Don't Go Into The Woods

Chapter 35

I tried to push this weird moment to the back of my mind as I finished drying off the dishes. Carmen and I bid Anastasia a grateful farewell not too long afterwards. The entire drive back to school, Carmen went on and on about how she had enjoyed herself and even apologized for being a bit jealous at first. I forgave her. I found it trivial to still worry about that. And as I stood there in the bathroom, brushing my teeth, staring deeply into the bathroom cabinet mirror, I felt pretty content with the day and how it had turned out. The reflection of the tuxedo's jacket hanging on the back of the bathroom on a coat hanger stared back at me. I knew what I had to do. And in some strange way I knew what I needed to do as well.

I waited till Carmen was snoring. She had eventually fallen asleep after working on a story for the school's newspaper. Something about the do's and don't's when dating someone in the same class. It would have sounded interesting to read if she had not read it out to me at least a dozen times already. She snorted blissfully as I climbed out of my bed slowly and quietly. We had already snuck into the principal's office and broken into the secret room there. That was easily more than enough illegal adventure for Carmen. Which is why I decided to exclude her on what I was about to do. Sneaking around after curfew in the school was yet another school rule I was about to break.

I dressed in a black pair of skinny pants before throwing on a color matching pair of slip on shoes. I left my grey jersey on which I had originally gone to bed with, my hair hanging over each shoulder. I snatched the tuxedo jacket from the bathroom door and tiptoe out of the room, making sure that I lock the door behind me. The passageways were all dark. I knew I was probably risking my life here by doing this. Especially with wolves lurking around in those woods which could easily gain access to such a school. I just could not turn back now. I had made my decision on Dimitri and after hearing Anastasia, I decided to rather let him go. Giving him his jacket back was just my form of closing the door on him completely. I could not blame Anastasia for this of course. I guessed she had meant well and was just trying to look out for her brother and perhaps even me too. Still. It made me realize that I needed to do something. I felt stagnant ever since the night of the New Years Eve party. This was me moving on. I remembered Carmen telling me where Dimitri's room was in the school after it was officially announced by Candice that he was a very much free man and single for the taking. There were girls reportedly stalking his bedroom door in the early hours of the morning to ask him out.

And yet he asked me to the ball.

I guess Anastasia must have told the truth when she said her brother liked me. If only liking someone was enough.

I arrived at the door situated at the end of the passageway on the ground floor. Wind blew gently against the windows nearby. Carefully, I hung the jacket on the doorknob of Dimitri's bedroom. There was no way that I was actually going to be brave enough to even dare to knock on the door and physically place the jacket in Dimitri's hands. I was merely not capable of doing so. I stood there for a moment and just stared at the door. From inside I could hear music playing. One of my favorite songs from one of my favorite bands.

Linkin Park - Somewhere I belong

I took a deep breath, gently lifting my hand up to the door, placing my palm flat against the soft wood. I let out a heavy sigh. My heart wished so badly that things could be different. Maybe I needed to have more patience when it came to Dimitri. My mind did not agree on anything my heart ached for. It remembered each and every bad experience in my life and clung onto it like my life depended on it. Unfortunately wishes never come true for me. I pulled my hand away and lowered my head to start to walk. It was time for me to leave.

Suddenly there was this sound of a door opening. I looked up to see Dimitri standing there in the doorway of his room. He was shirtless, dressed in only a long grey tracksuit pants.