four wishes - duncney | ✔️

Chapter 11

The cops arrived on the scene five minutes later. Crowds were gathering outside the library to see Courtney tangled in all of this. She felt embarrassed by the people watching. She felt embarrassed by the fact that she was with the cops. She was embarrassed with herself for just not choosing to study. She was most of all embarrassed for underestimating Duncan.

Alas, Duncan didn't seem to be the best person - or genie, for that matter. His reputation seemed to be permanently tarnished. Why was Courtney involved with such a delinquent? Yet she felt ashamed of herself for not listening to him. She should have known that he was right. She shouldn't have done the thing that Duncan warned her about. She shouldn't have tried to choose that she wanted to be with Scott again. Tonight, he once again proved his true colors to her.

After explaining everything to the cops, and of course leaving everything out about genies, she and Duncan silently walked back to the dorm together.

They got to the elevator and Courtney unwillingly pressed the button. She wanted to be alone, but she knew that Duncan had to be with her. She still had to give him her last wish before he returned to his bottle. She determined that she would before the night ended, but she was still having a hard time trying to figure out what to use it for.

Should she wish for her finals to go okay? Tonight definitely wasn't a good study session. Should she wish to just finish school altogether so she never had to have one of those study sessions again? No, that seemed wrong.

Part of Courtney wanted to do something for Duncan. After his outburst and realizing just how bad she had been to him, she wanted to make up for it somehow. The kiss wasn't a good way. It made Courtney feel like she was the reason he was breaking more rules.

As they stood in the elevator together, Courtney peered to the side at Duncan. He looked exhausted. His eyes were closed and his lips were in a deep frown. His green mohawk was all over the place, and he didn't even have a coat on. He must have been freezing. Courtney silently admired him for going out of his way to get her purse and walk back to the dorm building with her.

The elevator finally opened. Courtney led the way to the room. She stuck the key in the lock, praying that Heather wasn't there. When she opened the door she was relieved that she wasn't.

Duncan followed behind her and immediately grabbed the genie bottle off of Courtney's desk. He sat down on Heather's bed, and Courtney sat the opposite of him. She knew what he wanted her to do.

They just sat there and stared at each other for a few minutes. Courtney couldn't stop thinking about how tired he looked. She noticed little things, like the deep circles under his eyes. The light stubble forming on his cheeks and chin. And she wondered why he had two piercings in one ear, but only one on the other side.

Duncan took in Courtney too. He stared into her beautiful onyx eyes. He admired the green beanie that she wore that had melting snowflakes on it. He checked out her brown hair that was abnormally messy from the problem they just had. Duncan thought that she was truly beautiful. But he knew that was just on the outside of her.

"...I'm sorry." Duncan finally broke the silence.

Courtney blinked.

"For kissing you." Duncan said weakly.

"Why did you do it?" Courtney asked.

Duncan stared at her with horribly sad eyes. He blinked slowly. "I don't know."

"You have to have a reason." Courtney protested quietly.

Duncan looked back to her again. His head was slightly bowed, his hands folded in his lap. Courtney could see the wetness forming in his eyes.