Serendipity

.9.

Though I had started walking towards him, I'd hoped that the blue eyed devil wouldn't stop me.

But when did luck side ever with me?

As soon as I was within reach, Nick grabbed my wrist and dragged me to an empty classroom, closing the door behind him.

I narrowed my eyes at him as he released my hand and put a few feet between us. He ran a hand through his already messed hair, making it even messier, took a deep breath and then looked at me.

"Why are you avoiding me?" He asked, eyes trained on me, calculating every move I made.

He caught onto that?

"I wasn't avoiding you, Nicholas." I rolled my eyes. I took the ignorant road. Call me childish, I wasn't ready to have the talk with him.

"Weren't you?" It was his turn to narrow his eyes. "And stop calling me that."

"Calling you what? Nicholas?" I decided to ignore his first question.

He nodded.

"That's your name isn't it?"

"You know very well what I mean. And since when do you call me Nicholas?" He crossed his arms. I was starting to feel like this was an interrogation.

"Since I wanted to. Now can we go? It's lunch and I am starving." I started towards the door, but since he was closer to it, he blocked it quite easily.

"Nope, not until you answer my question." He leaned against the door. "Why the hell are you avoiding me? And don't say you are not." He raised his palm as I opened my mouth to deny it. "You literally shove food into your mouth during lunch. You either sit as far away as possible in classes or pretend to be busy when you can't find a seat miles away from me. You reply in one word and never start a conversation. You dash out of classes as if you are on fire and run out in the corridors too." He paused, taking a breath as he straightened his back away from the door. "Don't take me as a fool Victoria."

To say I was shocked would be a huge understatement. He was right, on all behalves. I was doing exactly what he said and somehow he had caught onto that. And damn I don't want to admit but him calling me anything but Bella is downright weird. Not to mention the only times he has ever called me Victoria was when he was pissed at me. Like royally pissed.

He was smart, I had to give him that. Among the two boys I was ignoring he was obviously the more observant one.

And as he stated everything, all I could do was look at the ground as if it would provide all the answers. I remained silent instead of answering because I didn't know what to say. I had no idea where to start and no idea where to finish.

"Is it something that I did?" He asked quietly. I shook my head. "Come on, Victoria. Something happened."

I scrunched up my nose as he called me by my first name again but didn't look up.

"Nothing happened. Alright. I just didn't want to spend time with you." That was harsh and I knew it.

Nick let out a humorless chuckle. "I know you, more than you give me credit for. So I know you're lying. You can't even look me in the eye."

A pair of shoes came into my vision as he moved closer to me. His fingers curled under my chin as he lifted my head. I almost gasped at the color of his eyes. They were grayish blue, the kind of color the sky took just before it was about to rain.

"Look me in the eye and tell me it is my fault that you are ignoring me and not some cooked up bullshit that your overthinking brain made up." He asked, his voice calm, never once betraying his real emotions.

I tore myself away and turned my back on him, facing the window. It looked like it was going to rain. The sky mirrored his eye color perfectly.

"I found out something." I said, still turned away from him. "And I did not know how to tell you or even ask you about it."

"What was it?" He asked.

I turned around, looking him in the eye, I replied, "Monica."

His eyes widened slightly before he looked away. He ran a hand through his hair, which I notice he did a lot. "How did you find out?"

"Mom and Dad." I shrugged.

"How much do you know?" He turned to me again, face void of any emotion.

"Enough." I replied.

"Elaborate please." He said as he crossed his arms.

I pinched the bridge of my nose before letting it all out. "I know Tony reopened the case in lieu of the new found evidence and I know about the letter. I have read it."

"Wait, what letter?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"You don't know?"

He shook his head. Shit, Mom was going to kill me.

As I fumbled to find an excuse, he drew himself to his full height. "What letter, Victoria?"

"Uh-" Before I could fabricate something, he interrupted me. "And don't even think about lying."

I decided to use Mom as a shield, "I can't tell you, Mom's orders."

He raised an eyebrow at me, "You mean to say Cassie forbade you to tell me about the letter that my mom wrote, which judging by your reaction had me in it?"

Well when he put it like that. But still, I had already said too much.

"How about this, you come home after school and mom can decide herself if you need to know about it." I asked him, trying to find a middle ground.

"Did you bring your car?" He asked me.

"Uh, no. Why?" It was pleasant in the morning and I fancied a walk.

"Wait for me in the parking lot after the last class, I will drive you home." He unfolded his arm and walked towards the door. "And for god's sake stop calling me Nicholas."

I think my brain and mouth lost connection for a second, cause I replied, "Only if you stop calling me Victoria."

And I hurried down the corridor towards the cafeteria, leaving Nick smirking in amusement.