You, Me, and All The Spaces In-between

CHAPTER 33

The rest of the week passed in a wonderfully surreal blur.

I met up with Cash every lunchtime, and after school. He gave me rides home, dropping me off a block from my house so that Elena wouldn't get suspicious. We texted every evening. And I awoke every morning eager to get to school, eager to get to lunch, eager for that end-of-day bell to ring.

Even just glimpsing Cash walking through the halls sent my heart pounding. And it didn't matter that he was with his friends, that Bryce and Tyson flanked his every step...because I knew, in a matter of hours, that he'd be with me again.

On Friday afternoon, I met Cash beneath the bleaches.

He had his back to me, body pressed against one of the beams, and I slunk quietly up to him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, standing on tip toe.

"Boo."

Cash glanced slowly over his shoulder, lips parting in a teasing grin. "Well, well, well." He turned suddenly, collecting me in his arms and pressing my back against his chest. "If it isn't my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" I mused, tilting my head. "Hmmm, I don't know if I agreed to that. You do know I have, like, three other guys besides you, right?"

"Ouch." He pressed his face to my neck, nuzzling into my hair. "You're breaking my heart, Miller."

Oh, I thought ironically, how the tables have turned.

"You still good to meet me in the parking lot after school?" Cash asked.

"Yeah." I reached up to tug lightly at the hair dangling over his eyes. "But right now I have to go see Mr. Leonard about my last Chemistry test. I just wanted to stop by quickly."

"So brief." He sighed heavily, in mock despair. "How cruel of you."

I turned slowly, so that we were facing each other. "I know. But after school, I'm all yours."

"Oh, really?" Cash's eyes danced with mischief.

"Really."

I kissed him quickly on the cheek, and I couldn't stop the stupidly goofy smile spreading across my face as I walked away.

Life was bright and warm when you were basking in Cash's light.

The last five minutes of school passed at an excruciatingly slow pace.

Sitting in AP math, I stared urgently at the old classroom clock, counting each second as it ticked by. My knee bounced restlessly up and down, and I kept brushing the hair from my face with impatient fingers.

"Why so anxious to leave?" Robert asked, smirking. "Hot date?"

The bell rang, and I stood abruptly. "Yeah," I shot back, grinning down at Robert. "Something like that."

I practically glided to my locker; I felt light, airy, like everything in the world was indisputably right. It was a blissfully perfect and horribly clichéd feeling.

Of course, that didn't last for long.

As I began walking down the now-empty hallway, heading in the direction of the car park, Tyson stepped out from behind a stack of lockers.

"Hey, if it isn't little Alyx." He loomed over me with a wicked grin. "Been a minute, hasn't it?"

My stomach lurched with fear. "Yeah, can't say I've missed you." I tightened my grip on my bag straps to keep from trembling. "Would love to chat, but I've got somewhere to be."

"Oh you do, do you?" Tyson sneered. Something dangerous gleamed in his eyes. "Where do you get off, talking to me like that?"

I glanced around desperately, but there was no one in sight.

God, this was my worst nightmare.

"Can we not do this?" I didn't care that there was desperation in my voice; I was desperate. "I-I don't understand your problem with me."

"Of course you don't understand." Tyson's brows furrowed, tone rising with anger. "People like you think you're so great just because you're smart. You think you can float above the rest of us peasants because you get good grades. Well, I've got news for you."

He grasped the front of my shirt and pulled me closer, then landed a punch on my jaw.

I stumbled back with a cough, pain shooting through me as I fell to the floor.

Tyson stalked forward, face expressionless. "You're not anything special."

He lifted his foot, kicking me in the ribs, and I closed my eyes as the hits kept coming, curling into a ball and raising my arms to my face.

There was no point in fighting back, I knew that; I had the strength of a weak toddler. And there was no one around to help me, no one to save me. So I closed my eyes to the world and willed myself away, far away, waiting for it to stop.

When Tyson finally drew away, I lay there for a few minutes more, listening to the sound of his footsteps fading down the hall.

It was only then that I dared to pull myself into a sitting position. Gasping in pain, I slouched against the wall, buried my face in my knees...and started to weep.

A/N: Thanks for reading :)