Every Little Thing

Chapter 22

The week after my eventful weekend passed by in the blink of an eye. It still puzzled me as to why Frank assumed he had the authority to demand my where about that day, also as to why my mom hadn't grounded me the following morning. It all seemed so bizarre.  However I chose not to mention a word about it fearing I may get a far worse punishment. As for my "friends" I avoided them and Josh as if they were the plague. Every morning I left my house earlier to avoid Dylan, it surprise me more everyday when I would come home and my mom would tell me he was here this morning. I admit to myself that I felt a spark of guilt everyday thinking of his lips twisting to a frown as he received the news of my absence. 

If there was something I learned in all my years of having friends is how to hold a grudge. The constant lesson flashing up in my life was people wouldn't change after doing something wrong, at that point you could "forgive" them and choose to live through a fake friendship, or you could cut them out of your life and spare yourself a future disappointment. I will say that I'm guilty of choosing option one on more than one occasion, I guess the thought of being alone drove me to the point where blindingly forgiving.

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It was six thirty when a soft melody began to fill my room, to others it may have been pleasant, however for me it was a reminder of the emotionally draining day that awaited me. Unlocking my phone I noticed I hadn't charged my phone over night. After silently cursing at myself for my arrogant mistake,I continued to get dressed and ready for school. At a certain point in my routine I had reached a low when I couldn't find my glasses as they sat promptly on my head. 

Glancing out my window I noticed the copper colored leaves littering the streets, unlike California it snowed in New York, it was only a matter of time before the first fresh coat of snow would cover the pavement. 

Slipping on my combat boots I made my way towards the door to find a familiar person on the other side. He brushed a hand through his curly hair while his forest green eyes took me in. A light gasp escaped my lips at the appearance of my unexpected guest. His hand made a move to grab mine before I could make a motion to shut the door. 

"Carter can we please talk?" Dylan asked in a low gentle voice. He spoke to me as if I were some ravage beast and he was attempting to calm me down. However his tone only aggravated me as I glared at him, clutching my backpack closer to me. "Please Carter?" He asked once more. I decided to allow my silence to speak for me as I walked passed him. 

No matter how fast I tried to walk his footsteps seemed to be only a couple steps away. Finally we reached a stop light and he grabbed me by both my shoulders. Rolling his eyes he said,"Carter I'm not playing this game of chase anymore." Without warning he commenced to drag me around the corner in the opposite direction of our school.

"Dylan let me go I'm going to be late." I yelled as I continuously hit the hand gripping my left wrist. He ignored my request and continued to lead to who knows where. 

Finally after what seemed like ages of walking we stopped in front of a Starbucks.Dylan opened the door and gestured for me to walk in first, with a roll of my eyes I did as gestured and sat at a table tucked into a corner. Dylan sat on the velvety cushioned seat across from me, taking in small movements I made, as if at any moment I would suddenly run away. 

"What?"I hissed at him as he continued to stare at me. His eyes became blank and unamused at  my remark. Taking out my phone I began to read a story I was starting. If he wasn't going to say anything then I may as well do something beneficial to myself. 

An awkward cough sounded in front of me as I glanced up to see Dylan looking intently at me. His lips parted to say something but then quickly shut, I raised an eyebrow at him as I began to get up. Within seconds he was up as well and softly pushed me back down onto my chair.

"Carter I'm really sorry for what I did." 

My eyes looked at him with interest, but then a small detail led me to reply in a harsh manner. "How can you be sorry for something you can't even admit?" I asked making sure to lace venom within my words. He seemed taken back, if I hadn't noticed it in that instant I could even say he was fearful. 

"To be completely honest with you...I'm not a hundred percent sure why you're even upset with me." That did it. Instantly I shot up and made my towards the door. Unfortunately once again Dylan grasped my wrist, by later today I was sure there was going to be bruising where he kept griping me.    

Bringing me closer to him he whispered,"could you please tell me what I did wrong?" His choice of volume seemed questionable until I began to realize some people were beginning to stare at us. "I really don't want to lose you this early C." It frustrated me that his soothing words were enough for me to nearly jump into his awaiting embrace and forget everything, luckily I was able to keep a placid face, peering at him with cold eyes. 

"You completely left me! I told you were I was going to be and I just sat there waiting for you guys to come back. Once I realized the chances of you guys returning were equal to the chance of me winning the lottery I left with someone. The entire night I kept texting the group chat, I sent messages strait to you, but surprise, you didn't bother responding until I was home." 

A deep silence filled the coffee shop, it seemed even the workers could feel the awkward tension blooming. One of them kept glancing back at us, I was beginning to regret leaving my house. 

The pleasant twinkling sound of bells replaced the silence as someone knew entered. Turning my head towards the door my eyes widened to see Josh and a couple of his friends strolling in. Moving out of Josh's sight I glared at Dylan once more. "Forget it, forget everything just...just leave me alone and continue living your life just like you did that night." And with those words I fled out the door hoping Josh hadn't spotted me.

Why should I care if Josh sees me? Wouldn't it be better to let him see me living my life perfectly happy without him? So many thoughts began to swirl in my mind like a blizzard, each thought becoming a snowflake in the vicious storm. I couldn't go to school today, not with two emotionally draining people already ruining my day. It was decided today would be my day off. If i hurried fast enough I could feign some sickness and stay home. No matter how many positive words I spoon fed my mind it wouldn't cure me from the wave emotions racing inside me. 

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Yay an on time chapter! I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. Tell me what you think of it. As usual thanks for reading and supporting my story.