Heartbreak Girl

Chapter Sixteen: What Now?

Shaye's locker slammed shut and a grinning Coen stood leaning up against the wall of lockers. "So, anything fun happen to you recently?"

Shaye narrowed her eyes, "what do you mean? Did you do something?"

Coen grinned that smug grin of his, with a maniacal glint in his eye. "Maybe. But the more important thing is, did you?" Gaping as Coen's smug expression turned into one of glee. "I knew it, I knew you had a thing for him."

"You-you are the worst!" Shaye shouted, startling their classmates. "Both you and Bibi have been meddling in my love life ever since you have learned about us!"

Coen's eyebrows lifted and he let out a chuckle. "That's because the two of you weren't going to get together without us. There was just no way. So calm down, you look like an angry cat."

Shaye huffed and leaned against the wall of lockers. "So now what do we do?"

"We as in the two of us, or you and West?" Coen asked as he leaned against the lockers too. Facing the crowds of students trying their hardest not to look at Shaye and Coen as they passed to their classes.

"Me and Jeriah. What do we do? We know everything about each other, so there is no point in that. We've pretty much done everything together already." Shaye's mind flittered to what her past boyfriends have done. "My god, and what about Finn? He still thinks we're together."

"Didn't you break up with him?" Coen asked.

She nodded, biting her lip. "Twice, but he won't listen."

Coen grunted, "leave it to me. But don't let your boy know about the bastard, alright? We don't need him going ape shit."

Shaye nodded minutely. "Yeah, I got it." What would she have done if he knew? That night he found out Finn hit her, he was furious and on warpath. What would he have done when they had just started dating?

The bell rang, abruptly ending their conversation.

Through the rest of the day, Shaye felt like she was walking in a cloud. Feeling warm, like she stepped into the first nice day of spring. All the while, she felt an uneasiness wash over her as she waited for something to happen. Something bad.

As the hoards surged from the academy building, everyone split like the Red Sea to reveal a lounging Jeriah sitting on the stone steps leading from the school. Disgruntled classmates shot her disdainful glances over their shoulders as they made their way to the train station.

Shaye stopped just behind him to lean over him, causing her shadow to shield his dark skin from the quietly shining sun.

Spring had just arrived in Boston, it was warm enough for a sweater and wet enough from the melting snow that it formed a stream on the street toward the nearest drainage grate. The air was crisp but had a warm fuzzy feeling to go along with it, like new sheets straight from the dryer.

Jeriah sighed and let his head lean back so he was squinting his eyes at her. He scrunched up his nose when he did that though, making an expression of a sneezing kitten. Shaye fought the urge to say the word "awe".

Shaye ducked her head and kissed the tip of his scrunched up nose. It was slightly cold in the fifty-degree weather they were in.

"You better be my girlfriend, or she'll kick your ass for that," Jeriah warned her with a grin on his face.
Shaye let out an amused breath before cupping his cheeks and gently pressing her lips to his. Pulling apart, She grinned down at him, feeling giddy for the fact that he called her his girlfriend. "And I'll kick your ass if my boyfriend doesn't kiss me again."

Jeriah grinned and brought his hands around the back of her head to pull her closer. Mashing his lips against hers, he probed his tongue into her mouth, testing the waters before she let him in.

A phone rang out, breaking the light murmurings around them. Jeriah groaned before slowly breaking the kiss. He pulled out his cell phone and glanced at the caller I.D. Sighing, he flipped open the phone, "hello?"

Shaye waited, frustrated at the interruption, as Jeriah listened to the person on the other end. He paled and clenched his jaw, his adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed. "Alright. Yeah. Talk later... bye."

Flipping the phone shut, Shaye gave him a quizzical look. "What was that about?"

Jeriah sighed and glanced around at the stragglers leaving the school, "it's nothing. Just a boxing thing." He quickly stood and grabbed her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. "Let's go."

Gripping his hand a little tighter, She pulled him to a stop. "Are you sure everything is alright?"

Jeriah nodded and forced a smile, "everything is fine, Shaye. So quit worrying, okay?"

Shaye nodded and let him lead her to his Jeep. The drive was quiet on the way to her house, the radio being the only sound as they drove along. Not knowing what to say, Shaye accepted the silence.

Once they arrived at her small apartment-sized house, she stilled. Looking over to Jeriah, she saw him with a clenched jaw as the engine idled.

"Would you like to come in?" Shaye asked, breaking him of his aimless stare out the front window.

Shaking out of his daze, his features softened as he looked at her. Scanning her face, his body relaxed. "No, I have a few things I need to do. I'll see you later?"

Shaye forced a small smile onto her face as she nodded. Hopping out of the Jeep that was a good two feet taller than she was, she shut the door and climbed up the overgrown walkway. Turning back, she waved as he reversed out of the gravel driveway, watching her with sadness on his features. Part of her wanted to call him back and demand to know the reasoning behind that look. But she didn't.

She watched him drive away, a bad feeling in her gut. Ignoring it, she unlocked the front door and walked in, gently shutting the door behind her.