Chapter 15 || "Take Off Your Clothes"

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When Julia and I reach the car, Caleb and Shawn are standing next it talking quietly. As we approach, their conversation comes to a screeching halt. Caleb moves to be at Julia's side, while Shawn remains leaning against the Jeep.

"Aren't you supposed to take the bus back to campus, Julia?" Caleb asks, wrapping his arm around her. She shrugs, holding onto him like a child would to their mother.

"I guess," she begins. "but it's not like I'm going to get in trouble if I leave."

"I don't think you should risk it." Shawn butts in, and Julia glares at him.

"Why are you-" she begins, but Caleb cuts her off.

"Shawn's right. Let's go, Julia. Helaina and Shawn can take the Jeep back to campus for me." he says.

"Helaina can come with us." Julia protests, but it's useless. Caleb's already dragging her off towards the buses. I stare at them helplessly, but when I catch sight of the smirk Caleb gives Shawn, I instantly know this whole thing was orchestrated between the two of them. While Julia and I were talking about Caleb and Shawn to ourselves, they were doing the same to us.

"Let's go then." Shawn says, and I notice that he has the keys to the car despite Caleb never giving them to him. Of course.

"I'd rather walk." I say, already turning on my heel and walking away. It's dramatic, but I don't care. I'm beyond sick of Shawn's bullshit at this point. If this is his way of giving me a taste of my own medicine, then fine. If that's what he's doing, I'd rather he just tell me than constantly going above and beyond to annoy me every single day.

"Helaina." he calls, his footsteps following me. I pick up the pace, trying to get away from him. When I look behind me to see how close he is, I notice that Shawn's walking back towards the car. I stop, surprised he actually let me go. I begin to worry that the plan has backfired when the car starts up and he pulls up beside me.

"I said I want to walk." I repeat, crossing my arms and refusing to look at him.

"Just get in the car." he whines, sounding annoyed by my refusal. Good. After all of the annoying things he's done to me, I deserve the right to annoy him back a little.

"Maybe you should have Sophie get in the car with you." I say spitefully.

"Maybe you should get in the car and then jump out and climb into Xavier's car. Or Sebastian's." he shoots back.

"Fuck you." I spit.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'll pass. If we did, you might come to my room crying the next day and say that you changed your mind after the fact and you want to take it back." His words hit me hard, temporarily making me lose my breath. I breathe deeply and stop walking, looking through the rolled-down window at him. The car stops.

"So you can constantly throw that back at me, which was undeniably your fault, but somehow I'm the immature one, right?" I yell. I start walking again.

"Just get in the fucking car, Helaina!" he screams.

"No!" I scream back. Shawn slams on the brake and throws it in park, jumping out of the car and chasing after me.

"What do I have to do or say to get you to get in the car with me?" he asks, grabbing my hand and spinning me around.

"What are you trying to do, kidnap me?"

"That's not funny."

"I wasn't trying to be."

We stare at each other, both of us too stubborn to give into the others demands.

The Heartbreaker [DISCONTINUED] || S.M.Where stories live. Discover now