Opposites: The Staff of Light [Book One]

25. Reveal

Colton

Annabeth exited the cabin. I stared blankly at the position where she used to stand. Did I do something to make her feel bad? Did I break her heart? Did I make her crack inside? My heart weighed all at once. What have I done? After so many walks, I seemingly felt closer to Annabeth. I realized how delicate she was, no matter how furious she could seem outside. She was afraid of her own emotions, afraid of everyone else. She didn't want to make the world any worse than it already is.

I groaned in misery.

"How was I supposed to know she'd bump into me?" I thought to myself. "Was I really a wall? Stupid Colton, stupid, stupid, stupid! Gah! I don't know what to do with life? How am I supposed figure a way out of this? Why, Colton? How can you treat her like this? I suck. I suck so badly. Annie... why do I have a feeling she won't come back? Someone answer me!"

Something hit me on the head. I snapped. "Ow!" I rubbed the back of my head. "What the hell—"

"Oh, please, O'Bryan," Raven's voice said, "Stop goofing around and just ask her out already!"

I opened my eyes, rolling over and sat up. I locked eyes with Raven. "Her?" I blinked the confusion out of my eyes. "What—"

She rolled her eyes. "Duh, Annabeth, it's too obvious you like her. Admit it."

My heart raced. "Oh, God, he's blushing," Tyler's voice giggled. "He is seriously blushing!"

"Why tell me this now?" I nearly demanded. I felt my face burn up. Shoot, was it THAT obvious? Oh, God... For some reason, I could tell Tyler wasn't kidding. He was really looking at me with truth. I began to wonder how red I possibly looked. I cursed mentally. Duck, I need a mirror! Someone hand me a freakin' mirror. I couldn't help myself. I was drowning via an exposed secret. I've fallen in love with Annabeth for a long time. Heck, that whole thing happened since the day I met her at class. I buried my face in my palms. Why am I even doing this? "God, is it that obvious?"

The whole cabin fell snickering. I fell back on my bed, burying my face deeper against my pillow. I'm sorry, Pillow, dear. "Not a word to Annabeth," I muttered. "Please... just don't tell her."

"Man," Alex remarked, "I can't believe you admitted so fast. Tell me what the deal is, Colt. Why not ask her out? I mean, yeah, she's my sister and whatever. And she's just as pretty as Elsa-Alice the Snow Queen right here. Go talk to her then before she does something stupid like she always does when she gets embarrassed."

"I am not in the mood for dating," I stated. "And I never will."

"You're gonna break her heart just by saying that. I got that recorded. Want her to hear this?"

My heart leapt to my throat, bringing my whole body along. "NO!" I yelled, pausing, only to realize I was reaching out a hand in the air, and Alex's iPhone 6 fell out of his hands. I froze there, half paralyzed. "I-I mean... oh, forget this." I threw myself on my bed. "This doesn't matter! Stop meddling with my life!"

"...and stop making you blush," Georgia added. She was so silent I nearly forgot she was still there. "Yeah, Pink Face, we got that covered."

"Pink Face?"

Before they could even respond, my phone rang, making the loudest of rock music remix. I picked up the call. It's been quite a while since I received a call or text. "Oh," I said, grimacing. "What's up, Mom? I never thought you'd call. I thought you didn't have my number. I thought you already forgot about me—"

"Colton, dear, you know we're terribly busy," my stepmother said. "You can't always blame me." That's what they all say, I wanted to rant back at her. My mother died when I was four, and my father is nowhere. Some say he's lost at sea, though it made no sense since he was a hiker, a mountain-climber... not a seaman. Perhaps, they were only jokes of the other kids at school used to tell me only to feel bad about myself. But now that he's gone, I still can't believe he married this freaking hag before he even disappeared that day. Who even does that? "So, how's your little camp?"

"Why are you so kind to me all of a sudden?" I demanded.

"It's what your father could have wanted me to do. Now that he's gone, I might as well do the things he used to do."

"You can never imitate my father, you old hag," I murmured. "You can never change who you are, or who you were. The past has already happened, Stepmother. Of all the times, why now? Why not when I was younger... when I was convinced you could be someone I could look up to? Why should you do this, now that I already hate you?"

Apparently, she merely heard of my muttering. "Alright, I'm forced here, boy," she answered, half ranting. "I'd only wish you'd stay there forever and don't come back. Much better, I wish you'd die for lower expenses. You've always been a freak anyway."

"I sure wish I do, too!" I yelled over the phone. I was tired of being treated like this. I ended the call and looked down at my call log. I haven't even registered her number. She wished I was dead, so she'd have better financial benefits. I know what you could think, what kind of mother would do that? Well, welcome to my life. I hate to break it to you, but my stepmother hates me—and she'd been treating me like I was a freak ever since she and my father started dating. That one time she finally ticked me off... I couldn't even consider going back home in New Orleans.

I whispered to myself, "I sure wish I do, too..." Slowly, I let go of my cover and I was once again the pessimist I was. I was a failure. I was a freak with creepy, supernatural, out-of-this-world powers. I was a stupid, dumb, brainless, dense idiot. Worst of all, I failed to serve Annabeth—the girl who I knew I belonged to. A few guys from other Cohorts swarm around her (I'm making sure no one stalks her). Hey, what can I say? If those guys get in the way, what chance do I have for Annabeth? In fact, even without those guys, what chance do I even have? All I had was a 0% for her heart! She'd never like me back.

Alice, from across our beds, jumped upon a dream. "Hey, hey," Tyler soothed her, caressing her forehead. "It's okay. What's—?"

"Annabeth's in trouble," Alice replied, her lower lip quivering.