Broken

•c h a p t e r t h i r t y - s i x•

"It is just our bodies? Are we both losing our minds? Is the only reason you're holding me tonight 'cuz we're scared to be lonely?"
—Dua Lipa & Martin Garrix

A P R I L

When the bell finally rang for the end of my second period, I grabbed all of my materials and rushed out of the boring class.

The teacher, Mr. Hurst, is a creepy old man that talks like a ghost and is a total buzzkill. He makes the class totally boring, and I dread it every single day.

Anyway, when I made it to my third-period class, I stopped in my tracks when the seat that I usually sit in was occupied by Heath Pakinson. My neighbor.

Heath usually sits with his other popular friends in the back of the class — I know, cliche — and never talks to me, and never even gives me a glance.

So, I think I had a right to be skeptical when he gave me a large smile and pulled the plastic seat out from next to him.

I narrowed my eyes, my hands that held the strap of my bag were tight and nervous. Nonetheless, I slowly took a seat next to him, subtly scooting the seat away from him.

After all, why would a popular guy, who has ignored me since middle school, be sitting next to me, and looking like we've been best friends since first grade?

"Hey April," he greeted casually. I looked around the room, and saw that some girls were looking at me weirdly, and his friends had confused looks on their faces as they watched us interact.

"Hi Heath," I said and dropped my bag by the table leg. "Is there something you want?" I asked bluntly, I didn't want to have our conversation last too long. After all, our small interaction that happened yesterday didn't seem right.

Heath's smile grew, and it sent shivers down my spine. The way he looked at me made me feel sick. He shook his head, "No, I just wanted to talk to my neighbor. After all, we didn't get to finish our conversation yesterday."

"That's because I didn't want to talk," I snipped at him, hoping my bored tone would give him a hint that I still didn't want to talk to him.

My words were futile though, as he opened his mouth once more. "Did you watch the news? Heard about the body that was found?"

My shoulders tensed at his words, and I shuddered at the thought of him talking to me about this. He could be sitting with all of his other friends, gossiping about the news. But no, instead, he's sitting here, with me — a girl he hasn't talked to in years — acting like we don't live in different worlds.

Nonetheless, I sighed and nodded, "Who hasn't?" I grumbled, "It's everywhere."

Heath hummed in agreement, and I watched as his dark eyes found mine. Something was gleaming in his eyes, it wasn't happiness, nor anger. But curiosity and. . . mischief.

"Wonder who did it," he sighed, and turned his eyes to the front where the teacher now was. When the final bell rang, Heath stood and started walking back to his friends. But, before he walked away, he placed a hand upon my shoulder and leaned in close to my ear. Shivers erupted up my neck, and down my back as his breath fanned my skin.

"Say 'hi' to Ryder for me, K? Seems like you two have gotten pretty . . . close," he then walked away, his words echoing in my brain. He was acting totally different from yesterday. Yesterday, he had a large, gleeful smile on his face, shining his perfectly pearl white teeth at me. But today, he was acting like a hostile man who was trying to hunt at something.

I gulped, and tried to focus on the teacher's words that echoed off the walls. But the words Heath said to me bounced off the walls of my brain, and I couldn't help but feel on edge about what was to come.

• • •

{edited}

Haven't updated for sixteen days, and ya'll are already begging me to update 😆
I love you, little readers, <3

"With these expectations, they keep weighing me down. My heart is begging me to get the hell out of my head. I am gonna live inside the upside down."
—Unknown Brain & Heather Sommers