Something There

Chapter Twenty-Five

Songs for this chapter:
• A Change In Me - Beauty and the Beast

Chapter Twenty-Five:

Lexi's POV

When my alarm wakes me up in the morning, by head is aching and I would do anything to catch another couple hours of sleep. All I want to do is curl up under a couple blankets and cry some more.

Why is this hurting me so badly? It's not like I'm going through a breakup; the things that I've been told for the past month just seem to have finally set in.

I just don't understand how he's sometimes so nice to me, holding me to his chest when I'm crying or telling me how beautiful I am when I'm feeling a little insecure. Every moment I'm with him, I feel happy and safe and he momentarily makes everything in the world seem right again.

He must at least care a little about me for us to be spending all this time together, but I'm starting to doubt it.

I reluctantly make my way out of bed, heading straight for the closet and settling for a black sweater dress and some black tights. I finish my makeup in a rush, applying a thick coat of lipgloss before pulling my hair up into a bun on the top of my head.

When I look at myself in the mirror I decide against the updo, seeing as Bryce enjoys my hair up, and I undo the bun, slipping my feet into a pair of black flats before stepping out into the hallway where I find Charlie running up the stairs, an apple in his hand.

"Is everything good?" I ask him, and he stops to nod at me.

"Yeah, I forgot my bag up here. You're running late. We have to leave in a few minutes," he tells me, and my eyes widen at him.

"We have over an hour, no?" I ask, confused as of to why he's rushing.

He shakes his head at me. "I have soccer practice. Bryce texted me to say he can't drive you today for some reason so you have to come with me," he explains, and I feel my anger suddenly grow again.

I'm glad to see he can't grow up and get over it, and I'll have to talk to him later as much as I don't want to. This isn't Charlie's fault though, so I just nod at him, walking down stairs with him after he grabs his backpack.

My heart is heavy in my chest on the drive to school, and I think it dropped even more when we pull into the driveway and I see Camila stepping out of Bryce's truck.

He follows after her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and saying something in her ear that makes her giggle as they walk up the stairs and into the building.

I suddenly feel something settle in my heart, something clicking in my brain.

I like him.

A lot.

And it's stupid of me because I know he doesn't feel the same but I think that the ridiculous crush I had on him in middle school has stuck around.

But now it's too late to do anything because he's ignoring me, which hurts like hell.

I hate myself for not sticking to my promise of staying out of romance in high school, but I've already fallen and it would be a lost cause to try to stop me now.

"Well damn," Charlie says, opening his door up and stepping out of the vehicle. I do the same, and we walk together until the building silently.

"Why is he even here this early?" I huff, and Charlie laughs as we walk up the stairs.

"You're jealous, of her, aren't you?" he mocks, and I spin around to glare at him as I walk in through the doorway.

"Why would you say that?" I snap, watching as he raises an eyebrow at me.