Sinbridge

Chapter 4 - After School Special

BITE BY TROYE SIVAN

Grabbing Annabel's hand, I pulled her towards the other door trying to haul ass from the classroom and meld in with the other students. The lesson had ended not two minutes before, the chime signalling the end of class and I was hell bent on getting out of there before I had a chance to rip him a new one. But before I got outside of the classroom, I heard Professor Maxwell call out.

"Miss Woods? Can you please stay back for a bit? Our speaker would like a moment."

"Which one?" Annabel asked after the other students had left the room. To my dismay, "Rhys" gestured towards me causing a part of me to shrivel up and die inside.

I huffed in annoyance and Annabel patted my shoulder, attempting to placate me even just a little. With a shoulder squeeze and a look that I knew meant "be nice", she walked out of the room with the professor. The door was shut behind her, leaving me without an easy exit or so much as a buffer.

I heard the other door shut and I turned around, facing him. He stood only a few feet away, gripping the podium with his strong hands that had the lecture's notes and a cold cup of half drunk coffee. I know exactly how strong those hands are. My face was cold, calm, composed, free from the storm that was starting to brew inside from seeing him again. I leaned against a desk and crossed my arms, defensive posture adding to the strong façade I was giving. I was anything but calm.

The electricity in the air was making sure of that.

We just stared at each other from opposite ends of the room. It felt like hours had passed, but in reality could have been only a few moments before he spoke.

"You and your sister are very much alike," he said, breaking the silence and I snorted. He raised an eyebrow at my response and all I could do was shake my head at him in sheer annoyance. Of all things he could say after what he did, that's what he says. Of course it is.

"We haven't seen each other in almost two and a half months with no contact - which was all you by the way- and those are the first words to come out of your mouth?" I asked in disbelief. "Why not keep stating the obvious and say that the sky is blue or your shoes are black? That these walls are a sickly shade of off white that seems to be in every damn lecture hall here? That my hair is different colours?"

He sighed in frustration, his hands now gripping onto the desk's edge. His knuckles had turned white; if he opened his eyes now I wouldn't be surprised if they had become a hard steel green. I stood up straight and started walking slowly towards him, every step that took me closer to him further fueling my anger. I had missed him with every fibre of my being and rather than going gooey at the sight of him, I equipped myself with malice and anger to hide that from him. I was extremely pissed off and ready to take it out on him after so long of squashing it down.

No longer was I going to be meek and passive.

I was not the same girl I was three months ago.

"Better yet, why not say that your hair is black or my eyes are blue? That my sister and I are twins? That I'm five foot one?" I asked mockingly, gesticulating wildly and my voice filling the room with anger and sarcasm. "I mean, you are all worldly and all. You are supposed to be smart and yet instead you're stating the fucking obvious instead of facing reality! Because guess what? REALITY IS RIGHT FUCKING NOW."

He growled and opened his eyes, fixing me with a glare. If looks could kill, I'd be six feet under right now.

"What the fuck am I supposed to say?" he spat, his knuckles turning whiter as he spat more words at me. "That this is a shit situation? That I thought about you so many times that I felt like I was going to combust? That my dreams were haunted by you? Well I'm sorry I didn't say that first while I was still reeling but did you ever think that maybe, just maybe, I didn't know what to say?!"