Trembling With the Strings

I walked to the cafeteria with a quickened heartbeat and uneven breaths. Lyndell almost walked up to me, but a quick glare from Bryce had set him straight. Bryce had then smiled unnervingly at me before walking right past me. It seemed like there was a conspiracy against me, but all I could do was sigh resignedly as I sat down in front of Darius. I couldn’t help but notice that we had the whole table to ourselves.

“Is this your doing?” I asked him softly, poking at my sandwich.

“Maybe. Maybe not. That isn’t what we’re here to talk about, Gracie.” He sighed, pushing his hair out of his face. He leaned across the table so our faces were only centimeters apart. “Do you still want to marry me?” There was a pained look on his face.

“Don’t talk like that. Of course I do,” I murmured, reaching out and placing my hand on his cool one.

“But I told you I didn’t want to be with you anymore and all because I got you pregnant. It’s my fault that we’re having a kid, but I tried to leave you for it. How can you forgive me for that?” I pressed my warm hand to his cheek, smiling as he absentmindedly leaned towards my touch.

He was still hung up on that, and that was my fault. Why had I thrown that back in his face? I dropped my hand and let it fall silently into my lap, watching as disappointment spread all over his gorgeous face.

“When people are mad,” I started softly, “they say stupid things they don’t mean. Lance talked to me today.” Anger flickered behind his eyes, but he thankfully remained silent. “He told me that they whole time we’d been friends I had been pushing him away… And he told me that I had better stop and think before I did it to you.” I paused, biting my lip. “I don’t want to lose you.”

“You’ll never lose me,” he mumbled, kissing me softly. It was over just as fast, leaving me rather disappointed. He smiled gently, standing up and moving to sit beside me. “I told you a million times: it’s forever, baby.”

“If it means anything I do trust you,” I muttered, suddenly not feeling so hungry. Instead I focused on the boy sitting beside me that was finally speaking to me again. “You just make me worried sometimes.”

“I’d never let you fall, Gracie. I’ll always be standing here waiting with open arms, okay? I promise.” He wrapped an arm around my waist, and I melted. “So I hear Bryce has been keeping his eye on you.”

“Oh, God. What’d he say?”

“He’s just watching out for you while I wasn’t. Again, I’m really sorry. You just made me so mad, you know? I gave you my heart, but you kept me feet away. Anyway, I don’t like you being around Lyndell.”

“Figures he’d tell you that. He just walked me to class. We hardly even spoke if we spoke at all, but I don’t really remember. I was too busy trying to go through my day without falling into a hole of misery.” He had a tortured look on his face, so I forced a smile. “But it’s okay now because you’re not ignoring me anymore.”

“To be honest, I wasn’t ignoring you at all. I saw Lance walk up to you, and it was all I could do to refrain from smashing his skull against a locker when he called you a bitch. I may have eyes everywhere—” he chucked as he recalled the thought I’d had earlier, proving that he had been eavesdropping in my head all day “—but I like to see that you’re okay through my own eyes. You’re my problem now, as I remember.”

“Lyndell isn’t that bad,” I mumbled without thinking.

“What does that mean?” And his happiness flew out the window as his nails dug into my hip. I cringed.

“I just meant that you two used to be friends. Don’t you miss it?”

“What did he do, Gracie?”

He had told me not to tell Dray that he had shown up while Darius was away…

“Tell me right now, or so help me I will find out myself. Don’t forget that your pretty little mind is mine for the taking. Either you can tell me, or I can just dig until I find it out myself. And who knows what else I’ll find.”

“Darius, I promised I wouldn’t tell. Please don’t do this.” We were having such a nice lunch, too!

“When did he talk to you? Because it certainly wasn’t today!”

Lyndell walked into the mess hall just then, and he made the mistake of glancing over at us. Darius was on his feet before I could say a word.

“What did you say to my Gracie?” he demanded, grabbing him by the throat shoving his ex-best friend against the wall.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” he bit out, kicking and squirming.

“I told you back off! I told you to stay away from her! I’m done with warnings!” Darius screamed, suddenly biting down on Lynn’s neck in front of the entire school body.

I had just known that this would end badly!