Red Riding Hood

Chapter 26

In school, I searched frantically for signs of a handsome dark-haired man, but no such luck. I eagerly waited for his arrival in chemistry, but he never came. I awaited his appearance in literature, and in all the other classes we had together. But... he was gone. He just vanished, like he was never there.

The realization knocked the air out of me. I tried breathing properly, but it felt like something was stuck in my lungs. I excused myself in one of my classes and went straight to the bathroom. I splash water on my face and looked at the mirror in front of me.

No, don't freaking cry, I internally told myself. I couldn't break down in school. People would start asking me about it, and I didn't want to talk about it. I didn't want to talk about the pain that was breaking me apart. I immediately wiped the tears with the sleeves of my worn-out red jacket.

"Belle...?" A concerned voice called out.

"Holy shit!" I gasped. I thought I was alone in the bathroom! I felt my cheeks turn pink when I realized that she must have seen me breakdown. "Emily, you scared the shit out of me!"

Her brown eyes looked concerned as she took in my appearance. "What's the matter with you, Belle? You've been such a mess ever since..."

She didn't need to continue her sentence for me to get the meaning of it.

"I miss him," I admitted while looking down the dirty, yellowish floor.

She crossed her arms around her chest and raised her perfectly threaded eyebrow. "What did I miss?"

So, I told her everything. (Well, except the part that I wasn't human and that I was in love with a werewolf.) I told her that I liked Alexei, but he suddenly left me without even much of a proper goodbye.

"Wow," Emily exhaled. "You're sure good at hiding things." I detected some irony in her voice, but I couldn't seem to get the meaning of it.

Then Emily gave me a cheeky grin. "Well, I may know something about Alexei that would cheer you up."

I looked at her curiously, wondering what she could possibly know that will make me happy. But then I guess, any information at all about Alexei would be greatly treasured by me.

She closed the gap between us and placed a hand over my shoulder. Her eyes were twinkling with mischief as she whispered, "I just heard from a couple of girls that he's still in town. They saw him go into the woods on their way to school."

He's still here. I couldn't help but feel hope bubbling inside me. I still had a chance. I still had a chance to win him back.

But then I immediately quelled the hope. So what if he was still here? It wouldn't change the fact that I was a hunter and that he was a werewolf. It wouldn't change the fact that I would be betraying my father by being with Alexei.

But really, do I care?

"What do I do?" I whined miserably. I leaned my back to the sink and give Emily a hopeless look.

Em gave me her best duh face. "You go to him, silly."

"But me being there wouldn't change the fact that he needed to leave," I object.

Emily leaned her back to the sink beside me. She sighs. "Well, at least have a clean break up. Tell him it sucks that you guys must end it. Tell him one last time you like him. Who knows? It might just change his mind."