Your Second Half [Completed]

Desperation

Where's Marcel? Like seriously, I haven't talked to him since he left Saturday. He returned my car but left the keys at the doorstep. He didn't even bother knocking, I found out the next morning. That's so unlike him. I've tried texting and calling but he doesn't reply. Did I do something wrong?

Wait. How dare I blame myself? It's not me...it can't be. I haven't done anything.

"Ashlyn! Ash!" I called for her as I paced in her directions in the hall. We just got dismissed for lunch and I still haven't seen him. "What's up girl?" "Have you seen Marcel?" She looked at me as if I were crazy, "How would I know where he his?" I rolled my eyes, "Ash! Just answer the question."

She looked up and down the hall until settling on a certain spot. "Right there, he just entered the hall" she said pointing down the hall. I turned and sure enough, there he was walking to a locker that I presumed was his. I mumbled a 'thanks' to her before walking to him. Another bell rung, indicating I was late for lunch but I don't care. Neither does anyone else, seeing there's multiple other faces here. "Hey" I spoke. "Hi" he replied blandly as he finished putting things in his locker and shutting it. He brushed pass me and started walking down the hall.

Did his date go wrong?

"How was your date?" I asked as I tried to keep up with his long strides. "Fine."

Fine? Just...fine? I at least deserve some detail. I'm the one that got him that date! I grasped his shoulder and forcefully spun him around so he'd face me. "What's your deal? You've-you've been ignoring me." I couldn't stop the hurt from being laced in my voice. "Nothing, Lori. I gotta go" he said, shrugging off my hand. He turned to walk away but I wrapped my fingers around his wrist, preventing him. "What's wrong?"

He opened his mouth to say something but..."I told you to stay away from her!" A voice bellowed.  One moment I'm talking to him and the next he's on the ground, hand placed over his eye, and a red-faced Cory towering over him. "You ass-" he bent down to hit him again but I pushed him away. "What the hell is wrong with you Cory?!" "That prick! He thinks he can change his look and get any girl he wants?! No! And he especially can't have you!" "Who the hell are you to say anything! You're not my FUCKING boyfriend!" He angrily ran his fingers through his hair, then stormed off.

I turned around and kneeled down to Marcel. "Let me see" I said as I ran my thumb over the forming bruise. He huffed and snatched my hand away.

What?

"Leave me alone!" he shouted, with an unrecognizable deepness to his voice, stood up and walked down the hall. I just stayed there, on my knees, staring at the spot where Marcel one was. I looked around to see no one else there, where have they gone. My vision focused on a blurry object. I had to squint my eyes to get a better look. There they lay, Marcel's glasses, scratched and bent on the dirty tile floor. I slowly stood up, walked over to them and picked them up. This has to be the last thing he still kept from his old self.

"You forgot your glasses" I whispered, speaking more to myself than to the boy who has already busted into the cafeteria.

I...I did this to him. I made him this way. I didn't know he'd become a JERK. I placed them in my locker...he won't miss them any way.

"Hey Lori" Ashlyn greeted as I sat at the lunch table. "Hey Ash, Summer, Veronica." "Hey."

"What have you guys been up to?" I asked, trying to drown my own problems out with someone elses.

"Ryker asked me out" Ashlyn chirped. "That's great!" I try and sound enthusiastic. "Nothing really" Veronica says. Just by the smug look on Summer's face, I knew she was gonna try and make me upset...with whatever she was about to say. "I went on a date with Marcel." I plastered on a smile, "How was it?" "Believe it or not, he was really sweet."

I believe it.

"He kept mentioning you...Lori" my eyes widened. "...which I found utterly annoying. No offense..."

Offense has been taken.

"...I took his mind off of it though" she stated, sending a playful wink to Veronica.

I looked the other way, pretended to cough...she was rubbing it in my face. She somehow thought that I had some feeling for him, just because I classified him as a friend. She's wrong.

Oh gosh, I can't even convince my own mind to believe that. How was I supposed to convince someone else with my measly actions?

"He's a great guy, I hope you had fun" I sweetly said. Well, he's been sweet up until twenty minutes ago.

***

At my locker I was packing things into my bag, ready to get into my car and go home. One of my journals wouldn't fit. What the hell was in my backpack? I took some things out until I came across something soft, warm and made me reminisce. It was Marcel's sweater. I forgot what day it was but he came to school with it on, I took it from him and stuffed it into my bag. I had mock fury that day because it was only a few days after the 'button-up in the bathroom' moment.

I reminisced because he is no longer that nerdy guy. Well...he doesn't look the part. I leave my crappy journal in my locker, we all know I'm not doing my homework. I put the sweater, along with the glasses, in my bag and place it on my shoulder. I walk through the empty halls until reaching the back door to 'student parking'. As I'm walking I see a group of people. Amongst them I see Summer and Marcel all cuddled up. She was saying things into his ear as he tinged pink. No doubt...flirting. He looked...happy. His eyes flicked to me and his smile faded. I ignored it and swiveled around the group, trying to get to my car.

My eyes started to water. When did I become so emotional?

Wednesday.

"How does it feel?" I hear the same deep voice from earlier say. What happened to him? I slowly turn around and see him, his looming height towering above me. "W-what do you mean?"

"How does THIS feel?" he said motioning to him and behind him to Summer, who was mingling with others about five meters away, out of earshot. He had a sense of hope in his eyes, wanting a certain answer.

"How do I feel...about this" I sarcastically laughed. "I feel...I feel used." His eyes widened. "I...I helped you!" I rose my voice. "I was trying to be a good friend b-because you didn't have any! I tried to get you the girl because I wanted you to be happy." He tried to look everywhere else but my eyes. "I wouldn't have done it if I knew you'd avoid me...a-after I supported you! A-and to think I actually started to like you." Tears brim in my eyes as I just let my feelings spill out my mouth. "You know what?" I say, rummaging through my bag. I slammed it into his chest, "Take your damn sweater vest."

I turned and continued my path to my car.

"Why'd you keep it?" he called. I looked over my shoulder, "I missed it."

***

They spilled from my eyes furiously. They left hot streams over my cheeks. My pillow stained with emotions that I couldn't hold in. I felt so dumb. I made him that way! Well...no! I changed his look not his personality. What happened to my nerdy Marcel? I missed that Marcel. I loved that Marcel. Yeah...love him. I cried myself to sleep that night.