Happy Everly After

Chapter 4

Through the glass, I counted six other students scattered in the classroom. Only one was familiar to me, and it wasn't Owen. He wasn't there. With a slight shrug, I pushed open the heavy door and took my seat at the back of the room. The atmosphere was filled with an air of boredom, evident on everyone's faces, including mine.

Glancing down at my watch, I cursed under my breath realising I wouldn't make it in time for the school bus home. My mind raced as I chewed on my lip, weighing the options of walking the two miles alone.

Lost in thought, I barely noticed when the classroom door swung open. Everyone's heads turned in owl-like formation.

Mr Carter's exasperated voice cut through the silence. "Late again, Mr Anderson?" he lectured without looking up from his newspaper.

Owen mumbled something incoherent as he made his way to his seat in front of me, not even acknowledging my presence.

Right back to where we were before I thought.

I inwardly groaned knowing that things couldn't go back to how they used to be between myself, Charlotte and Owen. We were once close friends since childhood, but I had pushed them away in my own hurt and anger. It wasn't intentional to make them feel this way.

Taking a deep breath, I mustered up the courage to at least try and make it right between us.

"Hey...psst...hey," I whispered, trying to get Owen's attention.

Nothing.

Frustrated, I slid down in my chair and launched my leg into the back of his chair with more force than intended, causing him to jolt forward and hit his chest against the desk.

He whipped his head around, glaring at me with narrowed eyes. "What the hell Everly?" he hissed.

"I was just trying to get your attention; I didn't mean to kick so hard.

"You don't need to assault people to get their attention Everly, a simple 'hey Owen' would suffice", he retorted sharply.

"I did try that, you just didn't hear me", I couldn't help but smile at the ridiculousness of our situation.

"Did I hurt you? I'm sorry", I added sincerely.

He cocked his head slightly, his eyebrows raised in surprise. "You know damn well you didn't hurt me, King", his tone softened.

I studied him for a moment, admiring how effortlessly handsome he looked with his mop of ink-black hair and piercing blue eyes. It was no wonder girls were drawn to him. But our friendship meant too much to me to risk complicating it with romantic feelings, despite our harmless flirting. That's what made the current rumour about him being the father of my non-existent baby absurd. Rolling my eyes at the thought, I tried to brush it off.

"Earth to King", Owen waved a hand in front of my face before leaning in closer towards me. "You were about to give me a reason why, for the second time today, you've tried to injure me".

I smirked playfully. "Oh Owen, if I wanted to injure you I could have you crying on the floor in fetal position".

Surprised by my response, he played along. "King, you don't need violence to get me in any position you want". He edged even closer, leaning over my desk so that there were only inches between us.

"You look really pretty today", he added softly.

Panicked by how close we were getting and the sudden change in tone, I pushed my chair back abruptly causing a deafening screech. The adrenaline set my pulse racing as everyone's attention turned towards us. Feeling overwhelmed, I needed to get out of here. Reaching for my bag, I made a hasty excuse.

"Wait, please...what just happened?" Owen ran a hand through his hair, causing a loose strand to fall over his face as he looked at me with a pained expression. I could see that he felt like he had done something terrible, but in reality, it was just our familiar banter, but things were different now. Unable to handle the intensity between us, I stood up and rushed to the door in search of some much-needed air.

"Miss King", the stern voice of Mr Carter rang out, briefly snapping me out of my panic. "Where do you think you're going? You have five more minutes of detention. Take your seat".

I hesitated for a moment, my hand hovering over the skewed chair. No, I had to get out of there.

"Sorry, Mr Carter", I mumbled as I quickly made my escape from the classroom. The door swung open with a loud creak, and I practically tore it off its hinges.

Once outside, the cool droplets of rain gently caressed my flushed cheeks, providing some much-needed relief from the stuffy classroom. Letting out a sigh of relief, I tilted my head back and closed my eyes, allowing the rain to drench my face.

I ran my hands through my damp auburn locks, trying to smooth them back into place when I heard someone call out my name. Without even turning around, I knew it was him.