RED LIPSTICK [l.zvahl]

chapter seven

By the time we get home, mother is in the kitchen. I'm shocked to see that she is still here and not somewhere else. The possibilities are endless of where she could be, but being here is not one of the places I'd think of first. In fact, it beats last place of which she's with father living a happy marriage to this day.

Ryder runs off to the backyard, and I make my way to my room. I shut the door and face plant into my pillows. I feel as though I'm one of those girls from a cliché scene where the girl gets her heart broken on tv. If only this were actually tv. I frown at my thought.

Out of all the people I could've liked, it had to be him. He was the first person I learned I could get close to, and he made me think that I can get close to people without getting hurt like in the past. He accepted me for who I really am, but he didn't like me like I like him. I can't hate him for it, that'd be wrong, but I can hate her.

I can hate Alex for stealing him away from me. She deluded me this whole time into thinking I could trust her, but I really can't. While she's doing that, she plays with other people only to steal Vylad from me. She must've known I liked him. It hurts to know that she could've even hurt Ryder.

By now I'm standing in front of the very same mirror I had been standing in front of earlier today. If only it was eariler today where I didn't know about any of this. I was happy, but now I'm heartbroken, and my appearance shows it.

I touch my cheeks to notice that that are wet. Had I really been crying? Tears can show weakness, and I refuse to be weak. If only I could listen to myself as I watch more tears stream down my face.

"Stop crying," I tell my reflection. "Stop it right now," the tears continue to fall, and I grabbed harsh onto my hair. "Stop it! Stop crying Y/N! Quit being weak!"

A pitiful screams slips from my lips as I go on a slight rampage. "This is all her fault! I hate her! I hate her for making me so weak!" I yell as I push everything off of the dresser under the mirror and watch it fall to the floor.

"Stop being weak!" I yell, but I begin to stumble around until I fall onto my knees. I hold my head into my hands, and my hair shields myself from the outside. I begin to choke on my words. "Y-You're weak. . ."

My door opens harshly, and Ryder runs into the room in panic. He sees me and screams out my name, but it feels like I'm alone.

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

The next day comes quicker than I would would have liked it to, and it seems to be dragging on as well. Although the school day has ended, and I am getting situated with my locker, I can't wait for the day itself to actually be over.

That's when an arm slips around my waist.

"What are you doing right now?"

I roll my eyes at the sound of Laurance's creepy, breathy, whisper. I wonder if I should start to listen to Ryder's advise of not being with the Zvahls now or. His thought on Laurance may of have changed, and I shouldn't not like him because of what his sister did. That would be wrong.

"I'm currently listening to you sounding like a kidnapper," I shut my locker and turn around leaning on it. I look at Laurance with a lifted eyebrow and slight smirk. "Why? What do you have in mind?"

"A simple hang out. We could walk around somewhere if you'd like."

"I'd like that."

He takes my back and slings it over his shoulder. I begin to argue that I can carry my own backpack, but he refuses trying to tell me that he's a big boy. When I still argue that I can carry my backpack, he tells me that he's strong and flexes his arms.