A Silver Lining

Chapter Thirty Five: Attempts & Failures

Chapter 35: Attempts and Failures

"I'll find you, you can run but you can't hide forever."

One sentence that haunted me for four years. When finally, I wanted to give up on that stupid threat, ready to gave up each of those memories, he had to find me.

The guy in the hoodie standing in front of me, Luna's murderer.

"Stella are you okay?" Someone touched my shoulders and I jumped. I turned around and saw Tyler scorching down beside me. He helped me on my feet. I didn't dare to look back at him. He found me.

Just like he said he would.

"Did I scare you off?" Someone said from behind me. I knew it was him speaking. But his voice, it seemed quite different.

"Stella?" He said again and this time I turned around to face him. He cannot hurt me in front of hundreds of witnesses.

Except it wasn't him. I blinked my eyes.

Sure the boy standing in front of me was of the same height and built, face and other features too, but when he let his hood down, I realized he's blond.

Well, I noticed it before too, but his feature took me out of the blue.

He wasn't blond, he had raven black hair.

The boy before me wasn't that guy, it was Jeff.

"Oh, it's you," I sighed.

"You're not happy to see me?" He asked pouting. "Were you expecting someone else?"

You have no idea dude.

I gave him a forced smile. "No-yes- well, I wasn't feeling well."

"But you were fine-" I stepped on Tyler's foot before he could finish the sentence.

"Okay," Jeff started between us, then looked at me. "I was looking for you. I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?"

He scratched his nape. "I was wondering if you wanted to go to the ball with me, you know, you and me. As a date. Well if you already don't have one."

He looked terribly nervous which made him look cute. But my mind was already set.

I wasn't going. "I'm so sorry Jeff, I really appreciate it but I'm not going to the ball," I said with a sad smile. "I'm really sorry."

"No no it's fine, I understand." He said.

I apologized again and Tyler and I left.

Before going upstairs I stared down at him once again.

He looked exactly like him. Jeff looked exactly like him except for his hair.

Was I missing something?

****

Coming back to the second floor I realized Jeff wasn't the reason the whole cafeteria turned dumb. Of course, he wouldn't be. It's not like he came back after disappearing for almost two years.

Ryan Anderson, the person I'm trying to avoid for weeks now; and let me rephrase, trying, was standing in the center of the crowd. As this lunch hour was for both juniors and seniors and all of them knew what happened to him, they were very curious to see him again.

Or let's just say nosy.

It took Scott and Noah, with the help of some jocks, a few minutes to clear up the mess. Ryan was too astonished to move. Yet he was still smiling at everyone, like the boy who won the crown once. Now that he came back, I wonder if he will go back to the boy he once was and ignore commoners like me.