Oh, It's On

Chapter 17

Thank you guys for all the birthday wishes! I'm going to still think of myself as 16 though :D

Happy reading! x

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Chapter 17

The door closes softly behind me and I begin walking through the front entrance of the school. It’s still fairly early in the morning so there aren’t as many students as there usually is, but there are still enough of them to make me paranoid. Every few seconds I glance around the main hall to see if anyone is watching me. Against the wall, right near the corner is a group of girls that I recognize as one of Jace’s fans. Or as I call them: stalkers. One of them catches me staring and doesn’t do anything but give me a quizzical look.

Huh.

“Stop looking, no one knows,” says a voice beside me.

I turn around to see Josh who has fallen into step with me, walking casually with his bag slung over one shoulder and his hands in his pockets.

“Excuse me?” I readjust my own bag and shuffle just a bit away. Inconspicuously, of course.

“They don’t know about you and,” Josh clears his throat, “Jace.”

“Um…” I trail off uncomfortably. Talking to Josh alone, or at all, is already weird. Talking to him about Jace… I thought the chances of that was like getting hit by lightning while scuba diving in the Arctic Ocean. Then again, I do have rotten luck.

“After you left yesterday, we decided not to say anything.”

My head snaps up and I look at him questioningly. “We?”

Even though I know that he’s friendly with the guys now, I had no idea until now that he got any say in what involves me.

“What do you mean ‘we’?” I ask.

Josh shrugs casually. “You know, me, Michael, Kevin, Rachel, and Cameron, when he came back later.”

“What about Jace?”

“He kinda left right after you did. Something about a doctor’s appointment.”

“Oh…”

“Really, I think he just wanted to leave. You can be pretty harsh sometimes, Stella.”

I stop walking and turn to face him. Is he actually saying what I think he’s saying? Really, him, out of all people…

“What?” he says as I give him a scrutinizing look.

It’s too early in the morning for me to scold him. And the fact that what he just told me felt like a kick to the gut doesn’t make it any better. I think back to the look on Jace’s face yesterday. It couldn’t have been that bad… I mean Jace is a big boy; he can handle some emotional roller coasters. Hopefully.

“I um forgot that I had to stop by the office this morning,” I say, taking a few steps back. Either way, I don’t feel like discussing it with Josh, of all people.

“Oh, do you want me to walk with you?”

I shake my head, maybe a little too quickly. “It’s okay.”

Before he can reply, I pivot on my heel and walk the opposite way. After a few steps, I let out a sigh. That was…weird.

**

When lunch time arrives, I hurry out of the classroom and into the cafeteria. Pulling my sandwich out of my bag, I’m still thinking about what happened with Josh this morning. No matter how I think about, I still can’t wrap my head around what happened. It was weird.