A Match Into Water (Fuenciado)

Chapter Eleven

It seemed like an eternity since I'd walked the halls of the high school. I knew it hadn't even been two days, but it felt different, distanced. As though it had been in a different lifetime. The walls weren't closing in on me like I remembered, and for once I stood up straight. I didn't know what to make of it. I didn't try to become invisible as I walked to my locker as I usually did. In fact, I felt somewhat confident, which was alien to me. What was the big deal about school? It was fine. I was fine.

I stopped when I reached my locker, distractedly spinning the dial. My mind was preoccupied with Jaime; when I would see him, what he would say, how adorable he'd look. I wondered if Jaime was thinking of me too. Fourth period seemed so far away. My chest sort of deflated as I started counting how many times I'd have to watch the hands tick around the clock before we could be together.

I slammed my locker closed, which was now sufficiently emptied of my disorganized binders. The metal clanged against the frame, making me flinch.

And that could've been it. I could've gone to class. I could've seen Jaime. I could've had a good day, for once. But of course, that was out of the question.

When I saw the figure who was approaching me from the other end of the hallway, I took an involuntary step backwards. My instincts screamed at me to run, but I couldn't show fear. So instead, against every fiber of my being, I simply continued on at a normal pace, knowing that Ben was right behind me.

My throat felt tight, anxiety creeping up my spine. How close was he now? There was no way I could escape him. It was like a lion and its prey; once he set his eyes on me, there was no chance of escape. I hated the fact that he had that much power over me, I really did. But what could I do about it?

Something slammed into the back of my shoulder-blade, and I jumped. I heard some chuckling behind me and my face grew hot. I slowly spun around to face all six feet of Ben, who had his arms crossed over a faded t-shirt and a smirk on his face.

"What the hell was that for?" I said, sounding weaker than I would've liked to.

Ben put on a mask of fake innocence. His eyes widened, and he pursed his lips, looking at me as though I was a small, confused child. "Nothing. I was just patting you on the back."

I exhaled angrily. I didn't even want to know what he considered assault because my shoulder felt like it had been hit with five tons of bricks. I rotated it a few times, trying to work out the pain. It started to tingle, which probably wasn't such a good sign.

I stared at Ben for a minute, attempting to figure out exactly what he was trying to achieve here. He hadn't insulted me yet, which was making me pretty paranoid. He must've had something truly awful planned if his drug-ridden brain could actually follow through with it.

He raised an eyebrow at me and took a step closer, snorting as I backed away. "Aren't you gonna ask me why you deserve a pat on the back?"

I sighed. "Why?"

He face broke out into a devilish grin, and I knew that I'd fallen right into his trap. Could I run? No, he was too close. With his height, he'd catch me in no time. I stood a few feet away from him as he stuffed a hand into his jacket pocket, pulling out a battered phone.

"Well," he began, licking his lips. His thumb swiped across his phone screen at lightening speed. "I happened to see a little action between you and that freshman this weekend."

He held out his hand so that I could see the picture he'd pulled up on his phone. I swallowed, feeling a huge lump form in my throat. Somehow, he'd managed to get a shot of Jaime and I at the park on Saturday. And it wasn't just a silhouette; it was painstakingly clear that it was us, and that my mouth was all over his.