Preacher's Daughter: A Modern Clato Fanfic

Chapter 20

I do apologize: This is horrible and I'm very rusty, because I haven't worked on this in ages. But I hope that I'm back for good this time! :)

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Cato strode into school later that week, a small smirk on his lips. The school had been buzzing about what he and Clove had done to the gymnasium for days now. Several rumors were circulating that he was the one who did it, but honestly, Cato couldn't bring himself to care. All he cared about was Clove.

Well, more like he cared about that kiss they shared. It was barely even a kiss-it lasted three seconds at most. But he still couldn't get the image of her face afterwards out of his head, how shocked and flabbergasted she looked. It had made his heart fall to the pit of his stomach.

He never usually thought about a girl like this. Kissing someone never seemed to be that big of a deal to the blonde boy. But Cato, however, was wondering just how much it had meant to Clove.

Sure, she was the preacher's daughter, but she must've had someone kiss her before, right?

Speaking of Clove, it was just before first period, and Cato caught sight of her at her locker. She had her hair pulled back into a ponytail like she usually did, and was wearing a pair of faded jeans, gym shoes, and a green t-shirt. She looked who she normally did, but somehow, to Cato, things were different about her.

She seemed more jumpy than usually, flinching whenever someone moved past her to quickly. She winced when her locker door slammed shut, and anxiously worried her bottom lip.

Cato had been meaning to speak with her after the whole kissing thing occurred, but every time he had seen Clove that week, she had kept her head down and shuffled past him as quickly as possible.

So, in attempt to finally make conversation with her, he followed her at a safe distance as she retreated down the hallway. His eyes darted around, and just when he came close enough to her and there wasn't that many people around, he grabbed her roughly by the arm and dragged her into the first room he came across.

"Cato!" the raven haired girl gasped, eyes going wide. "What do you think you're doing? If this is your way to charm me, I'll have you know, most girls don't like being man-handled and shoved into a janitor's closest!"

"Keep your voice down!" he huffed, casting her a small glare and locking the door.

"I cannot believe this..." she muttered, rolling her eyes and leaning back to the wall. There was barely any room for even Cato to stand comfortably. A mop was digging into his spine, and he and Clove were practically chest to chest.

"What do you want?" she asked, eyes shooting daggers up at him.

Cato couldn't speak for a few seconds. He wasn't even sure what to say.

"Hi."

"You drag me into a janitor's closet just because you wanted to say hello?"

"Well, no..."

Clove let out a sigh. "Well," she said, tapping her foot on the ground impatiently. "What is it that you wanted to say to me?"

Cato thought for a moment. He didn't want to come off as sounding like a total jerk, but he just spit out the first thing that popped into his mind.

"Well, I always said that we'd end up in a closet together. After all, you find me so irresistible and charming and-"

Clove cut him off by stomping on his foot. "Ow!" he yelped, and then bit his lip. He hoped that no one from the other side of the door had heard.

"I cannot believe you!" Clove whisper-yelled. "You are the most loathsome human being I've ever met, Cato Hadley!"

"Look I-"

"No," Clove sneered, venom laced with her tone. She could not believe the nerve Cato had, messing around with her! "I want you to unlock this door right now, and leave me alone."

"I think we should talk about the kiss."

Those words made Clove's blood go cold, and her breath hitched. She had spent the last few days trying to erase the memory from her mind. It was one of the most awkward and strange experiences in her life, and she preferred to just pretend like it hadn't happened at all.

But what she could't do, however, was deny how good that short kiss had felt. She told herself time and time again that she hated Cato. Heck, she had even said it straight to his face. But the kiss had changed something, and that scared the wits out of her.

Clove was beginning to think that she didn't despise Cato Hadley after all.

It wasn't like she hadn't been kissed before. No, she had at least two boyfriends that were fellow members of the congregation at church. They had both kissed her, but just short, innocent little pecks. They were all just like the one Cato had given her, but somehow, the blonde boy made her want to do a whole lot more than just share a nanosecond kiss. She would never admit this out loud, of course.

"There's nothing to talk about," she claimed after clearing her throat. "You didn't mean it. It just kind of happened. I'm okay with forgetting about it if you are."

"But what if I don't want to forget about it?" he whispered, looking her straight in the eye. Blue orbs gazed into brown, and before Cato knew it, he was leaning in closer. What amazed him was that Clove was too. His eyes slowly fluttered to a close, and their lips were just about to meet-

The bell signaling the start of first period broke Clove out of her trance.

"Oh, no!" she groaned. "I've never been late to class before!" Cato sighed and couldn't help but feel disappointed. Unwillingly, he opened up the door, and let Clove push by him, watching her as she fast walked down the deserted hallway.