Hate to Say I Told You So

Chapter Nine

I had planned to confront Collin on my way to school that morning.

When I went downstairs, my mom moved around all in a tizzy, but not in her busybody way. On the bright side, it made me think about something other than what may have happened if I had not woken up. My mom looked beyond scared. She boiled eggs for breakfast, but when she went to drain the water, she forgot to take the top off the pan. She hadn't turned the burner off and set a towel far too close to the open flame. I scurried over and turned off the burner, moving the towel away from the stove, and that's when she turned and noticed me.

"Isa, don't tell Finn, but I'm pretty sure your dad never came home last night." She said quietly, running a hand through her hair, one of her many nervous habits.

My stomach turned to ice. Sure I didn't like my dad; although, Finn did and I loved my brother. Hoping coffee would thaw my frozen gut; I poured myself a cup without even noticing how hot it was.

I sat in silence while I waited for Collin. Finn came down and didn't seem to notice anything. After what seemed like a century, I saw Collin come up the driveway. Jumping up, I ran for the door. I would endure a lifetime of Heather stories just to escape this silent tension.

Blowing past Collin, I turned down the sidewalk and waited for him to catch up. He didn't even notice a thing. He walked beside me, whistling, and didn't seem to notice that I walked faster than normal. Just outside the gates of school, I decided I needed to tell him. I hadn't gotten a word in edgewise. He stopped whistling a few blocks from my house and started yapping about Heather.

"Collin, my dad-"

"Collin!" Heather ran over and Collin took her face in his hands, mashing it against his.

Disgusted, I turned around and sat in my arch. I tried to read, but felt too distracted. My missing dad. The guy I almost loved, making out with another girl. I'd had a dream the night before about almost having sex with a guy, and not the aforementioned one whom I thought I could love.

And then Ross sat down next to me. I couldn't see him, but I could hear him breathing. He must have drunk some strong coffee that morning. I didn't feel much like talking, not after the dream I'd had about Ross, but I guess he didn't understand.

"Are you ever going to acknowledge my presence?" He laughed

I flipped a page as I said hello and my eyes slid over to the school gates where Collin and Heather talked and laughed.

"They're kind of gross, aren't they?" Ross asked

"Yeah, for sure." I went back to fake reading my book.

Ross took my book from my hands and put it on my backpack. "Belle, something's wrong. Just tell me what it is. Maybe I can help." His hand rested just millimeters from mine. It looked dry and chapped from the cold weather. Ross had long, thin fingers, and I found myself trying to recall what they felt like in my dream. I had the strangest urge to reach back and touch them, but a teacher stood right outside the door, snapping me back to reality.

I heaved a sigh and told him everything. My bad relationship with my father, how Finn remained super close with him, I told Ross everything. Right up to the events of this morning.

As if it could sense the mood, the bell rang. I started to gather my things.

"Hey," Ross stopped me by laying a long, thin finger on my arm. The teachers were gone from their posts and wouldn't bust him for breaking the rules, "Don't walk home with Collin, I'll take you."