After the Ink [PUBLISHED]

Chapter Twenty-One

Luckily I don't have to wait long to talk to Xavier. When I walk out of my apartment Wednesday morning, he's next to my car again. Small snowflakes float down from the sky, but melt as soon as they hit the ground. I pull my coat tighter to my body as I walk up to him.

"Kay said you wanted to talk to me," he says.

I take a deep breath. "I'll never speak to Dylan again if you leave me, my aunt, and Casey alone."

It's a hard decision to come to, but I don't really have a choice. Nothing else will satisfy him and I can't put my friends and family in danger just because I want to be with Dylan.

He scratches his chin. "Get Casey to talk to me once, and you have a deal."

"She doesn't want to talk to you," I stress.

His expression is cold, like it doesn't matter. "That's all I want."

I stare at him. What is his obsession with Casey? It isn't right. "I'll get her to talk to you, but I have to be there with you two."

"You drive a hard bargain," he says. "Fine. As long as Kay wants Dylan, just leave him alone and I'll leave you and your aunt alone. Get Casey to talk to me, and I'll leave her alone."

"Deal," I nod.

And with that, he walks away.

I instantly get in my car and wipe the sleep from my eyes. I cried myself to sleep and woke up crying. Needless to say, it's a no makeup kind of day.

When I get to school, Dylan's car isn't in the lot yet. I sit in my car and wait for Casey to show up so I can talk to her. My heart skips a beat when Dylan's car pulls into the parking lot. I sink into my seat and stop myself from going out there and talking to him. I watched as he tosses his backpack over his shoulder and walks towards the building, not once looking my direction.

His black sweatpants and black hoodie make him look so good, I have to close my eyes and force myself not to watch him.

Casey finally pulls into the spot next to me and I get out at the same time she does.

"You look sick," she says immediately. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I brush it off. "I have to tell you something."

We start walking towards the main building and I make the words come out of my mouth. "I talked to Xavier," I say slowly.

Her eyes nearly pop out of her head and her face darkens. "When did you talk to him?"

"We just had a casual run-in," I bite my lip. "I know this might sound crazy, but I think you should talk to him. Not alone, obviously."

"Why?" she frowns as she ask.

"I think he'll leave us alone once you talk to him," I say, trying to make her understand what I can't explicitly say. Casey is smart. I need her to understand. If I tell her he's threatened the people around me, she'll go crazy.

She shakes her head. "No way. I don't want to see him."

The bell rings in the distance and we don't have time to talk about it further. Once we're inside, we go our separate ways.

Days that drag on aren't my favorite, and today seems to be going on for years. At lunch, all Casey wants to talk about is her partner in Algebra who she thinks is cute. I don't know how Casey can move on from one guy to the next. It makes me envious. It took me forever to get over Jacob. Now I have to find a way to not obsess over Dylan and Kay.

Lauren sits with us at lunch also, which makes it easier to stay out of the conversation and stay in my head. Dylan is eating with the boys in the back of the cafeteria, sans Carlos. I haven't see him at all and I wonder if Anthony, Reece, or Derrick told Dylan about what he said.