Burned

Chapter Twenty-Two

All night, I tossed and turned. The things that haunted me were piling up. Soon, I would be an insomniac. I needed to start dealing with a few of these things. The first thing I dealt with, was Daniel. I took out my phone and finally text him back. Although, it was mostly to see if he was going to be at school today. I was planning on warning him about the Coven since they all knew. 

Well, everyone but Addie. Thankfully, she was back in town. I was going to pick her up. I hurried to get ready, anxious about how Addie was going to react. My mind buzzed, waiting for Daniel to text me back. He wasn't the only person I wanted to text me.

Erik. 

His name makes me panic. 

Then, once the panic subsides, it's pure bliss. That's the best way to explain my feelings for Erik. All of which, I have to shove down and ignore. He chose Sage and wants to be with her. I have to respect that. Our timing is never right. A wiser person might take a look at that more closely, but I chose not to. There was no point in dwelling on something that wasn't going to happen.

Erik wasn't leaving Sage -- simple as that. 

I wore a v-neck mid-length black top and a brown corduroy skirt that stopped mid-thigh. It was hot enough outside not to wear tights. I grabbed a jacket by habit, but it was really unnecessary. Some things, you just did because it was uncomfortable not doing it. 

I understood that now.

I passed by Dara in the hall. She was wearing a Beatles shirt that was tucked into high waisted blue jeans. It was good to see her.

"Hey, did you need a ride today?" It was hard to follow her schedule. 

"I don't, but I was thinking we should talk soon." Of course, she wanted to talk when I had no time. Once again, the timing wasn't on my side. I hadn't meant to cringe, but that's exactly what happened. 

"I would love to and I haven't forgotten about that, it's just I have a lot going on right now. I should have told you sooner, but Daniel and I broke up. It's really complicated and I haven't told a lot of people." I blurted it out. She looked genuinely surprised. 

"W-wait a second, you and Daniel broke up? Is the world ending?" She was joking. I rolled my eyes, taking a deep breath in.

"Yes, I broke up with him. He's not the person I thought he was." I wasn't trying to be cryptic on purpose. It was hard to explain and I didn't have the time to get into detail with her. 

"You broke up with him? He must have cheated on you then. Except, I don't picture him as the cheating type," she trailed off, trying to guess why we broke up. I blushed when she mentioned cheating. Erik wasn't the cheating type, but he had. No one is as they appear. Everyone has something they don't like about themselves. 

"No, he didn't cheat on me. It doesn't matter what he did, just be careful. I don't think he would ever try and--

"Hurt me? What the Hell happened? Did he try and hurt you?" Dara took a step forward, fists clenched by her sides. I put out my hands, holding her back. She had such a temper. It was a good thing Daniel wasn't here or she would probably try and kill him. 

"No! Jesus, Dara, calm down. It's fine I took care of it. Just, keep your distance if you see him." I told her calmly. She sighed and relaxed a little. She still looked like she was going to murder someone. 

"Okay, fine." She didn't sound fine. "We can talk later," she nodded, then walked down the stairs. I followed after her. It was time for me to head over to Addie's. Dara and I both went outside, but I got into my car and she waited for Gemma to pick her up.