Trembling With the Strings
Cold Shoulders Make Long Winters
I stopped at my locker, not wanting to wallow in my loneliness as Darius avoided me and as I avoided him. Hopefully focusing on schoolwork would take my mind off of my failing engagement for at least a little while. I glanced over and saw a boy I hadn’t cared to notice in a long time: Lance. He saw me looking and hesitantly strode over. His uncertainty vanished before he made it to my locker and was replaced with haughtiness.
“Hey there, Gracie.”
“What do you want?” I was not in the mood to put up with the boy that had ruined my relationship with my sister.
“I just wanted to know: did you ever get my little present?” he purred in my ear, pulling me to his chest.
My heart lodged itself in my throat as the image of my mother’s severed head shot through my mind.
“What do you mean by that?” I demanded, shoving him roughly to the wall.
“What the fuck?” he hissed. “Don’t go raging psycho on me!”
“What ‘present’?” I snapped, growling as he pushed me off of him.
“God, calm down, crazy bitch,” he commented, scoffing. “I never found out if you found the tennis bracelet I got you when I was on the rebound. I see that you’re not wearing it.”
“What are you talking about?” I let myself breathe: he obviously hadn’t been the one to kill my mom. Then again, there was no way he could have thanks to the restraining order keeping him at least a mile from my house.
“I gave it to your sister to give to you since we hadn’t talked in forever. I figured it’d be a little awkward… So you didn’t get it?” I shook my head, and he hissed a curse under his breath. I vaguely remembered a bracelet that my sister had strutted around wearing, claiming it was from a secret admirer. “That fucking—!”
“Calm down. I wouldn’t have worn it anyway. I never even got an apology.” I crossed my arms over my chest.
“And you’re never getting one. You rejected me every time I gave you my heart, and you never gave me the real reason. What was it that was so bad about it?” he whispered, suddenly way too close.
“Maybe we should get back to class,” I mumbled, glancing around nervously. Dray had eyes everywhere, and I did not want to cause any more deaths.
“Just give me a straight answer for once.” His expression looked betrayed and torn.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know. I had so many responsibilities…and I was afraid that you’d see what a great family I had and then tell the whole school how messed up I am.” I bit my lip, backing away from him.
“I wouldn’t do that to someone I loved.” I opened my mouth, but he shook his head. “Calm down, I don’t feel that way anymore. I just wish you hadn’t pushed me away. You know, you’d better be careful with Darius. Don’t do to him what you did to me.”
I watched, dejected, as he left me all alone in the hallway as the bell rang. I needed to learn to open up, but that was easier said than done. I had thought that I was a very open person, but was I really pushing him away?
“I just wish you would trust me.”
“Hey there, Gracie.”
“What do you want?” I was not in the mood to put up with the boy that had ruined my relationship with my sister.
“I just wanted to know: did you ever get my little present?” he purred in my ear, pulling me to his chest.
My heart lodged itself in my throat as the image of my mother’s severed head shot through my mind.
“What do you mean by that?” I demanded, shoving him roughly to the wall.
“What the fuck?” he hissed. “Don’t go raging psycho on me!”
“What ‘present’?” I snapped, growling as he pushed me off of him.
“God, calm down, crazy bitch,” he commented, scoffing. “I never found out if you found the tennis bracelet I got you when I was on the rebound. I see that you’re not wearing it.”
“What are you talking about?” I let myself breathe: he obviously hadn’t been the one to kill my mom. Then again, there was no way he could have thanks to the restraining order keeping him at least a mile from my house.
“I gave it to your sister to give to you since we hadn’t talked in forever. I figured it’d be a little awkward… So you didn’t get it?” I shook my head, and he hissed a curse under his breath. I vaguely remembered a bracelet that my sister had strutted around wearing, claiming it was from a secret admirer. “That fucking—!”
“Calm down. I wouldn’t have worn it anyway. I never even got an apology.” I crossed my arms over my chest.
“And you’re never getting one. You rejected me every time I gave you my heart, and you never gave me the real reason. What was it that was so bad about it?” he whispered, suddenly way too close.
“Maybe we should get back to class,” I mumbled, glancing around nervously. Dray had eyes everywhere, and I did not want to cause any more deaths.
“Just give me a straight answer for once.” His expression looked betrayed and torn.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know. I had so many responsibilities…and I was afraid that you’d see what a great family I had and then tell the whole school how messed up I am.” I bit my lip, backing away from him.
“I wouldn’t do that to someone I loved.” I opened my mouth, but he shook his head. “Calm down, I don’t feel that way anymore. I just wish you hadn’t pushed me away. You know, you’d better be careful with Darius. Don’t do to him what you did to me.”
I watched, dejected, as he left me all alone in the hallway as the bell rang. I needed to learn to open up, but that was easier said than done. I had thought that I was a very open person, but was I really pushing him away?
“I just wish you would trust me.”