WHITE LIAR

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

 

  When the tears finally subsided, Chloe pushed back from Justin's chest.  She couldn’t believe that she had done it again.  She let herself fall apart in front of him, of all people.  She let him see her weak and that was just unacceptable.  He was the last person that she wanted to see her as weak.  Sniffling, she used the back of her hand to dry her cheeks and regain what was left of her composure. 

"Look," she started and sniffed again, unable to meet Justin's tenuous gaze. "I'm sorry I just blubbered like a baby all over you.  I don't know what it is these days that's making me so damn emotional but-," she waved her hand flippantly in the air and shook her head. "Can we just forget that any of this ever happened?"

Justin watched her take a step back and attempt to withdraw into herself. 

Oh no you don't; not this time, he thought to himself.

"Chloe."  He called her name and waited patiently for her to look up at him.  Instead of looking up though, she steadily kept her gaze averted away from him.

"Chloe, look at me," he instructed once again softly.  When she still didn't lift her head, he took the initiative and stepped forward, gently grabbing her chin with his fingers,  and pulling her gaze up to meet his.

Her dark stormy eyes stared back at him.  Those piercing eyes told a story of pain, loss and a whole lot of hurt that she was keeping locked up inside.  His own gut clenched tightly. He didn't like seeing her like this. 

"Chloe," he started once again.  "I think we both know that neither one of us is ever going to be able to forget what has happened here.  You've got a whole lot of something going on in that pretty little head of yours, something that you've held in for way too long.  Talk to me, let me help you."

"Don't!" Chloe interrupted him and warned. 

She tried to pull her head back from his grip and when Justin didn't release his hold on her, she felt the anger coming back and she welcomed it with open arms.  She could handle the anger; it was the tears and the frustration that really got to her.  "Don’t try and appease me.  I’m not one of your little groupies that are going to sit here and fawn all over you.  But what I will do Justin Pinnix, is tell you to get your damn hands off me, or else."

Justin smirked.  There’s the fire he was all too familiar with,  he noted.

"Or else what, Chloe?”  He raised his brow in question.  He was actually beginning to enjoy this little banter between them.  “What do you think you are going to do?"

She didn’t have to think about it.  She knew.  She knew exactly what she was going to do.

 “This.” She grunted, lifting up her knee and connecting with his groin.

The pain hit him, stealing his breath from his chest.  He instantly released her and had no choice but to fall to his knees, grabbing a hold of his crotch with both hands.  “Damn girl,” he heaved out heavily.  “What did you have to go and do that for?”

Chloe bent down and grabbed her book bag from him.  It was wrapped loosely around his wrist. “I gave you fair warning,” she told him.  “You just didn’t listen, maybe the next time- you will.”

Standing back up, she spun around, her hair bouncing around her shoulders with the movement and started for the school.  Her day had gone from bad to worse to downright horrible.  Cathy, she could deal with.  Erica, she would deal with but Justin- she wasn’t sure what to do about him.  He unnerved her and that was something that she could not allow.  Not from Justin, not from any guy.