When You Least Expect It

31

a/n this chapter is so bad and short lolol but hopefully next chapter is long xo vote/comment

Chapter 31

We were stuck in Mr Anderson's snooze-fest of a lecture on genetic engineering when Phillip Donnelly, Harry's close friend, burst into class.

"Fight!" he shouted, then darted on his heels.

The word was like a spark in a dry brush. Desks were abandoned as students clamored to their feet, the scrape of chairs against the linoleum floor adding to the cacophony. Mr. Anderson's futile attempts to restore order were drowned out by the stampede of students rushing outside.

"You coming?" I asked Holly Dae, who was still at her desk.

She rolled her eyes but swung her bag over her shoulder and joined me. "I'm not passing up this free show."

We tracked the commotion to the courtyard outside. A massive crowd had gathered around two figures. Holly Dae and I exchanged a glance, both agreeing that elbowing our way to the front wasn't worth the hassle. With her being taller, she simply tilted her head up and pointed, and I followed her gaze.

"It's Cara and Zoe."

Cara was always stirring up trouble, so it wasn't exactly shocking she'd found herself in yet another brawl.

"What do you think they're fighting about?" I shouted over the commotion.

"Not what, who. Rumour has they both got their eyes on Sebastian Quigley."

The clicheness of it all made me roll my eyes. There was a crowd of nearly half the school cheering them on. A couple of teachers hurried over to try and break it up, then ushered us all back inside.

I was about to leave when I noticed Garret striding away ahead of me. Right behind him was Carson, completely unaware of my presence. His eyes were fixed on Cara and Zoe's scuffle, wearing an almost bored expression. Carson had this quiet demeanor that left you guessing about what was going on in his head. I hadn't seen him with that cheerleader from Davenport all week. Guess she must've headed back to town.

But I didn't care about any of that. My mind was consumed with memories of that night at Connor's party. The way Carson's lips pressed against mine with such hunger, as if he'd been waiting his whole life for that moment to arrive.

Holly Dae nudged me. "You guys still haven't talked it out?"

I hesitated, torn between opening up to Holly Dae and keeping it a secret. Her judgmental stance on premarital intimacy had always made me cautious about revealing too much. "No, I just can't do it," I said, forcing a smile as I looked away from Carson, hoping Holly Dae wouldn't press the issue.

Holly Dae looped her arm through mine as we walked back to class. "You two make me want to bang my head against a wall. It's not that difficult to just sit down and have a conversation about what you both want out of this."

"I'm not the one with communication issues."

She stopped in her tracks and gave a look that silenced me. "C'mon, Max. It takes two to tango. There's nothing wrong with putting it all out there and seeing where it leads."

"I'm scared," I said quietly. The thought of laying everything bare and risking our friendship was daunting. Then the memory of almost confessing drunkenly in his room came rushing back to me.

"I get you, it's scary to open up like that." She ruffled my hair. "But you've already shown some courage by taking those initial steps. I think you might've really hurt him by kissing Connor, and now he's distanced himself. So, it's up to you to pull him back in."