The Deception

Chapter 3

*Selena's POV*

As soon as we exited the bathroom, I saw Josh waiting a few feet away in front of my locker. Nicole, having followed my line of sight, noticed as well.

"Are you going to be okay?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Just give me a minute"
"Okay, I'll be waiting in homeroom if you need me."

As Nicole walked off, Josh and I stared at each other for a few seconds. Breaking the eye contact, I decided to walk up towards my locker.

Trying my best to ignore him, I attempted to focus on my combination.

"Selena..." he said, breaking the silence, "are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit stressed about our midterms-" Still not making eye contact, I opened the locker almost in his face as I reached for my books. Despite this, he gently walked to the other side, still keeping his eyes on me. I felt the pressure of his stare, but I couldn't bring myself to look his way.

"Your eyes are red..." he said softly. His calm and soothing voice had a strange effect on me. I felt my heart tug at the concern in his voice, yet the feeling in the pit of my stomach made me feel sick.

"Well, I told you I stayed up really late studying." Closing my locker, I attempted to turn and walk away, but he suddenly grabbed my arm, sending a jolting sensation through me. The sudden contact forced me to lock eyes with him once again.

"Just... take care of yourself, Selena," he muttered before finally walking off. The feeling in my stomach growing stronger, I let my books slide to the floor as I walked back into the bathroom.

There was a significant pressure in my head that seemed to pulse with every heartbeat. Making my way to the mirror, I gripped both sides of the sink, waiting for the feeling to pass. Turning the valve, I cupped my hands together under the running water and splashed my face.

Why do I feel this way? I should be happy but...

As my eyes glanced up towards the mirror, my eyes flashed from green to blue and vanished again before my eyes.

"What, no witty remark?" I muttered between clenched teeth.

"You're clearly upset, dear. Why would I make fun of you? I'm not completely heartless," Aaron said.

As I stared forward, the reflection in the mirror began to distort and flicker. Before long, my surroundings disappeared and my reflection transformed into the face of Aaron. Slowly, the mirror faded away as his full body came into view; the area around us now white and empty.

A smile was present on Aaron's face, though strangely sympathetic as opposed to his usual sardonic expression.

"Fine, what do you want then?" I ask calmly.

"We should talk, but now's not the time... you seem a bit busy at the moment," he said.

"It's never stopped you before."

"It is rather tempting," he said, "I quite enjoy our time together."

He smiled almost playfully, letting the silence hang between us.

Walking across the empty expanse, he placed his hand on my chin. Part of me wanted to pull away, but his eyes seemed to draw me in. Time seemed to stretch and bend as his index finger softly ran down my cheek. As his face leaned in close to mine, I couldn't help but feel my breath hitch. By all logic, I should have pulled away, but he had me trapped indefinitely in the moment.

"But alas, you should go," he said, pulling his hand away, "At this rate, you're going to be late. And, while I do wish to keep you longer, you have important things to do today."

Suddenly, the sound of the bathroom door snapped me from the vision as I found myself standing in front of the mirror, the water still running. Turning off the sink, I quickly wiped my face with a rough paper towel and left the restroom. With the hallway less busy than it was before, I easily made my way back to my locker. Gathering the books I left piled on the floor, I made my way down the hall towards the classroom.

*Jake's POV*

Sitting in my desk, I reached for a book to do some quick studying for the midterm. However, as soon as I leaned over, I saw Nicole walking towards me out of the corner of my eye.

"Hey, what the hell is wrong with you?!"
Jumping at the sound, I abruptly sat up.
"Shh! Could you keep your voice down?"
"You realize Selena was in the bathroom in tears?"

My blood ran cold. Nervously looking around the room, I suddenly noticed Josh walking in. As my eyes go wide, I quickly grabbed Nicole's arm and walked out of the class room with her.

"What the- Jake!"

Without stopping, I quickly pulled her into the indoor fire escape and shut the door.

"What was that all about-"
"Nicki, I promise I'll tell you everything after school but could you please keep your voice down?" I said, cutting her off.

She paused, taking in the seriousness of my voice.

"Why, what's going on?"
"I can't tell you here. Please... just act normal for a few more hours."

I ran my hands through my hair, letting the silence fall between us. After a few moments, I sighed heavily.

"You said... she was crying?"
"Yeah, she was," she said.

Pressing the side of my fist against the wall, my other hand squeezed the bridge of my nose.

"Damn it..." I whispered.
"Jake seriously, what's going on? If I would have known you'd avoid her for this long, I would have said something."

Letting my hand fall back to my side, I turned to face Nicole. I thought about saying something right then and there, but I couldn't risk Josh overhearing. Resigned, I sighed instead.

"We're going to be late for class, come on."

And, without giving her a chance to stop me, I walked past her.