The Heartthrob Won't Leave

Chapter Twenty-Four (New Chapters)

It was nice to get about every once in a while, but for Blake, getting out and socializing consisted of sitting alone with her headphones in and her computer out in front of her typing away her feelings, but in a public place. So, she sat down in the local coffee shop, sitting in the back corner and placing her headphones over her head, loading the latest poetry she was working on. But, her peace didn't last long, Noise so loud not even her headphones could block out and it filtered into her ears, making her look up at the entrance doors. It was a group of girls around her age, at least ten of them, and they were also wearing matching jackets. She suspected they were some sort of club, or sports team. She didn't mind it, just focussed back on her screen and what she was working on.

"Hey there!" she lifted her head from her screen, realizing one of the girls standing on the other side of her small circular table. She raised an eyebrow in curiosity, pulling off her headphones for this stranger. "Hi, I couldn't help but notice you have a sticker on your computer for Cross Climb Highschool, do you go there?"

"Yes, I'm a junior" Blake responded

"So you know Lucian Black, Jace Evans, and Zachary Quintin?!" she asked, leaning over the table and looking excited.

"Yes, I have classes with all three of them" she responded.

"Perfect!" she pulled out a pen, forcefully grabbing her arm across the table.

"Hey! Wh-" she watched as the girl wrote her name 'Candice' and her phone number.

"Mind giving that number to Lucian? He's such eye candy!" she claimed, turning.

"Girls!-" Blake's panic started rising at the sight of her getting her friends' attention "This girl knows the famous three! We can give them our phone numbers!" Blake watched with wide eyes as the girls started squealing, taking turns handing around the pen and writing all over her arms. When she got to school the next day, her arms were completely covered in ink. She sighed, walking down the hall to her locker, opening it and removing her backpack and placing it inside, and pulling out her homework for English. She closed the door, startled at the sight of Jace smiling at her.

"Good, I don't have to go look for you" she dropped her books and pulled up her sleeves "names and numbers for you, love the Henry James City High School junior volleyball team"

"Sweet!" he pulled out a pen, holding the cap between his teeth and grabbing her arm to get a look, copying the numbers onto his hand. Jace was pretty used to this, which at least made the process go faster. But, what was frustrating is for starters how animal those girls could be, and second, that it was going to take Blake scrubbing her arms raw over a span of many days to get rid of all the pen all over her skin. After Jace was done, now it was time to find Zach, which was a bit more nerve-wracking, but she wasn't a coward, at least not completely. She approached him as he was digging through his locker.

"Hi Zach" He seemed suddenly startled, pulling back from the open door and looking down at her, a look of surprise on his features.

"Hi Blake"

"I-" she started, about to lift her arms when a grip on one startled her, turning back to see who was holding it.

"We're going," Lucian said, a clear edge to his voice. And before she could even respond, he lead her away, down the hall with a grip on her upper arm, pulling open the janitor's closet and pulling her inside, shutting it behind them.

"Lucian, what's going on?" she asked, meeting his eyes when he turned on the light. "You're acting strange"

"Why were you talking to him?" her eyes widened slightly at his tone

"Well, these girls gave me their phone numbers to give to him" she claimed, showing the ink on her arms "By the way-" she maneuvered to her inner arm, holding it for him to see "These are yours" she looked up, her eyes widened at the look on his face. It was a look she hadn't seen before on him, and definitely far from the smile, she was used to seeing on him in the presence of her.

"You're giving me phone numbers of other girls?" he asked with an incredulous tone, she stepped back a movement on instinct. She had been dreading the moment, when she had to give him the numbers. In truth, she really didn't want to. She wanted to grab some industrial soap and a piece of sandpaper and scrub them away so aggressively she'd have scabs across her skin. She wanted him to be with her. These girls, they were prettier than her, smarter than her, more outgoing and bubbly. Happy. It was as if nothing in this world brought them down, despite her knowing better, after all, everyone has something to be sad about. But, it was just the skill in which they hid it that made them a better match for him. Lucian...He was hopeful, had so much to give, and any girl would be lucky to be the one he fixated on. So, he was following her around, offering his help, insisting they go on dates and spend time together. He insisted that he wanted to know who she truly was. And, any girl would swoon over such actions. But, not her. Blake was plagued with the reality that everything was meant to end, and the deeper one falls into the bliss of cluelessness, the more it hurt when her heart would eventually be grabbed and ripped to pieces. So, despite how much she just wanted to give in, how she fantasized about being happy and filled with life there would always be the looming cloud of impending doom over everything she ever did, anyone she ever got close to. At least when, whatever was between them, fell to the unsteadiness of its shaking legs, she wouldn't be forced to take him down into the abyss with her.

"It's good to meet new people, to try new things. D-Don't all boys like talking to pretty girls?" she asked, feeling her eyes suddenly gloss.

"But, you're supposed to like me!" another grip on her arm startled her, looking up at him with wide eyes "Why would you do this if you like me?!

"I never said I liked you" she hadn't realized what came out of her mouth until it was already out there, building a wall between them. But, I do like you?! Can't you see how much I like you?! I wanna be happy! I wanna be with you! Her mind screamed bloody. And the devastated look on his face just made it all the worse.

Don't cry Blake, don't cry. It hurts now Blake, but it would have hurt more had the game gone further.

"All t-these girls l-like you!" she held her arms "They're right for y-you" and I'm not.

The silence between them was deafening, so much that her ears started to ring, and her head started to pound. She was a mess, inwardly bursting and screaming in anguish. But, one must follow their niche, so she found herself wordless, without movement, looking up at him as he stared down at her. He was the one that moved first, digging into his pocket, pulling out what she realized was a pen. He grabbed her arm, a bit rougher than she had expected, making a noise of surprise as he did so. And she watched, as he wrote down every name and number marked across her skin onto his, the lid of the pen in his mouth as he worked. It felt like an eternity, and when he was done, she wanted nothing more than to scream, looking down at her own emptiness. He let her go, capping the pen and going for the closet door.

"Thanks-" she lifted her head, meeting his eyes "For giving me the chance to meet my dream girl" and with that, he left, shutting the door behind him and running right into another body. He looked down at the petite girl in confusion.

"Melody?"

Blake felt a sudden weakness, allowing herself to slowly lean down and sit on the floor all alone, in this dark room with only a single light. That was the interesting part about high school, somehow you felt the relationships you created with others, whether it was a friendship...or something more. You felt like they would last forever, but then reality sets in, and you realised that just as quick as they had come into your life, they're gone. Sometimes it was easy to not care, after all, they were fleeting. But, other times, it felt like you're heart was being ripped out of your chest and the breath knocked from your lungs.

It's the past Blake, only the past.

Never think about it again

It's done.

And with that cemented in her mind, to never be forgotten. she started to cry.