The Hidden | ✅

Chapter Eight

I told my mom and dad that the party was great. That it was fun. But it wasn't great or fun.

It was horrible. It showed me a side of Alex that I didn't want to see. That I hoped would never exist.

But it was there. And I'd seen it.

School went by a lot slower in the following week. The only class Alex sat with me in was English and he'd somehow found a way to move to the back of the class, which I was fine with. It meant less awkward interactions for the both of us.

I mainly kept to myself, unless of course I was hanging out around Diana, Mac, or Caleb. As it turns out, Caleb has second degree burns. The doctors said it was due to the mass amount of friction caused by Alex grabbing his wrist so roughly combined with the types of light he'd been exposed to at the party. I was no doctor, but even I knew that that excuse was complete bull. But Caleb seemed to believe it, so I let it be.

Lunch was pretty bland. Mac was sick so she was absent, leaving me, Diana, and Caleb all alone. Caleb played with his burn wrappings as we all ate our lunch. "I mean, it doesn't hurt as much, now. The doctor said that it should be healed after three weeks" He said, answering a question that Diana had just asked."Gosh. I'm really sorry that that happened to you, by the way." She glared daggers at Alex from across the room. I too turned to look at him. He sat by himself most of the time now. It's not that the popular kids kicked him out of the group. In fact, last Saturday's fiasco had probably boosted his popularity.

He'd just chosen to sit by himself. Anytime anyone else even tried to sit with him, he'd just get up and move elsewhere.

"He's pathetic, really. Drugging Circe, hurting you, and then practically begging for sympathy. It's stupid." Diana huffed.

Caleb wrapped an arm around my shoulder supportively, which was something that he did a lot now. I didn't mind, but it wasn't the best feeling in the world.

"It's fine. It's all in the past." Caleb said, giving me a small smile that amplified the freckles on his cheeks. "As long as he doesn't mess with us again."

"Circe, you haven't spoken all lunch period, dear. What's the matter?" Diana asked. It was then that I realized I hadn't touched any of the food on my plate, which had probably tipped Diana off, because I always ate.

I simply shook my head in response. "I'm just tired. I didn't get much sleep last night because I was studying for Mr. Kelly's Anatomy and Physiology test." Diana and Caleb looked me over warily. I could tell they didn't believe me, but they didn't want to pester me anymore on the subject. I didn't want them to either. "I'm going to go to the bathroom." I said, standing up. "I'll be back."

The bathroom was close to our lunch table. Right next to it actually, so I wasn't really that far. I shut and locked the door before looking at myself in the bathroom mirror. My hair was held up in a ponytail that framed my angular face and brought attention to my eyes, which were dull from stress and mourning. I chose to wear a baggy black hoodie today to cover my black shirt. But the blue jean shorts that I'd chosen to wear with them completely contrasted with my outfit. I didn't care, actually. It didn't really matter.

My life was completely changing and shifting. First, Caleb is trying to renew the stupid fling we had, which is the last thing I want. Then Alex turns out to be someone completely different from who I first perceived him to be. Then I get my heart broken.

And not some stupid cliché romance type heartbreak. This was an actual aching in my soul that made it hard to get up in the morning. It was what made the color green such a sickening color. It was what made me look at myself and wonder, 'How could I be so stupid?'