(FEATURED)
It's been months since the unceremonious fall of Kimie Sato's older sister. The whole of Ridgerock High knows it, and by now, the majority have moved on. But Kimie still watches those who had a hand in it continue to walk free, and the mo...
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I absolutely hated it when the onlookers thought they knew better. Their job was to watch everything unfold, not jump to conclusions—conclusions that were sometimes dangerously close to the truth.
I found it hard getting any sleep, thinking about all the posts and comments West sent me. I couldn't find the courage to reread the comments, settling for bringing their images up in my head instead. Kairi had started using social media again, and even though she promised our dad it was only WhatsApp she'd use, what assurance did I have that she wouldn't see those posts? Since she had apparently started texting other people now, the possibility of that happening was high.
West must've felt the impact of the posts, too, because he texted me, asking if I was okay, but I was too occupied—and too numb—to reply to him. Even now, as I sat with my lunch at a table on the quad, desperate to get fresh air, I stared at his text, trying to convince myself to just let him know I was fine—or at least fine-ish, seeing as I didn't get any sleep last night.
I saw the look on his face when I told him I didn't trust him on Monday in the library, and ignoring his text and not getting back to him like I'd promised was only solidifying that fact. I was aware of that, but I didn't know what was stopping me.
Warm breath tickled my ear as a voice whispered from behind me, "What's up?" and I flew out of my seat, my phone falling out of my hand as I turned to its owner.
Jamie chuckled, then crouched to get the phone. "Jumpy much?"
I glared at him, rubbing a slow circle on my chest to calm my heart. "Why would you sneak up on me like that? You almost killed me."
"Well, you're still alive." I was too busy glaring at him to notice he had my phone and was currently looking into the lit up screen—specifically at West's texts.
I fiercely snatched the phone from him, and I saw a muscle in his jaw twitch as he went to sit on the other side of the wooden table.
I reluctantly took my seat, wondering if he was now seeking me out during lunch, or if it was just a coincidence that we met. Today, though, he wasn't with lunch, and I didn't know if it was because of the sunlight, but Jamie looked different. He was even acting different. The Jamie I knew would never whisper in my ear or say what's up.
I glanced into my phone, seeing Are u ok? before turning it off and looking at Jamie, who was now staring at me. His confident gaze threw me off guard for a moment.
"What do you want?" I didn't mean to sound as irritated as I did, but I couldn't take the words back once they were out there.
Jamie flinched, looking wounded. "That's exactly what you asked me last Monday when I sat with you in the cafeteria. You ask it like I'm a pest or something."
I didn't realize that was how he felt, so I said, "You're taking it the wrong way, Jamie. I'm just surprised because before this semester, things were . . . different."
