T W E N T Y S I X

Hell returned.

I had to attend school the following week, knowing that every single student's eyes were going to be on me. Blue, green, black, no matter the beauty, each orb had thick layers of judgement spilling out and dripping down their cheeks like sour syrup. Syrup was supposed to be sweet.

"Are you okay?"

"What happened to her though?"

"I heard she overdosed on cocaine. Doesn't that like, kill?"

I learned to block the murmurs and the whispers since the start of my new social life at Westfield Academy. Being the new girl, and being a part of the group of people supposedly known for the reason the beautiful Kelly Mills was drawn to kill herself, was definitely something for nosy students to chat about.

Only now, I searched for Reeve. I had to confirm everything. I didn't want to believe he had drugged me.

I had been ignoring Caleb and them for two months straight. I didn't know why they thought it was socially acceptable that I would want to see them after my hospital stay, or even during after I had given them the silent treatment for a good amount of time. They were dangerous. They consumed a powerful drug so powerful two droplets could kill you.

The first person I spoke to was Jessica Johns. She was wearing a black tank top and a plaited red skirt paired with black see-through tights and entirely black vans. Her hair was curly today, something unusual. She had a familiar smile on her face, only this time she looked a little off. It completely faded when she saw me too.

"My God, Stella," she rushed. She stumbled over to me and opened her arms, pulling me into an awkward embrace. Her body felt bony and uncomfortable as she squeezed me tightly. She pulled back and pulled her eyebrows together. "How are you? What happened? I was wondering why you hadn't responded to some of my messages and I come back to school after the holiday to hear this news about you. You have no idea how worried I was! What really happened?"

I pushed my bottom lip to the side, looking at her brown eyes. "I don't really know. I was targeted of some sort," I mumbled, wondering immediately after if it were a mistake telling her the truth. Then a thought came over me that made me relax. She was the one friend other than Reeve who had been there for me during those two months.

"What? You're kidding me. How?"

I gave her a shrug as if it were no big deal. Sure, it was a huge deal. Somebody had threatened my life. But I refused to let the situation overcome me. I was going to drown later on-- in a few months as a matter of fact. My mother was counting her days with a smile.

"Drugs."

"Where's Reeve?" Jessica asked, squeezing my arm. "I'm sure he's angry with everything."

"I don't know," I muttered, looking away and focusing on a group of girls by their locker, murmuring as they stared right at me. One noticed my stone cold glare and looked away before turning around awkwardly.

"Well. Has anything changed?" Jessica asked, raising her eyebrows.

I frowned. "No."

"God, I'm so glad," she breathed. She let her shoulders drop before giving me another good look. Then she sighed loudly and pulled me in for another hug. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"Thank you."

→←

During Biology, I ignored them all. Lola seemed to get the message that I wanted nothing to do with her and sank back in her seat looking sour. Jen too. Kira wasn't in school today which was a shame since I wanted to see how bad she looked with short hair. Caleb was sitting behind me as if I didn't exist. It didn't hurt anymore. Caleb was the only person I knew that could treat somebody as if they were a speck of dust so easily. I didn't let it bother me. I didn't let how good he looked in a casual white shirt rather than a smart shirt get to me. I wanted to believe he was nothing to me.

Reeve came in late.

When he did though, it felt as if my whole world stopped for a few seconds. No, no. He couldn't be the one to drug me with Haxcist. He was just the quiet guy with the big hoodies. But Caleb and Lola's words filled my brain. If Reeve had lied to me about his ex-girlfriend's death, he could have lied about anything else.

Did he really go to his grandparents' house or did he just use it as an excuse to get away and not deal with having to act like he wasn't guilty?

The teacher for Biology had no soft spot for students who attended class late. She had said it before when I came in late. Reeve ended up receiving an hour of detention after school.

