Stay With Me ✔

17.

The past few weeks with Rave have been amazing. He's had dinner at my house with my mom and I, we've gone on simple dates to the diner or to the park, and he doesn't avoid me at school -instead he holds my hand in the hallways and kisses me before we part ways for class. 

I'd be lying if I said I thought it would be like this, because I didn't. I thought it would last for maybe a week and then he would get tired of me and go back to Lexy without even looking back. Erin and Whitley finally got over their initial shock and overly dramatic approval and now it's as of Rave and I are old news.

For the rest of the school though, we are huge news. People stare in the halls, at lunch, in class, after and before school in the parking lot. At first it bothered me because I thought the were all judging me and whispering about how Rave downgraded from Lexy to me, but after seeing Rave let the stares and whispers roll off his shoulders, I decided to do the same. 

The one person I can't ignore though, is Lexy. Every day in first period she attempts to trip me, and then shoots daggers in my direction while whispering to her friend about me. I know she thinks that Rave is going to come back to her and toss me aside, and I'm afraid that she's right, but I don't let her see that. Instead, I smile and wave as she makes mean comments about my hair and clothes to her friend. Killing her with kindness is my plan, and so far it's working - well, it pisses her off, which is a win in my book. 

Every day I see Lexy flirting with a different guy than the day before, so she's definitely not spending her nights in bed with a gallon of ice cream pining over her ex. I think she's just possessive and hates that Rave is no longer hers to toy with, making me a target by association.  Rave doesn't talk to Lexy, despite her attempts in the halls. He has completely cut her out of his life and I'm relieved at the fact, I don't think I could handle them being friends, my self esteem is already so low when it comes to the topic, that I would always be second guessing. 

"Hey, what are you doing right now?" The voice in my ear and the arms around my waist pull me out of my thoughts and I smile at the feeling of having him this close. I can smell his cologne and his breath tickles my neck as he rests his head on my shoulder. 

I put my books in my locker and close it, spinning the lock as I answer Rave's question. "I have to go to work." 

"Well, what if I went and got us some food and met you there." He doesn't loosen his grip on me as I turn to face him, noticing that he still has the bags under his eyes that he's had for the past few days. "Just like old times." He adds as I raise my arms and wrap them around his neck.

"I'd like that." I smile, despite the frown that is fighting its way onto my face at how exhausted he looks. Whenever I ask him if everything is okay or why he's not getting any sleep, he tells me it's nothing or that he just can't seem to sleep at night. He brushes it off like it's nothing, but from the dark circles under his eyes and the amount of times I see him yawning in a day, it's definitely not nothing. 

"Your usual?" 

I push aside my thoughts and focus on the conversation at hand, "Extra pickles."

"Of course." He leans down and kisses me quickly before removing his hands from around my waist and giving me a wink over his shoulder as he walks down the hall and out the double doors. A couple of seconds later, after checking to make sure that I had everything I needed from my locker, I followed after him towards the parking lot. 

Once i got to the station I made sure that my headphones were in my backpack before getting out of my car and heading inside. I stopped by the break room and said hello to my uncle before retreating to my room in the back and grabbing the budgeting binder. I took my usual spot on the floor, my back leaning against the couch and put in my headphones before selecting a playlist and then settle in for a long three hours of sorting, filing, and math.