Stone Creek Academy: Faith

Chapter Twenty

I ran all the way back to Engerwood from the stables. Could this day get any worse? Once inside Engerwood, I ran into my dorm room, locked the door, and flopped down onto my bed, tears already rushing down my face.

How could this have happened? Sonic had put me in the hospital for eight weeks. He had been fine, or mostly fine, the entire time. I had told my mother to sell him. Now, I couldn't escape him. On top of that, I'd never be able to look at him again because deep down I knew that this was really all my fault. If I had just listened to my mom...

A knock came from the direction of my door. I rolled over, and wiped my eyes with a tissue. The clock read 7:42pm. I must've fallen asleep!

"Go away!" I shouted, my voice choked. There was silence for a moment, then the door opened just a crack, and our dorm monitor, Priscilla, poked her head in.

"Honey, there's someone here to see you. His name is James," Priscilla told me quietly. I sat bolt upright in bed. I'd been supposed to meet James at 7 o'clock, and I'd completely forgotten!

"Tell him I'll be right out," I said hurriedly, scrambling off my bed and getting myself ready as quickly as I could. Two minutes later, I was stepping out into the cool evening air.

"I'm sorry, were you waiting for me all this time?" I asked apologetically. As mad as I was at him, I hated making people wait on me. James, wearing a midnight blue hoodie and black jeans, leaned against the stair railing and smiled at me.

"Yeah, don't worry about it though. Come on," He said smoothly, reaching for my hand. I pulled back, away from his outstretched hand. For a second, he looked hurt. But the expression disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, and I ignored it anyway. After all, I was still at least a little bit mad at him.

I heard him exhale softly in minor annoyance as he began leading the way to some unknown destination and I followed him. The sky was semi-dark, and a star or two had already appeared.

James eventually stopped us in a small courtyard containing a fountain surrounded by bushes. His eyes twinkled in the dim lighting as he turned to meet my wary gaze. I took a tiny step backwards, feeling disquieted and tense.

"Regina, I, I'm not sure how to put this, but-" I cut James off the second I thought I knew where he was going with this.

"If a single soppy word comes out of your mouth I will slap you all the way to the Pacific Ocean." I snapped at him. Immediately I regretted my words, and mumbled an apology. Nonetheless, he looked startled and surprised.

"No, it's not, I- you won't really kick me right?" James asked, looking serious. I nearly snorted, losing my dignity a little bit.

"Not unless you need to be kicked. But I can if you want me to," I chuckled, lifting my right foot threateningly. Gingerly, I lowered it as I realized kicking something would probably put me back on crutches, a fate I hoped to avoid for at least another few years. James seemed to realize this too.

"Good. You can be pretty intimidating sometimes," James grinned. Had he said those words any differently I probably would've kicked him, despite the consequences. It was meant to be a compliment, and I took it as one, accepting his words with a smile.

"But anyway, I'm sorry about Desiray. She set me up, asked me to go out with her in front of all of my friends. They pressured me into it, I couldn't turn her down. Honest, I never really liked her. Will you-" James rambled, cutting himself off as I caught his eye sharply. For a few seconds I was silent, allowing myself to process the information.

It had been impossible to determine what James and Desiray thought of each other. To Desiray, James seemed to be a toy, or perhaps a puppy, to be used and discarded when something better came along. Or, a trophy for her to flaunt in my face. It had worked. I'd started to think I liked James, but seeing him with Desiray had changed everything for me.

But James, he was impossible to read, like myself. Sometimes he seemed to genuinely like her, because he often followed her around like a well-trained dog. But other times, he appeared reluctant to go along with Desiray. Her angelic smile and innocent aura had fooled him, but I wasn't sure how well fooled he was.

Turning on my heel, I began walking briskly back to Engerwood. James watched me for a minute. Realizing I was leaving him behind, he jogged forward to catch up to me, uninteligible words tumbling out of his mouth. "Regina, I-" he tried to say. 

"What, why... Why?" James stuttered, and I held back a laugh. He was kind of cute when he was confused.

"Can't you forgive me?" He pleaded, brown eyes soft and worried.

"I don't appreciate beggars. I've nothing more o say on this matter. I'll see you tomorrow James," I spat in a chilly tone. A defeated look washed across James' face. As much as I knew he wanted to, he didn't run after me as I walked back to Engerwod. My emotions were too mixed up right now to stand out here any longer.

I couldn't figure out if I was mad at him or not. Engerwood was entirely silent as I stepped inside and strode down the hall to my room. Flopping down on my bed in exhaustion, I decided I didn't have to know how I felt. Not any time soon, or maybe at all.

***Sorry this chapter took so long!!! I def owed you guys, so I'll try to make these next chapters really good. Vote, comment, share! Love ya and thank you guys for nearly 700 views!!! xoxo