Officer Scott

Chapter 20

Surprise Update! Because I put this update together today, I haven't had a chance to edit but I just really wanted to post it.

I'm still going to try to update Tuesday, but Thursday at the latest! Thanks for being awesome readers!

TRIGGER WARNING: VIOLENCE

Chapter 20

I was sitting alone at work on Monday when he came in.

"Hiya there Red." He leaned on his elbows over my desk.

"Hi Marcus, Sophia is actually out for lunch right now with-"

"Yeah with Willow, Zoey, and Phoebes. I know."

"Oh..." I felt my eyebrows furrow deeply. Why was he here?

"I'm actually here to discuss something with you." Uh oh- he knows. He knows I'm a fraud. That I'm unworthy of Caleb. That I'm broken and disgusting and ugly. He figured it out.

"Now's really not a good time." I said quietly.

"It looks like you and I have a bit of a problem." He continued, completely ignoring my discomfort. "Caleb and Sophia do not, have never, and will likely not ever get along. So I think you and I need to do something."

Oh. That's not what I had expected him to say at all.

"Ok... what did you have in mind?" I asked, flushing a deep red as soon as I heard how timid I sounded. He probably thought I was some ridiculous little girl.

"Are you and Caleb free on Friday?" He asked.

"We have no plans."

"Good. Your job is to convince him to come on a double date with us. Then we can try and calm the tensions and have a good time. You know, we've never hung out just the four of us. I think it could be good." He stood straighter.

"Umm, ok. I'll talk to him." I nodded.

"Thanks, Red. Let's do Candy's at eight on Friday. He knows where that is." He glanced behind him through the window. "See you later!"

"Red?!" I was in my bathroom, swiping on some eyeliner, when I heard my front door slam shut. I knew it was Caleb, I had been expecting him, and I knew he was going to come right up and use the spare key I had given him. But I still jumped at the noise, swiping eyeliner across my eyebrow.

I steadied my heart and then began to fix the mistake.

"In here!" I called to him.

I heard his heavy footsteps approach the bathroom, and his deep voice muttering profanities under his breath.

Already the night was off to a bad start. I hadn't even seen him yet and I knew he was in a bad mood.

"Let's cancel and just stay in, you and me." He said as he appeared in the doorway. I glanced up at him.

"You got a haircut?" I gasped. He looked completely different- still unfairly handsome- but different. His beautiful brown locks that fell halfway between his ears and chin was all gone. He was instead sporting a haircut that looked like they have in the US military. You know the one where they use clippers.

A buzzcut! That's it.

"I don't want to talk about it." He grimaced.

"Ok, we don't have to. Let me just finish getting ready." I said softly. He was obviously upset about something.