Truth or Dare? [REWRITTEN]

¤Chapter 5¤

¤Chapter 5¤

"Are you sure you mind being seen with me?" I asked crossing my arms.

"Well I'm not necessarily being seen with you now, am I?" Owen answered rhetorically.

He's right.

After he asked to speak with me privately, I grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the cafeteria. The mood there had switched from anticipation to curiosity and although I don't mind my English class watching the melodrama which is my life; I have a problem with the rest of the school finding out. Everyone has lunch at different times because our cafeteria is not large and fancy like big city schools —it's small and modest. The bad part about that is: no one knows how to keep their mouth shut. To my peers, lunch is a time to eat and gossip simultaneously. The last thing I want to be is the talk of the town —again.

So, I dragged him to a hidden staircase in the gym.

Our school's gymnasium has two floors. Downstairs is the main open area with rows of bleachers for spectators to watch when we play indoor sports, while upstairs is lined with classrooms and a meeting room. The stairwell itself isn't hidden but there's a spandrel between the first floor where we stood and the second floor on top of the stairs. If they added a door here, it could've been a small closet. The only way for someone to see us would be if they deliberately looked underneath the stairs. Not even the cameras can spot us here.

We faced each other, hidden in the shadows.

"I don't remember you being this bold this morning" I said as my eyes adjusted to the lack of light.

He leaned against the wall, putting more distance between us. "And I don't remember you being so aggressive"

Two steps.

That's all it took for him to be completely pressed against the wall instead of leisurely resting on it.

I placed my hand above his shoulder and leaned in close. "I thought you weren't scared?"

"So, this is what you do to push people away." He let out a breath I didn't realize he was holding.

I might seem like I'm on top of everything around him but I'm not. His rigid body is my only indication that he might be afraid of me. Normally I'd be able to sense it —like I did with everyone in the Cafeteria. For some reason I'm more aware of his physical state than his emotional state.

This is bad.

Physically your opponent might seem strong but if he's emotionally weak then you've won both the battle and the war. Owen is stiff on the outside; this could mean fear. Yet, when I look in his eyes, I can't see fear —in fact, I don't know what I see. If I could only sense what he was thinking right now, I would know if this was all a bluff. But I can't.

I must be broken.

"What do you mean?" My brows scrunched up in confusion.

"On the outside you're Madi, but inside you're—"

"You don't know anything about me" I snapped. This time I was the one to put distance between us. Once again, not good. By moving back, I'm giving him the upperhand.

I need to schedule a refresher course with my dad. Fast.

Owen glanced at his feet, not able to challenge the ferocity of my gaze. "People talk about you, you know"

I didn't respond.

Of course, people talk about me. They always do. They talked when I was Madison and they talk now that I'm Madi, but they won't dare say anything to me personally. Phonies.