Flickering Shadows

The Confrontation (Chapter 12)

THE CONFRONTATION

I don't think I left my room for the next two days other than to eat and pee.  I didn't want to see Dylan, because I feared angering him again.  He had never raised his voice to me at all, even that time I accidentally pushed him in the snow.  I had no idea what I had done.

           On the third day I decided to confront him.  I did miss talking to him, and that overpowered the fear I felt.  He must have missed me as well-I found a note shoved under my door that read:

 Why are you avoiding me? Sorry If I did anything

~Dylan

 An angry note-lovely.  It was ten o'clock, so I could burst into his room undetected.  I dressed quickly in a black shirt and jeans. I slithered out of my room and threw open his door.  "Hey!" Dylan said happily. "Where have you been?"

           "Staying away from you until you told me I could go near you." I crossed my arms and demanded an explanation.

           He ran his fingers through his hair.  "Gah...look, Lucy, I am really, truly sorry I said that. I just-"

           "If you thought that I was going to tell anyone, I'm hurt by that.  Best friends don't tell on each other."

           Dylan winced slightly, and seemed to contemplate that for a while.  "You're right, they don't.  I shouldn't have said that and I'm really sorry. Forgive me?"

           I was unwilling, but his pouty face was so ridiculous that I laughed.  I hugged him around the waist and forgave him.  "Sorry for staying away from you." I said into his shoulder.

           He chuckled at my muffled voice.  "It's alright. You're here now, and that's all that matters."

Dylan and I became much closer in the weeks that followed.  We were in constant contact, inseparable.  Amanda wanted to murder me, I'm sure, but I was in a state of such bliss that I did not care.

           I was in love with Dylan, even if he didn't love me the same way.  Dylan was everything I needed and wanted.  He was funny and charming; he actually listened to me and cared about what I was feeling.  He sacrificed his clothing for me and held me while I cried.  Dylan never criticized me, and told me I was perfect just the way I was.  He wasn't one of those stereotypical guys.  With looks like his, he should be dating a blonde bimbo and be a sports star.  He wouldn't give a girl like me the time of day if he'd been like that.  The cherry on top was that he was absolutely gorgeous.

           We were eating in the rec room together-some leftover, stale popcorn-when another confrontation emerged.  I walked out to take our bowls back to the kitchen, but Amanda blocked the door.  "Excuse me." I said politely.

           "Where do you think you're going?" she demanded.

           "To take the bowls back."

           Amanda slapped the bowls out of my hands and they shattered. "Nice job." She said with a smirk.

           "Amanda!" Dylan came bounding down the hall to my rescue.

           Amanda's eyes got bigger and her mouth curved into a seductive smile.  "Hi, Dylan."

           "What the hell are you doing?" he growled, gesturing to the mess of broken glass at her feet.

           "Lucy dropped the bowls.  I was helping her clean up." Amanda grinned.  "You know how nice I am."

           Dylan snorted. "I would sooner believe that my grandma is leading an army of zombies."

           "...What?"

           "You are not a nice girl, Amanda.  You never were." Dylan said in a low voice. "You're a cold-hearted bitch, honestly."

           "Baby, don't talk to me like that." She reached out to touch him, but he slapped her hand away.

         "I'm not your baby."

           Amanda's face twisted and contorted into one of pure rage. "This-is-all-your-fault!" she screeched at me.

           "No! We're just friends!" I yelled back.

           "You think we all don't see the way you look at him? You like him, it is so obvious.  But who would want you?  You can't go a week without throwing a fit like a two year old." Amanda hissed.

           I couldn't say anything. Dylan now knew that I had a thing for him.  I thought that I never wanted to hurt anyone again, but right now, I was so angry that I wanted to kill her.  She exposed my secret, and she would not get away with it.

           I grabbed a piece of glass and threw it at her.  She yelped in pain and she glass sliced open her arm.  Blood soon trickled down. I meant to miss, but of course I didn't. "I wish my aim was better."

           "What?" Dylan said, shocked.

           "I meant to hit the wall behind her. Didn't turn out that way though."

           He laughed, and we watched Amanda glare at us with hatred as a cafeteria worker slap a Dora the Explorer band-aid on her arm.