The Trouble with Love

❝ i can hurt you from inside ❞

(unedited)

I'm learning all your tricks;
I can hurt you from inside.
I made myself a promise;
You would never see me cry,
'Til I make you.

"The Devil Within" -Digital Daggers

­The next day brought a whole new meaning to the horrors of Monday.

I think most of the Elite were on edge after what had happened to Skylar -who was still in the hospital. Ashton and Jenna were both mysteriously absent, though I wasn't sure whether or not their absences were related. And on top of that, Jacen had caught onto my leaving-class-early-to-avoid-him thing, and started showing up earlier than I left, which made it impossible to avoid him.

"You know you can't ignore me forever," he said as we were to walking to my locker.

I, of course, ignored him.

"Come on, Elena, I didn't even do anything that bad."

Don't react. Don't react. Don't react.

I shot him a glare.

He smirked.

Damnit.

That was another annoying thing. Jacen was acting like nothing had happened. He was acting the way he had been when we had first met- still jerkish, but more teasingly, without cryptic messages and kisses in dark closets.

He and Ashton would get along great, I'm telling you. I don't know why they aren't BFF's already.

"Go away Jacen," I told him, too tired to come up with a better brush off.

There was someone leaning on my locker.

Well, actually, to be more specific, there were two people making out on it, drawing several stares. More so than usual. Blatant displays of affection weren't all that rare at this school. But really, of all places, did it have to be my locker?

The two people were Keira Winston and Nathan Sinclair.

Well, that explains the extra stares.

"Do I need to get Elena a cleaning crew for her locker?" Jacen called, causing the couple to break apart. I glanced at him and bit back and laugh. Despite his confident, teasing tone, he looked ready to throw up. Understandable, considering Keira was his sister.

He groaned and his disgust seemed to deepen. I glanced back at Keira and Nathan to see they had resumed their make-out session.

And they' were still on my locker.

"Dude," Jacen said, when we reached them. He grabbed Nathan's shoulder and yanked him away from Keira. "That's my sister."

"And that's my locker," I added.

Keira pushed off the metal. "I need to talk to Elena," she said.

No one moved.

She sighed. "Alone."

This caused most of the students to scatter, but did nothing to Jacen and Nathan.

"That includes you guys, you know," she said, glancing at them. This seemed to finally make them get the message. Nathan grumbled and leaned down to give her a quick kiss, but stepped back, dragging Jacen with him.

As Keira waited for the last of the students to leave, I turned to open my locker.

"I didn't tell Ashton or Nathan about your listening," she said once they were gone. The coldness in her voice and the sudden emptiness in the halls made me stiffen.