When he sat down next to me, he smelled different. He smelled like grass and rain and leaves and nature. He ignored everybody's gazes and looked intensely at me, bringing his hand up to cup my cheek. I swallowed, staring into his brown eyes, my heart racing more than it should have been.

"You're okay," he whispered and then he wrapped an arm around my neck and pulled me in for a hug. I leaned in, taking in the smell of his hoodie. It smelled cold but warm and like Reeve. I wanted him forever.

"Mr Whyte, what on earth do you think you are doing? You have just received detention. Do you think I will tolerate any form of PDA in this class, especially from you?"

The teacher seemed to really hate Reeve. A few snickers chorused through the class and a snort came from behind out of Caleb's mouth. Reeve pulled away and everyone was forced to act as if nothing happened.

After class, I was going to head out with Reeve and find something to do in the locker room.

But a hand was placed on my shoulder and I turned around to see Lola, with a 'please' look plastered on her face. She looked tired with bags underneath her eyes.

"I'll see you at the cafeteria," Reeve said to me and I nodded and watched as he left, disappearing down the corridor. Caleb and Jen walked right past as if I were a ghost.

"Stella. Talk to us. Please?" Lola said, pulling her eyebrows together. "I know what we are involved in is ridiculous but I've felt like I had made a genuine friend in you. I don't want to lose you."

As if.

"If Caleb can ignore me, why can't you?" I asked her, yearning to leave. I turned around but she touched my arm, making me flinch. With a deep breath, I turned back around to face her.

"Caleb's just extra cranky because him and Kira broke up," Lola said, looking at my face, probably wondering and waiting for my reaction. It was pretty big.

Something inside me fluttered. It didn't feel bad this time, more like a little bit of mischief. Caleb and Kira broke up? Since when? Was that why he seemed uninterested or pissed when one of the girls mentioned Kira's haircut at my place? That was weird.

I opened my mouth, blinking. "What?"

I didn't want to give her satisfaction that she had gotten such a reaction from me but I could hardly help it. Caleb Derez and Kira Johnson had broken up. That meant Caleb was single.

"For a while now." Lola nodded. "He's just getting over it. He won't ignore you forever. We can't. You're our friend, Stella."

"Wait-- why? Why did they break up?"

A flash of satisfaction flooded Lola's face. She knew she had gotten me interested. She spoke with a slight grin. "Kira told Andrew your address. That was how Andrew managed to get your blood," Lola explained. "Caleb and her had a huge fight. He was so angry at her for leaking it. I guess it made him so angry because the next day when I walked into Kira's bedroom, she looked like a zombie and told me he ended it."

I couldn't think straight. Caleb broke up with his girlfriend of probably years, because she did something that lead to me being harmed. Wow.

"Oh."

"Yeah. I probably shouldn't be telling you this anyway."

"Where's Kira?"

Lola shrugged. "On her usual getaways. She'll come back. She did a few days ago and got totally new haircut. Left yesterday again," Lola explained with a shrug. This was no big deal to her. Kira was so confusing. She was so quiet. I wondered if she was possessed by a demon of somesort. It wouldn't surprise me.

"Okay."

"Yeah. So, please? We aren't any harm, I promise! You have all the control and every right to object against anything," Lola said. She reached out to touch my arm. "Please talk to us. I know you've been through a lot lately, maybe you need our company."

"But Caleb..."

"Caleb will get over it. Slowly. He can't stay away from you. He-- he took one today."

I blinked and then I understood. Caleb took one droplet today. It made me sad to think he wanted to imagine something that he didn't have. I thought of all the possibilities he could be imagining and settled on the idea that he was picturing him and Kira back together.

"Lola, I'll speak to you later."

Lola looked a little disappointed but she nodded. "Yeah."

I looked down at the scar on my arm and wondered what life would be if things had gone differently. I needed to speak to Reeve and clarify things.

//

hii! this is a proper chapter yay x
more to come! be ready.

do you think they are to be trusted?

thoughts on caleb and kiras break up?