Boy vs. Girl ✔️

•XXIII•

"DO WE HAVE ANY FOOD?" Kate screamed in obvious despair, looking around at us desperately.

"There's a vending machine in the back," Jace informed her. As I looked at him, he wouldn't meet my eyes, so I quickly glanced away. My eyes landed on Asher, who was still standing next to me, his stance almost protective.

"I also have some snacks in my car," Hadley added, looking back at Owen. "How bad is it out there?"

"Bad. But not terrible," he replied, "yet."

"Okay, I'll go get the stuff from my car. Kara, do you have anything you need from your car?" she asked, turning to me.

"Uh, there's blankets in the trunk, and I think there's gum in the glove compartment. Just get anything that we could use," I told her, pursing my lips slightly.

"Wait," Owen said, interrupting our planning. "You're not going outside."

"Why?" Hadley asked, raising an eyebrow at his serious expression.

"Because, you'll fall sick or slip or something," Owen explained. "I'll go get the stuff."

"You don't know where anything is," she pointed out, a small smile stretching across her face.

"Fine, but I'm coming with you," Owen conceded. Hadley gave us a quick farewell wave, before they both headed outside, into the harsh wintry air.

"Okay, what if we lose power?" I asked, catching the attention of everyone left in the room.

"There're some candles in the back," Jace piped up, glancing at me, his expression both tentative and subtly angry.

"Okay," I shrugged in approbation, "I'll come with you to get them."

"Wait," Asher interrupted, his movements lurid, "I'll come with you guys too."

"You need to get the food with Kate," I informed him with a smug look, causing an unidentifiable emotion to flash across his face.

"Well-" Asher started, before I cut him off once more.

"No arguing, just go," I commanded him, causing him to roll his eyes.

"God, the sexual tension in this room is suffocating," Kate exclaimed, earning an awkward chuckle from Jace. She grabbed Asher's arm roughly and dragged him in the general direction of the vending machine.

"Okay," I said, after they both left, facing Jace, "let's go."

We both walked towards the storage room in silence, as I let him lead the way because although I frequently visited the library, I had never been allowed in the back.

"So, how's life?" I asked awkwardly, trying the assuage the tension building up between us.

"Great," he muttered bitterly, "splendid."

"Jace, I'm sorry if I-"

"Goddamn it, Kara!" he exclaimed in a sudden burst of anger, stopping suddenly. I stopped behind him too, eyeing him warily. "I'm not angry at you for what you did to me, I'm angry at you for what you're doing to yourself."

"I-"

"Kara, you have an amazing life ahead of you, don't ruin that," he pleaded, cutting me off once more.

"I don't know how to," I confessed, looking down at my hands to suppress the tears from streaming down my face.

"Ask for help," he suggested, "don't be afraid of judgement."

I didn't reply to that, letting the quiet flood the empty space between us.

"Let's go get those candles," he said, breaking the silence. We both started heading towards the storage room once more, reaching there quickly. Jace opened the door, which creaked in protest to the movement.

He deftly searched through the boxes, and in only a few minutes, pulled out a bag full of the waxy sticks. He stuck his hand in once more, and retrieved a lighter, before placing the box back on the shelf, where it belonged. I grabbed the blankets I had previously found, and we both left the room.

We both walked back to the lobby of the library, where our friends were waiting for us. Kate had a thoughtful look on her face, contrasted to the sly smirk Hadley was wearing. Asher's expression was the funniest of all, a strange mixture between jealousy and indifference.

What he had to be jealous about, I didn't know.

"Took you long enough," Hadley greeted me, standing up from where she had arranged blankets from my car and pillows from hers. Jace threw the bag of candles at Owen, as I placed the blankets we had found on the floor, spreading them out.

"Did anyone call our parents?" I asked, after smoothing the wrinkles out of the blanket.

"Yeah, they were all worried," Kate shrugged, sitting down next to me.

"So what're we going to do now?" I asked, as everyone sat in a circle around us both.

"Truth or dare, obviously," Hadley smirked, folding her legs underneath her casually.

•••

Boy: 15 Girl: 16