All Bets Are Off

Chapter Thirty-Two - Ella Fordman: The Settler

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Dedicated to @KayleeKirchner for the support! Thanks :)

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~Chapter Thirty-Two - Ella Fordman: The Settler~

As I made my way down the slope towards Carter's usual hangout - a desolate bench in a secluded part of the school-I heard a few low, heated voices coming from somewhere in the distance.

I frowned, but continued searching for Carter, peeking through the pine trees and lightly stepping over mossy leaves.

Mostly I wanted to find Carter to smooth over exactly what had happened in the last twenty-four hours. To figure out where we stood now, and what exactly he was doing. Mostly I needed to set boundaries between us, and distinguish what exactly was transpiring between us.

Carter came into view in the distance, and involuntarily my stomach twisted strangely.

That is until I realized he wasn't alone.

I froze as Phoenix also entered my line of vision, and wondered how I'd missed him before, considering his close proximity to Carter.

They were standing almost nose-to-nose, and I could tell purely by their stances that this wasn't a friendly conversation. Carter was saying something, and whatever it meant obviously displeased Phoenix, because his fists clenched and his face contorted like he'd sucked on a sour lemon.

"Hey," I called to them, thinking back to my conversation with Phoenix earlier this morning. "What the hell's going on here?"

Immediately Phoenix stepped back and swiveled to see me. His face drained of color, and he swallowed nervously. His lips opened and closed, but he said nothing. Maybe he had no idea what to say.

"Ella," Carter said, smirking as he took a step away from Phoenix and towards me. "What a nice surprise."

I stepped down the slope and eyed the two angry boys wearily. Both of their shoulders were hunched, and Phoenix's jaw was clenched. Carter looked as cavalier and relaxed as usual. I wasn't sure how I felt about that. "What's going on, guys?" I asked, keeping my voice calm.

"Phoenix and I were just having a pleasant conversation, that's all," Carter said, turning back to Phoenix and winking at him. "Weren't we, Phoenix?"

"What about?" I replied, sensing a rising mist of tension clouding the two boys. I wanted to do anything to dissipate it-and quickly.

"Nothing-" Phoenix began, but was cut off by Carter, who was all too happy to supply me with an answer.

"Oh, you know," Carter began, "Phoenix was just telling me that I should stay away from you. Break your heart, ignore your calls, that kind of thing."