Hell's Love

Chapter 13

The next morning, Dominic walked down the hall to his locker. As he approached the locker, a tall blonde girl stood by it with her back leaning against the locker next to it. She had a purple dress in that went well with her tan skin. 
"Hi, Dominic." She greeted him with a bright smile.
"Hello." He replied and opened his locker. The girl removed her back from the doors. 
"I'm Poppy." She said. "I know you're still considered new here and I was wondering if I can help you figure things out? Stuff maybe you still find confusing."
Dominic faced her and smiled. "Thank you, Poppy. I appreciate the offer, but I think I can handle it here."
"I can see that." Poppy stated. "You've already made quite an impact."
"How?" Dominic asked. The blonde looked up at him with light blue eyes. Her pink lips grew into a playful smile.
"I've heard about you and Ava." Poppy began.
"Ava and I don't have a relationship," Dominic stated.
"Good." Poppy replied with a grin. "How would you like me to show you around town?"
"I don't know."
"Come on. It'll be fun."
Dominic closed his locker. "Tell you what, I have a lot going on now, but maybe we can another time."
"I'll hold you to that," Poppy said with s smile.
"I'd be disappointed if you didn't," Dominic replied.
"I'll see you around," Poppy told him and left him with a wink. Dominic walked down the hall with his books in his hands. A few girls eyed him as he turned the corner. Dominic spotted Declan at the end of the hall with Chester and Kaiya. Kaiya and Chester were holding hands and grinning widely. They walked up to Dominic and greeted him.
"Were you talking to Poppy?" Kaiya asked him.
"Yeah, she was asking if I needed help getting to know the place," Dominic responded.
"She's nice if you're interested," Kaiya informed him. "She is actually class president."
"She's also a cheerleader," Chester added.
"She seemed cool." Dominic agreed and turned to his attention to Declan. His eyes were on his phone with his hands gripping the small device tightly. He looked even more exhausted than yesterday. His blue eyes wide and his mouth was shut tightly.
"Declan, how's Ava?" Kaiya asked.
Declan's head shot up and he looked down at the small redhead. "She's good. I hope she comes back soon." 
 "Me too," Kaiya responded. Dominic saw the pained look in Declan's eyes as he looked away. Dominic could see how much Ava's situation was taking a toll on him.  Dominic knew he didn't eat supper when he got home because he'd always get home so late at night. He ate enough of his lunch not to warrant concern from his friends, but it that was hardly anything. He wasn't sleeping and the two boys hadn't had the time to bother with homework. Dominic's grades were dropping and he guessed Declan's were too.
 "Natasha has been avoiding us for most of this week," Chester stated as he reached into Kaiya's backpack. He handed her a pink water bottle and zipped the pocket shut.
 "She hasn't been returning my texts either," Kaiya added with her water bottle hovering near her mouth. 
 Declan cleared his throat. "I wouldn't worry about her. I'm sure she's fine."
"She doesn't usually act like this," Kaiya said.
"Are you guys talking about Natasha?" Aidan asked as he approached them. He ran his hand over his light brown buzzed hair. His quiet hazel eyes locked on Dominic's and he gave him a look of approval.
"Yeah," Chester replied. "She's been MIA for the past week."
"I saw her in the hall today." Aidan filled them in. "She was talking to Joel Bennett."
 Kaiya wrinkled her nose and frowned. "Do you know what about?"
"Not sure. She wouldn't talk to me after." Aidan responded and crossed his arms.
"She's probably just trying to annoy us," Declan muttered. Chester raised his eyebrows at him, while Aidan faced him.
"What happened between you two?" Aidan asked Declan. 
 Declan sighed. "We just had a disagreement."
 "About what?" Chester asked. 
  "It's really not important," Declan stated in a sharp tone. 

  "The bell is going to ring soon, guys." Dominic put in. He could see the tension building in Declan. 

 "He's right," Aidan added. "I can't be late for Spanish again."
 "We can finish this at lunch," Chester said and he and Kaiya walked down the hall to their classes. Aidan smiled at Dominic and Declan and left them in the hall. 
 "We'll get her back Declan," Dominic told him. "We just need to get through today without causing alarm."
 "I don't care about today. I just want to be with Ava." 
 "Soon. Let's go to class." Dominic said. "We both need it." 
 "Alright." They split up. Dominic watched him go and wondered what would happen to the other boy if they didn't get Ava back.