Green Hearts

Chapter 4

Econ class is dismissed and all of the students are just pouring out like if they stay in the room one more minute their brains would explode. Children, am I right?

As the very studious and serious student that I am, I shove my class materials into my bag which includes a very tiny notebook and a stolen pencil that I used to doodle

"Are you done avoiding me?" A hot breath prickles at my neck and my body stiffens with recognition of the voice. His lips graze my ear and I jump away from him

"Stop scaring me, you rabbit!" I punch his arm, feigning an annoyed expression

"I don't. It's not my fault you're jittery. I've tried with you really but it's like you secretly love jumping" he rolls his eyes and crosses his arms at me

I scoff "Did you have to come so close to whisper?" I change the conversation, folding my own arms and hope no one is noticing this very stupid exchange going on between us.

He smirks lightly at me and I have to gulp hard to keep my mind of thinking of different things his smile makes me feel

"Why? Does it affect you?" He asks with a stupid loop sided smile on his face like he already knows the answer to what he is asking, his eyes in a teasing droop

"You're delusional" I scoff. Turning my probably red face away from him, I look around the already emptied room "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you" he shrugs slightly like searching for a person and coming to their class is normal

My eyes are wide as saucers as I stare at him. So yes, I've been avoiding him but I didn't expect him to actively seek me out

He laughs unexpectedly in my face "I'm joking. I take this class remember? Where we first spoke and all"

"This isn't a romance novel, why would I come looking for someone that is obviously avoiding me" he adds, walking away

He keeps laughing despite the fact that I'm not laughing along with him. I can understand that he didn't come to see me but he didn't have to put it so rudely

He's already out the door with my bag hanging on his shoulders, laughing away like he said the funniest thing on the world

I walk past him and drag my bag off his shoulder, he almost doubles over but steadies himself. I don't bother to wait for him, I just keep walking

I know I'm throwing a baseless tantrum since he's the one who's supposed to be mad cause I have been effectively avoiding him so I don't have to talk about the incident that happened in my room

"Woah there, angry bird. What did I do this time?" He catches up to me and is staring intently at my face, expecting me to answer. Is this boy ok? Who talks when they're angry

"You've got to work with me here. Give me a hint or a sign so I'll know what I've done" he says, not the least perturbed that I'm blatantly ignoring his existence

I don't even know why I'm mad at him anymore cause my reason obviously doesn't make sense but I just don't want to be the one to apologize

"Autumn!" He groans when I push past him and into a restaurant but he is still hot at my heels

"Hey Autumn, hey Jace" Melissa greets as we walk into the shop. She has a tray on her hand so she doesn't bother to listen if we respond

"Hi Melissa" I say the same time Jace says "Hey" while flashing her a small smile

I have a small frown etched on my face when I dump myself into the booth-like seat. Jace notices but only stares at me without saying anything. His eyes narrow at mine trying to decipher my mood

"I hate when my friends are friends with my other friends" I mumble and kick at the floor, waiting for someone to come take our order

"I heard that" he comments

"You were meant to. How do you even know her?" I cross my arm over my chest

"Am I supposed to know just you in this whole school? Besides you've been avoiding me for four days now lady, I think I was bound to talk to other people" he rolls his eyes

"So you've replaced me? Why are you still here" I retort, averting my eyes from his because I'm just picking a fight so I don't have to apologize

"What are you, five?" He moves closer to me and pokes my folded arms "Come on, you can't be mad at me"

"I'm not apologizing" I say when he wraps his arms around me

"I don't need it" he says calmly, resting his chin on my head

I shove him away "Hey, I'm not that short. Don't rest your chin on my head like I'm some tiny teddy bear hug-thing..." I trail off when I realise nothing I'm saying makes any sense

"Thank you. Thank you for shutting up" he says as a waiter reaches our table "Two plates of lasagna, please" he smiles gently

"Who told you that's what I want to eat" I glare at the retreating back of the waiter who didn't bother to look at me

"Shhh, I know all the good stuff" he silences me with a wink

"You just got here, you don't know anything" I blink at him confusedly

"It's been like three weeks babe, I think I've gotten a hang of most stuff" he says with a wink before texting away on his phone

I let my eyes go over the features on his face for like the thousandth time since I've met him.

His eyes snap to mine like he could tell I was watching him and I quickly avert my eyes to the shop window, blinking like a blind man seeing the sun for the first time

He stifles a laugh "I can offer you pictures of myself if that will make your staring any more descreet" he laughs to himself, his eyes flirtatiously moving between my eyes and lips

"Please do shut up" I mumble as our food is placed by the waiter that took the order. I still glare at him which he shakes off by ignoring me....again

We're nearing the dorms in a comfortable silence after we had been pursued out of the shop by Melissa cause we keep on laughing and shouting really loudly to the discomfort of others

"You know that you don't have to talk about what you don't want to talk about right?" Jace says out of the blues, glancing sideways at me

I'm confused as to what he is talking about and I make sure he reads that from my face

"On Saturday, in your room?" He says

Panic flares up inside me that he brings up the topic and I think he sees that

"No, no. I'm saying you can talk about it when you're ready, that's all" We come to a stop in the front of my dorm room

"You should...I should go" I begin to feel uncomfortable and move to take a step away from him

"Hold up, see..." A car pulls up behind him and honks. I wince because it's really loud and it triggers something inside me

"Calm down, dude" he says to the person in the car "Autumn look, I'm not pushing you to talk..."

The car honks again and I'm no longer standing with Jace on campus, I'm in a car and there is a woman driving. There are car horns blaring everywhere and the last thing I hear before everything goes black is my mother saying my name

There is a very loud crackling in my ear and I nearly cry from the pain it's causing me

"Stay the fuck away from me!" I yell at Jace and the crackling seizes immediately

He looks wide eyed at me, probably scared from my sudden out burst "Autumn?"

"Just stay away from me" tears are streaming down my face now as I run into the dorm, away from him