Tear You Apart | ✓

9

C H A P T E R  N I N E
T H I N  M A S K

"i need to get you out my system,"
~ chris larocca

･｡;+;☆;+;｡･

   Daylight savings time passed. Hell, so did March break and Kaitlin's little out of town trip.

   Aaron went back to New York and I basically lived at Martha's studio. With the free time, I also found myself stopping by Nate's house with Yuna, so we could watch movies with him.

   When we got back to school on the twenty-second of March, my body was no longer used to waking up at seven. This was evident when I almost passed out in English.

   My elbow was digging into my desk while I used my hand to support my head up. When Mister Torres clapped his large hands twice seconds later, my body jerked.

   "I want all of you to trade the sonnets you had to write over the break," he said tensely. "You have ten minutes, then I want some of you to present your work."

   Oh, ha. No. My sonnet was trash. People who wrote poems for enjoyment really deserved an applause.

   "You wanna team up?" I heard Tristan ask next to me.

   I nodded with a smirk. "Solely because I don't want to get up right now," I told him before twisting my chair to face his desk. "Here."

   While I slid my sonnet, he reached into his bag and gave me his. On my right, I noticed Adrian watching me. I silently accepted the staring contest, because I cocked my head in his direction moments later, meeting his honey brown eyes.

   Our pair of eyes narrowed simultaneously as we begun our staring contest.

   Throughout the break, I'd barely seen him around. When I did, we didn't talk about what happened on the hill that Saturday. It was a momentary lapse of sanity. I still hated him with a strong passion.

   It wasn't my fault he happened to be a great distraction, verbally and physically.

   Suddenly, he grabbed something without moving his eyes off mine. My eyes narrowed as I reached for the pencil he threw before it would hit my face.

   I threw it in his direction with two times the force, watching as it hit Justin, who was next to Adrian.

   My lips split into a grin when Adrian looked away first to stare at his friend. He was eyeing the both of us with amusement before lingering his gaze on me. "Horrible throw, Graham."

   "Give it to me again. I'll show you a horrible throw when I aim it at your—"

   "Miss Graham! Mister Dankworth!" I stifled a giggle, hearing Justin's last name.

   Slowly, Mister Torres narrowed his eyes on Adrian. "And Mister Taylor. I know you're part of this," he clenched out, crossing his thick arms over his chest. "I want all of you to do as you were asked. Now!"

   I sucked in a breath before turning toward Tristan, who was watching me with amusement. "One of these days, Adrian is gonna lead his group to..."

   "Fuck shit up?" I offered with a smile as I lifted his paper. "I'd live to see the day. Maybe then his dad can throw him out of town."

   He nodded, stretching his back. I watched before slowly opening my mouth again. "I just hope you won't be led," I confessed, only to see him fashioning a confused expression. "I mean, I don't want you to be a follower, you know?"