East Chapel Academy

Chapter 25- Nia

Everyday at East Chapel Academy is like entering an alternate universe, and I never know where I'm going to end up.

Yesterday, Sam tried to kiss me and then ignored me for the rest of the day. But today he couldn't stop talking to me.

Now Marcus can barely look me in the eye and is only answering my questions with one word answers. And I have no idea why.
He was fine yesterday...unless Sam told him that I liked him and it freaked him out.

Oh my God, I'm fucked.

"Stop freaking out. I'm sure Marcus is just having a bad day," Lavender told me as we sat on the bleachers. "I heard him and Sam got in a fight yesterday."

"Shut up," I gasped. "They did not!"

She nodded. "Yes, they did. It was during football practice and apparently Coach suspended them for a week."

"Oh my God!" No wonder he didn't want to talk to me today. But that doesn't explain why Sam was so happy today.

"Once again I was right," Lavender gloated.

"But just because they fought doesn't mean it was about me," I said trying to convince myself more than her. "They could have been fighting about anything."

"Okay, Nia, now you're just being dense," she frowned. "I've gone to school with Sam and Marcus for years, and Marcus has been my neighbor for the majority of my life. I know them pretty well. They never fight...ever. And suddenly you tell Sam you like him, and a few hours later, they get into a fight. A coincidence, I think not."

If I didn't feel bad before, I felt even worse now. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I don't want them to fight over me."

"I can't believe Sam actually had the guts to try," Lavender said. "I wonder who won. I mean Marcus is massive, but Sam seems like he could get a good hit in or two. Gosh, I wish I could have been there."

I'd seen Sam during first period and he had no noticeable injuries, and neither did Marcus. So, at least, I don't have to worry about either of them being hurt.

"Oh my God, he must hate me." I rested my head in my hands. No wonder, he was acting so strange. He probably doesn't want anything to do with me. How could he?

Lavender poked me in the arm. "Hey. Hey, are you crying?" She poked me again. "Nia, I swear if you start crying I will not talk to you for the rest of the day," she threatened. She nudged me again, "Stop it."

"I'm not crying, Lavender," I told her sitting up again. "But I am having a crisis."

She let out a breath. "Good, a crisis I can handle. But crying, you're on your own."

"So you never cry?" I asked.

"I'm sure I have," she replied. "It kills my parents that I don't. They are total crybabies. " She groaned. "When I started my period you would have thought I told them I was getting married or something. And don't get me started about when I told them I was going to start eating meat and dairy, complete meltdowns."

"Ladies!" Coach yelled from the bottom of the bleachers. "If you're not going to dress out the least you can do is take score for the rest of your classmates."

"Fuckin A," Lavender said under her breath before responding back to him. "Be right there, Coach Hobbs!"

She stood up holding out her hand to help me up from the bleachers. "Don't worry, I promise this will all blow over, and you and Marcus will live happily ever after."

I thought about what Lavender said as we kept score throughout gym class. Maybe this would all blow over, and Marcus and I would end up together, but I don't know if I want that if it means that he and Sam won't be friends anymore.

Stacy was already waiting for us at our lunch table. "Hi." she smiled up at us as Lavender and I sat down. I noticed that she had changed her clothes a bit. Instead of wearing her heels she had on a pair of floral Doc Marten's. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun, and she hadn't bothered to was the paint from her hands and arms.

"Hi," I sighed, picking at my salad. It may not have been as healthy as Whitney's, it was still better than the cheeseburgers, pizza, and chicken tenders that I had been scarfing down for the past two weeks.

"Are you okay?" Stacy asked concerned.

"Oh, she's fine," Lavender answered before I had a chance to. "She's just upset because Marcus and Sam are fighting."

"What are you talking about? They aren't fighting."

"They're not?"

Stacy shook her head. "No, I just saw them walking into the library together."

I turned to Lavender. "Why would you tell me were fighting?" I almost had an anxiety attack for nothing.

"Because that's what I heard!" She stressed. "I overheard someone say that they got in a fight during football practice and Coach suspended them for it."

"Oh, well, that did happen," said Stacy. "Nick told Crystal all about it, but apparently they made up right after."

"See, I told you they fought," Lavender said before turning back to Stacy. "But I didn't think you were talking to Crystal, since she's still friends with you know who."

"Well, technically, I'm not," she replied. She rolled her brown eyes, "I'm being shunned, so we have to go behind her back. Oh, wait, Crystal gave me something to give to you, Nia!"

Stacy pulled a small folded sheet of paper out of the front of her backpack. I took it from her eyeing it suspiciously. "What is it?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "She just gave it to me and told me to give it to you."

I gasped when I unfolded the note.

"Who's it from?" Lavender asked.

"It's from Marcus." It didn't say much, but his signature was scribbled across the bottom.

Meet me in the Romance section of the Library during fourth period.

Marcus G

Lavender leaned over the lunch table grabbing the piece of paper out of my hand. "Finally!" she exclaimed. "We're getting this show on the road!"

They were both so excited, but I was flipping the fuck out on the inside. Fourth period was study hall, so getting away would be no problem. But I was so nervous, it was like when I went to his house for the first time.

My palms began to sweat as I pushed open the library door. The librarian gave me one slight glance before going back to what she was doing, which was nothing, because I don't think anyone uses the library here. Unfortunate, but that just means more books for me.

The romance section was in the far corner in the upstairs portion of the library. I had been going there often. Mostly before school when Trish and Maya dropped me off and sometimes during study hall. There was this nice bay window nestled in between the bookshelves that overlooked the school rose garden. It had been a bit dusty when I first found it, like no one had sat there in years. Their loss, because it was a beautiful view.

It was so quiet, I wasn't sure anyone was here besides the librarian. Marcus hadn't given me many instructions. I had fully convinced myself that this was all some massive prank and that he would never like me outside of a casual hook up until I rounded the corner into the romance section.

"Marcus."