Nothing's Fine

• 21: Trembling •

"Damn it Dallas! You're so distracted today!" I chided in frustration. Dallas leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms in response. For the past hour, he'd been unfocused and making stupid jokes. This wasn't uncommon, but usually after the first ten minutes he'd settle down and pay attention.

"I'm distracted by your beauty," he smirked. Despite the colour that was rising to my cheeks, I let out an angry huff. "Oh, feisty," Dallas winks. Immediately, I was transported back to The Luna and my blood boiled.

I stood up abruptly. "I'm done! I can't tutor you anymore! This is ridiculous," I exclaimed. "You're passing your class now anyways, so you don't need me."

Dallas watched me pack up with a mischievous smile on his face. I paused for a second to glare at him before packing my things into my bag. "What if I told you, I never needed you?" he asked. I raised an eyebrow as I zipped up my backpack.

"I would say, you're an idiot, and that doesn't make any sense," I snapped, pulling my bag over my shoulder. I started leaving the library quickly. Dallas got up as well and began following me, but I tried to out walk him.

"What if I told you I wanted to talk to you?" he continued, unphased by my word or my haste to get away from him. I picked up my pace and didn't bother to stop at my locker. "What if I told you I found you interesting?" I pushed open the doors to the main entrance. "What if I told you that I wanted to get to know you?"

I stopped as we reached outside of the school and sharply turned to face him. "I'd say that if you were a sane person, you could have just spoken to me. I'd say that if you had any decency, you'd be more polite and respectful. I'd say that–"

Dallas suddenly grabbed my arms, and stared into my eyes.

"Let me take you out Charlie," he said intensely. For a split second, I wondered if he meant 'out of this world', or 'out on a date', which would have been funnier if I wasn't so uncomfortable. With his close proximity and as he breathed his words into my face, I smelled the scent of alcohol and weed.

That would explain his lack of focus. I think. How did I not notice that? I wondered for a split second.

"Let's go right now!" he exclaimed, his hands tightening on my arms.

"Is this a prank? Let go," I said, pulling away. Dallas' grip only got tighter. Though his gaze held mine, he seemed to be almost looking through me. "I swear to God, I will break both of your hands if you don't let go of me right now."

"You're always so funny," Dallas laughed, without letting go.

"Dallas!" I heard being shouted from the parking lot. Without even looking, I knew whose voice it was. There was so much anger and hatred in the voice that it almost made me worried for Dallas' well-being. Mason stormed towards us furiously. "It's about time I kicked the ever-loving shit out of you!" Dallas released me and met Mason halfway.

"This is none of your business," Dallas spat, getting closer to him. Mason stepped towards him and with a harsh glare.

"It is my business," Mason snapped in response. "I'm not going to let you ruin another girl's life."

I stood there, frozen in shock as I watched the scene unfold.

What girl? I wondered.

"I didn't ruin her life," Dallas insisted. "She did that all on her own," he added smugly. Suddenly, Mason threw a solid punch at Dallas, nailing him square in the jaw.

My mouth fell open in surprise, as Dallas staggered back a few steps. He quickly recovered and took a swing at Mason. I watched in horror as they hit each other. They took each other down and started rolling around before I actually came to my senses.

"Mason! Mason!" I squeaked out as he gained advantage over Dallas. Sitting on his chest, Mason was punching him and Dallas was dodging or blocking what he could, which wasn't much. "Mason, stop! He's drunk!" Luckily for Dallas, Mason's hits lost more steam with each go.

As I ran towards them, I could hear Mason repeating, "I'm so sorry Sophia. I'm sorry." under his breath. His last punch was light enough that Dallas could push him off easily and get up. He was off balance as he stood for a moment, before kicking Mason in the thigh.

"You're out of your goddamn mind, dude," Dallas sneered at him, giving him another kick. Dallas spares me a glare, which allows me a better look at his swollen and red face. I met his look with an icy stare of my own and he sauntered off.

It wasn't likely that Mason registered what Dallas had said as he just kept staring blankly, repeating "I'm sorry Sophia" in a whisper. I knelt down beside him and touched his shoulder softly.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly. Mason pressed his lips together and looked at me. There were silent tears rolling down his cheeks and his eyes were filled with anger and pain. I swallowed hard. I had a million questions sitting on the tip of my tongue, but I was hesitant to ask. It felt like I could scare him away if my tone was wrong or the phrasing didn't come out right. Instead, I suggested, "Let's get out of here."

I stood up and held my hand out for Mason. He took it in a daze, and mumbled an "okay". We walked slowly to the car, as he slightly limped, and we stopped outside of it.

"Are you okay to drive?" I asked quietly. Mason started to wave me off when I noticed his knuckles were swollen. "Oh my God! Your hand!" I exclaimed.

"I'm fine," he mutters. He reached into his pocket and took out his car keys and unlocked the car. We got in and sat unmoving for a few moments; just trying to calm down. Mason started the car and gripped the steering wheel with his battered hands before pulling out of the school parking lot. We drove for a bit before he glanced over at me. "Are you cold?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"No..." I replied in confusion.

"You're shaking," he stated, looking towards the road again. I looked down at my hands and sure enough, they were trembling.

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Author's Note: Yay! Another lil chapter for you all! This one was pretty intense! I hope you all enjoyed reading it! It was fun to write! 

Who do you think Sofia is? What do you think Dallas did?

Hopefully another chapter will be up sooner than later! In the mean time follow me on instagram @brittany.p.w and on tiktok @snapitsbrittany in between chapters! xo