak, someone walked through the door, and his eyes lit up. "Ah, welcome. I'm assuming you're the new student, Wesley Grayson. Take a seat anywhere you'd like."

As I quickly glanced around the room, I took in the few empty seats open, and unfortunately for me, there was one right beside me. But then again, Wes made it pretty clear how he felt about me, so he wouldn't actually sit beside me, right?

Wrong.

Wes' eyes locked on mine as his smirk grew, and he sat beside me. I slumped down in my chair, sighing under my breath.

Fantastic.

"Alright!" Dr. Robertson pushed off the podium, walking toward the board. "Today, we will be discussing Tolstoy and his impact, and then we'll wrap up class with a journal entry..."

***

The rest of the day slid by incredibly slow, and I never thought I would dread my Monday, Wednesday, and Friday classes more than I did after he showed up. It was total deja vu. Wes was in every single one of my classes, and I found it peculiar, considering he was undecided, and I was majoring in early childhood education.

I was relieved when I could finally leave from my last class of the day, which was Pre-calculus, and I practically ran out to my truck. Once at home, I completed my homework, and by the time I was finished, it was time for my shift. I switched out of my school clothes and changed into my white shirt and black slacks. Once I pulled my hair into a ponytail, I slid on my tennis shoes and attached my name tag to my shirt.

Wes stood in the kitchen with Nova when I walked downstairs, and I noticed how she distanced herself from him, scared of what he was capable of. I couldn't blame her. After what he had done to her, I would've been scared too.

"I'm going to work. Mom and dad should be home soon." I gave Nova a hug, kissing her forehead. "If you need anything, call me."

Wes faced me, his eyes running over me. "Finally got off your ass and got a job, huh? I'm surprised, little Molly Clarke."

That nickname. It haunted me more than I thought capable. I tried to push it to the back of my mind, but failed, because even after all that time, it still tormented me as if it and the trauma behind it had never disappeared. I bit my lip, looking at the ground.

"I was never lazy, but I guess you had always been too busy with GiGi and Katie to notice."

He scowled at the mention of them, and as his eyes grew cold, I knew that was my signal to leave.

As I drove to work, the pain from my past and that high school taunted me, and I found myself sitting there, silent tears streaming down my face, as I questioned where the Wes I knew had disappeared to when he left.