His Unwilling Muse

Chapter 15: Severed Ties

For the seventeenth time today I swipe the call to ignore, and then turn my eyes back onto the professor. I don't ignore the call because I'm in the middle of a lecture though. The reason why I ignore, and have been ignoring his calls, is because I have no wish to talk to him. Or even see him.

At least, that's what I tell myself every time his caller ID pops up on my screen. I have no obligation to keep helping him as I have already done more than enough. It was time for him to go back to playing on his own, like he has done for so many years before he met me.

The professor, Mrs. Fay, has her back turned to us while pointing at something on the white screen. While her lectures are normally one of my favorite ones, today I can't seem to focus on her words. All I can focus on is the fact that it has already been two days since Nate revealed exactly how he felt about me, and I still can't wipe him out of my mind.

Another buzzing sound of vibrations fills my ears, but this time I keep my eyes on the professor instead. Or at least I try to.

I last for about five seconds before my eyes snap back down to the wooden desk in front of me. With only a second of hesitation I swipe Nate's eighteenth call to ignore and then turn the phone around, so the screen is facing the dark desk instead.

"Who the hell keeps calling you and why won't you answer?" Warren leans over to me.

"No one." I focus my eyes back forward.

"I'm not blind nor deaf." He keeps his voice in a low whisper, so he doesn't disturb the lecture that is still going on around us. "I know someone has been calling you all day. So, what's going on?"

I pinch my lips shut and focus my eyes forward. Just when I think Warren has given up, something sharp prods my side. I squirm away and then snap my eyes to him. He has his index finger still extended and prods it into my side again.

"Stop it," I whisper-yell.

"Not until you tell me what's going on."

A few students turn toward us with pointed glares, so we both lean closer toward each other.

"You've been distracted all day. What's going on?"

"It's Nate."

"Nate?" It takes him a second to connect the name with the person. "Oh, you mean the violinist. What's going on? Why is he calling you? And why aren't you picking up? Did he do something to you?"

For a moment I'm not sure which question I should start with first. Then with a sigh, I give in.

"No, he didn't do anything. I just don't want to help him anymore. End of story."

"That can't be it." Warren shakes his head, and then rolls his eyes at the student in front of us who hisses at us to keep it down. "You're not one to change your mind because of useless things. Something definitely happened."

"I've changed my mind. That's it." I keep my eyes on the professor. "Accept it and move on. I have."

I feel Warren's eyes burning a hole in the side of my face, but I continue to pretend like he isn't here. Nate is the last person I want to talk about right now.

What feels like an eternity later, the professor finally announces the end of the lecture and wishes us a relaxing afternoon to charge our batteries. While everyone around me hurries to empty their desks and fly out of the room, I continue to motionlessly sit. Only after a few heartbeats I lift my backpack off the chair next to me and begin to stuff my notebook inside.

When my phone is the only item still on the desk, the now already annoying sound of vibrating fills my ears. With a glare I reach forward to screen the call to ignore when Warren snatches the phone from me.