Fears To Face

∞ Chapter 24 ∞

~ Kayley ~ 

Liam watched me like never before. Before yesterday, there had been the normal checking out guys did, but now, he followed every move I made like a cat watching a bird. When I stepped out of my car in the morning he walked by and stared. When I dumped books in my locker, when I walked over to biology, when I walked into the cafeteria, everywhere.

When I came out of English, he was waiting at the door. "Kayley, I have to talk to you."

"I have nothing to say to you, Liam." Then I realized, that actually, I had something to say to him, so I stopped and crossed my arms, waiting for him to start. When I had seen what a complete asshole he was to Rayne yesterday, and Rayne told me that yesterday was only a small part, I made a deal with myself that I would talk to Liam to make some things clear.

"I wanted to warn you for Rayne. He is not as nice as he looks."

I snorted. "What do you know about him, anyway?"

"Have you heard about that robbery at Adan's a couple of weeks ago?" he asked.

"The one where Rayne pulled Zoey out of the way before she got killed by a bullet, you mean? Yes, I know all about that." I glared at him, already knowing where he was going.

Seeing the look on my face, he started arguing immediately. "The way he reacted wasn't normal," he said disapprovingly.

"So you'd rather see one of your colleagues get killed right in front of you and all the customers there than that there was one person able to think straight in a moment of major importance? Is that what you are saying? I'm sure Zoey likes to hear about that," I almost snapped.

He sighed. "No, of course not, but – "

"I have something to say to you too, Liam," I interrupted. "You are going to leave him alone. You are going to stop pushing him down like that, by calling him freak and conspire with the other employees. Even get the manager suspicious for no good reason. What the hell makes you feel the need? Or did you think I didn't hear you whisper to Owen when we went to the back of the restaurant? Do you think we are idiots?" I snapped, my pulse racing with anger, struggling not to yell through the hall, but to keep my voice low.

He swallowed, but quickly got back to his self-confident being. "I think you are an idiot for not even listening to me. Not even thinking over what I'm saying." He crossed his arms too and nodded as if he wanted to say, "There, I sat it." It took everything I had not to laugh in his face.

"And you know why that is?" I asked him furiously, not even giving him the chance to say something before I continued. "Because you know nothing. You don't know him. You stamped a bias on him before you ever gave it a chance and get to know him. Yeah, he might be turned to himself most of the time, but did you ever think that he might have a reason for that? Maybe he is just shy," I snapped, done with Liam already again, but knowing I had to make my point clear before I could turn away.

"He is not just shy. The way he sometimes has this far-away gaze in his eyes, not hearing a thing around him. And his eyes..." Mine widened the tiniest bit before I narrowed them again. I knew what he was talking about, of course I did, but I couldn't let it shine though, because I couldn't let Liam get any more suspicious than he already was. "You never noticed anything about his eyes?" he continued.

I shrugged. "No."

"They change, Kayley. I saw it. Sometimes they seem to glow."

I waved it off like it was the most insane idea in the world. "That's just because the light falls in them differently. Seriously, how could eyes glow, Liam? Do you even realize how weird that sounds? You're just looking for a way to convince me of your stupid, and let's not forget, untrue story. I'm not falling for it, Liam. Because I know him way better than you do. So take this from me and leave him alone," I warned and turned around, walking away from him and into the cafeteria, where Gwyn was nervously looking around. "What is it?" I asked as I sat down.