The Bad Boy And The Innocent Angel

Chapter 36

Blaming Faith

***

"So, Iris. Where do you usually hide at lunch since everyone practically wants you dead? Even the girls and I can't figure out where." He shook his head and frowned in thought.

His question was enough to make me anxious. I started scratching my leg harshly, not caring about the pain I was feeling as I did so.

"I'm usually everywhere. Sometimes the back of the school, sometimes with Denis and Louis. You know?" I replied, hoping he didn't figure out what was going on between me and Nolan. At least not yet.

"Ohhh. That would explain it." He nodded in understanding.

"And, Nolan? What do you think about her being around your friends?" Caden averted his gaze from me to Nolan as he smirked wider.

Nolan didn't answer for a few seconds as he chewed on his food before gulping it down. His leg was bouncing a bit so I could tell he was stressed.

"I wish she could just stay away. They are my friends after all." He replied with pure hatred.

"You might have been there first, but remember, you left. And when you did, I came along and filled that hole." I retorted harshly.

"Oh, please." Nolan scoffed as he glared at me with dark eyes. But I still saw that shimmer. That pain. I know we both hated to act like this to each other.

"Calm down, now." Adeline chirped sweetly and me and Nolan looked away from each other and stared down at our food, not touching it.

I think the both of us lost our appetite.

"Adeline?" Caden turned to Adeline with knitted eyebrows.

"Yes?" Adeline turned to look at Caden with curiosity. But their tone sounded almost mockingly.

"You know what I find weird? Yesterday both Iris and Nolan here dissapeared at lunch and arrived at the second last subject again at the same time." He pretended to be in thought and Adeline pretended that light bulbs went on.

I scratched my leg even harder, my nails eating at my skin.

"Almost as if they were having an secret affair..." Adeline muttered and that was it.

I loudly winced in pain and stared down at my thigh. Blood was soaring to the surface as fast as light and colored my skin a dark red.

"Are you okay?" Nolan asked in a gentle tone as he too, stared down at my thigh with worry.

I frowned and nodded at him.

He wasn't going to-

Right?

He suddenly grabbed a tissue and pressed it onto my bleeding thigh before picking me up in bridal style and taking me to the woman's bathroom after he made sure no one was inside and locked the door behind him.

He gently placed me onto the sink and grabbed a few paper towels and made them slightly wet before taking the tissue, throwing it away and cleaning my thigh with the paper towels. I winced a little but stayed composed.

But it didn't stop my wandering and overthinking mind.

Instead, it encouraged my worry.

I knew that we couldn't be found out about right now. I had a bad feeling about it.

"Nolan... What if they think-"

"I don't care! You're hurt. Let me attend to my girlfriend." He said in a monotone, yet angered, voice and looked at me with dark eyes. This time it was genuine and there was no shimmer in his eyes as he stared at mine.

I couldn't even blush at what he had called me. This situation was too serious for me to feel nervous.

I shivered under his gaze and he looked back at my thigh, further attending to it.

"But it's just a little scratch, Nolan. Why are y-"

"Stop it! Please! ... Please... Stop it..." He snapped, stopping what he was doing as he lowers his head onto my shoulder and rests both his hands beside me, allowing his bodyweight to rest on his right leg. I heard a whimper escape his mouth and felt something cold slip down my shoulder.

Is he crying? I don't think I ever saw him cry before...

I don't think I ever want to see him cry.

But I did.

I saw the tears in his eyes as he looked up at me, locking eyes with mine. His nose was slightly red and so were his eyes beneath his tearbags and the outer corners.

"I'm sorry... " He whimpered as he stared at me. I felt like crying as I watched him and I can't help but feel guilty.

Did I make him cry?

I cupped his cheek and clenched my jaw.

"Why are you crying?" I asked in a trembling voice.

I couldn't bare to see him hurt.

He shook his head and looked back down again after he gently took my hand away from his face and rested it on my wound-less thigh.

He let out a chuckle, but I could tell it was no ordinary chuckle. It was filled with various emotions. Anger. Pain. Worry. Love.

"I wish you didn't need to go through this." He sofly spoke as he rubbed my hand with his thumb.

"What do you mean?"

"Every time I see you hurt... it takes everything in my power to not just... I don't know. Do something. Anything. It breaks me to see you like that. And now you're hurt. It's all my fault. Maybe this wouldn't have happened if I just explained everything to Adeline. Or if I just refused to-"

"Stop. Stop blaming yourself. This was never your choice. It was never your intention for this to happen." I carefully spoke as I shook my head, staring down at his glistening eyes.

"But in the end it was my choices that led to this." He retorted back.

"Did you want this to happen?" I said in a stern voice, swallowing back any tears that threatened to escape. If I wanted to get him out of this state, I needed to give him a reason why. A reason he can find by himself.

"No." He softly replied, staring into my brown marbles.

"Did you plan for this to happen?" I questioned again.

"No." He shook his head.

"Did you know this would happen?" I questioned softly this time.

"...No." He replied again.

"So was it your fault?" I asked with hope in my voice.

He smiled softly and his tears subsided.

"No."