Something There

Chapter Twelve

Songs for this chapter:
• Believer - Imagine Dragons

Chapter Twelve:

Bryce's POV

I'm walking out of my second class of the day at this shitty school that bores the hell out of me, Camila tagging along behind me. She's good company I guess, funny at certain points in time.

She talks too much though.

Hypocritical of me to comment on as I never seem to keep my damn mouth shut myself. Hence why I never seem to keep any solid relationships, platonic or romantic, going. It's fine though as I've learnt not to rely on other people to make me happy as they'll just disappoint me in the end.

"Bryce?" Camila asks me, and she sounds really desperate for some reason. I would never take her for the desperate type as she seems quite confident, but then again, I come off like a total asshole but I don't think I'm that bad.

Perhaps a little standoffish at times but it's not my fault I have very little patience.

"What is it?" I ask her blankly. I want to get to the cafeteria, wherever it may be, so I can see my Blossom again. It hasn't been long since I last talked to her, but I'm fearing I may have not paid her enough attention during that time, and I'm getting the feeling that she's pissed at me.

I find myself missing her anyway. How strange.

I'm far more observant that she credits me for.

I notice the way she gets agitated when her hair falls in her face, and how she crinkles her nose just like her mom does whenever anyone says something crude. I've picked up that she doesn't like to be associated with her mom though, so I'll keep that thought to myself.

I've also noticed that she no longer wears the necklace I gave her.

The cherry blossom necklace, the reason I only call her 'Blossom'. She doesn't seem to mind the name. I guess that I didn't really gift her the necklace because we found it in my garden together all those years ago, but the details aren't important.

I wonder if she still has it.

Who am I kidding? She probably tossed the damn thing in the trash the moment I left without an explanation. For some odd reason we didn't have each other's phone numbers so I had no way to talk to her, and although I eventually came across her Instagram account, I figured it was creepy to request to follow her all of a sudden. So I didn't.

"Bryce?" Camila asks again, snapping in my face. I look down to her where she's fluttering her thick eyelashes at me.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" I ask her. I'm fairly certain we're headed in the wrong direction, away from the cafeteria, so I pause in place, forcing her to stop walking as well.

"Who are you sitting with at lunch today?" she asks me, giving me a sweet smile that somehow seems very fake.

I planned on sitting with Blossom and her group again today, but she seems to be ignoring me so I'm not too sure.

I think it's safe to assume that she would rather be getting cozy with her newest boy toy, Mateo, or her friend Jordan who's spoken to me twice and has already grown to despise me. I do have to admit that the feeling is mutual, so I couldn't care less.

She places her open palm against the bare skin of my arm, tracing one of her fingers along the swirls of black ink drawn into my skin.

I resist the urge to flinch away from her touch. I like how fascinated Blossom is by my tattoos, but I don't enjoy Camila examining my skin like this; I don't like her eyes on me like this.