Running Away From Mr. Stalker - COMPLETED #Wattys2015

Chapter 17

He said a few days ago that he didn't know. He lied to me! I quickly stood up from my chair and marched my way towards Chris. Tears were still flowing from my eyes. I didn't care if my mascara had already smudged all over my face. I needed to know what happened to Mace.

                "You fucking liar! You said you didn't know! How could you not tell me?!" I said, screaming my throat off. He just sat at his seat and looked at me.  "What are you talking about?" he simply asked. "You know what I'm talking about!" I screamed. Everyone was now looking at us. Chris stood up from his seat and looked at me with anger burning through his deep blue eyes. "Stop assuming that I know what the fuck you are talking about, Hailey, because I don't fucking know! So now, tell me what the fuck you are talking about?!"

Chris yelled at me.  I didn't know how I felt. I just stood there crying when I heard Amy talk. "Chris-"

                I didn't want to look or talk to Chris anymore. I didn't want to face him anymore. So before Amy could finish her sentence, I rushed out of the cafeteria, still crying. I headed towards the west wing of our school since that was where I usually stay when I feel burdened. There were no people around so I could be left alone. I liked the silence there. I sat down on the floor and cried my eyes off. I thought about how Chris was so harsh on me when he said those words. He was right. I shouldn't always assume that he knows everything I'm talking about.

                Suddenly, I heard a voice coming from my back. I was surprised when I turned around to see who it is.

                "Hey, Hail. Look, I'm sorry if I was so harsh on you earlier." he said calmly. He was a few feet away from me. He stood there with his hands inside his pockets. I didn't know what to say. My tongue was caught up. Wasn't I the one who should be apologizing to him?

                "No, Chris. I should be the one who should be sorry. I should've asked you first." I replied when the tears fell of my eyes again. I turned my back around so Chris wouldn't see me cry again. There was no doubt that I was already looking horrible since my mascara had smudged already. I hugged my legs and rested my forehead on my knees.

                To my surprise, I felt someone's arms wrapped around me. I couldn't help but shiver when I felt Chris' touch. "I'm sorry if I didn't tell you directly. I just found out thirty minutes ago that he was at the hospital. I thought that Mace already told you, so I didn't bother to tell you." Chris said while I was still sobbing. "What happened to him, Chris?" I asked and looked at him right into the eyes. His deep blue eyes were sparkling at me while I was still in his arms, sobbing. "I'll tell you if you stop crying." Chris replied with a smile forming from his lips.

                It took me a while to stop crying. Chris led me to the west wing bathroom so that I could wash my face. Chris came with me inside the women's bathroom with me since there were no people coming in the west wing. Rumors say that there had been ghosts floating around the west wing since the fire that happened two years ago, but I didn't believe in ghosts. Mace wouldn't even dare to come here with me. Before Chris and I entered the bathroom, I raised my eyebrow at him. "What?" he asked.

"Don't tell me you can't wait for me outside because you're afraid of the ghosts?" I asked with a chuckle. He laughed at my statement. "I don't believe in ghosts, Hailey. And I know you don't too. I just don't want to be left outside since I have no one to talk to." Chris replied with a huge grin on his face.

"Fine. As long as you won't tease me when I put my makeup on." I said with a smile. "Oh, honey, if only you know how you look right now." Chris replied amusingly. What? I directly entered the bathroom and looked at the mirror. What the heck? I was aware that my mascara was all smudged up, but I never thought I looked like a total mess! My nose was so red that I looked like Rudloph the red-nosed reindeer! My dried up tears were visible on my face since my mascara turned the tears to black. My face had snort written all over it! 

                I heard Chris let out a chuckle. Shoot. I totally forgot that Chris was here. He was leaning at the frame of the door. I felt myself blush out of embarrassment. "I, uh, could you turn around while I, uh, clean myself up?" I asked, avoiding eye contact with him. "You don't have to be shy around me, Hailey. Besides, I already saw you. So hurry and clean yourself up so I could tell you what happened to Mace." Chris said with a huge grin on his face. It's that grin again. I just rolled my eyes in reply. "What did I tell you about rolling your eyes?" Chris asked, sounding annoyed. "Ha-ha whatever, Chris."

                I turned the faucet on and washed my face. I didn't have any scrunchie with me to tie my hair up, so I used my left hand to keep my hair from getting wet and the other hand to wash my face. Multitasking.

"Here, let me hold your hair for you." Chris offered. I didn't want to deny his offer since it would save me more effort. While he was holding my hair, I washed my face until it looked like my no make-up face. When I thought I looked fine, Chris handed me his handkerchief while he was still holding my hair.

"Here, use this." he said while handing me the hanky. I just gave him a smile. "Helpful, aren't we?" I asked as I grabbed the hanky from his hand and wiped my face dry. I wonder what perfume he uses. Even his hanky smells like him.

                After drying my face with his hanky, I looked at him and asked if I looked okay. I couldn't put on some make up since I left my bag at the cafeteria. "You look prettier without make up." He said with a wink.

-          -

"Okay shoot." I said while looking at him. We were back at the corridors of the west wing part of the school. We sat on the floor face to face.

"Okay. You see, I really didn't know what happened to Mace until earlier this morning. He told me that he was at the hospital." He said.

"I know that already. You told me that earlier." I replied impatiently. "Okay. How should I say this... Mace just told me that he is, um, he said he has been, um, having three or more loose and liquid stools per day. He has been experiencing abnormal frequent discharge of semisolid or fluid fecal matter from his bowel recently." Chris explained. I was sure he was trying to hold his laugh. I didn't understand a bit of what he just said.

"So? Did he get an operation?" I asked as I looked at him and raised an eyebrow. He just looked surprised. "Wha- No! No, Hailey!"

"Then why is he at the hospital? Was his surgery successful? Did he fully recover already?" I asked, trying to catch up.

Chris just laughed at me. "Hailey, who said anything about a surgery?"

I just looked at him weirdly.

"Hailey, he has diarrhea!" Chris finally blurted out while he looked at me with a huge grin on his face again. Oh. Diarrhea. One easy word to understand.

"You  should've said it in the first place, Chris. You only needed to answer me with one word, yet you answered me with a million." I replied sarcastically.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know how to say it." Chris said with a chuckle.

"You made it sound so serious, though. Maybe that's why Mace told me to ask you about his condition because you can make it sound so serious, right? And as far as I know, diarrhea isn't life threatening right?" I asked.

"In most cases, it isn't." Chris replied.

"Thank you, Chris." I said as I smiled at him. He just smiled back. "Anytime." He replied. 

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