Vacant Hearts [UNDER CONSTRUCTION]

Chapter 18 | Don't Play

SONG FOR THE CHAPTER: Don't Play by Halsey

      A cool wind grazed my arms and I shivered, pulling my denim jacket tighter around me. I could see goose bumps skittering across my legs through the rips in my black jeans. Another gust of wind, much stronger this time, tousled my hair and made me regret not tying it up today. It was mid-December and the weather was getting colder by the day. Lia and I were sitting at a table in the courtyard, having lunch between our classes. Why she chose to sit outside was beyond me.

      Twenty minutes into our lunch break, Tyler came over and sat down on the bench opposite from Lia. He didn't even say hello, just dove straight into an in-depth story of how he tripped over a random cat and grazed his chin on the way to his car this morning. Said graze covered a majority of his chin and looked rather painful and irritated. There was never a dull moment when Tyler Young was around.

      Not long after that, I spotted Julian heading towards our table. My stomach fluttered at the sight of him in that frustrating way it always did and I felt my heart start pounding a little faster than normal. He was wearing a grey print t-shirt over denim jeans, with a black, light-weight windbreaker over the top. Somehow, Julian managed to always look amazing. I hated myself for even thinking that.

      I looked away just as Julian sat down next to Tyler, wringing my hands under the table and hoping no one would notice just how uncomfortable I was. I wondered if things would ever go back to normal between Julian and me.

      They probably had and I was just still stupidly caught up over what happened.

      "What happened to your chin?" Julian asked Tyler. He didn't even glance my way once.

      Lia snickered. "It's quite the story. You're going to love it."

      As Tyler told the story again, I felt my mind start to drift. Since I was working hard to keep all thoughts of Julian out of my head, my mind went to the second-best thing: my chaotic family. I was planning on visiting Roman again this weekend, despite my mom forbidding it. He'd made a mistake that hurt a lot of people, but it didn't make him the monster my mom made him out to be. My family needed to open their eyes and see–

      "Isa." The sound of my name being called pulled me from my exhausting and spiralling thoughts.

      I glanced over at Lia. She'd been the one saying my name for who knows how long. "Hmm?"

      "You didn't hear a word I said, did you?" She rolled her eyes.

      I forced a smile onto my lips. "No, but I'm listening now."

      "I was just saying how I'm finally getting a tattoo this weekend," Lia announced, clasping her hands together.

      "What? Really? That's so exciting!" And I meant it. Lia had been wanting a tattoo ever since she turned eighteen a few years ago. "Which one are you going to get first?"

      I didn't expect a succinct answer from her just yet. I kid you not, she had a whole folder dedicated to tattoo designs. I knew it was going to be hard for her to choose which one she was going to get first and where on her body she was going to get it.

      "I'm not sure. You're going to help me pick one tonight, okay?" Lia said, her eyes pleading. "I don't want to end up like Tyler."

      We all chuckled at that. Tyler's My Little Pony tattoo was still as bright and prominent as ever. I was surprised he hadn't started wearing scarves and turtleneck shirts to cover it up. Too bad his green hair had faded rather quickly. It had been great making fun of him while it lasted.