Secrets of the Harts

20 November 2009
I thought that I had gotten to life at Spencer’s but now, as I felt a strange ache in a hidden part of me, I realized how wrong I was.

“Why don’t they stop,” I muttered under my breath.

“Stop what, dollface?” He was doodling on his assignment and briefly looked up at me.

I ignored him.

They were surrounding Jane Something’s table, leaning down and whispering something to her. She was pale, obviously nervous but attempted to maintain a calm smile on her trembling lips. They did this to her every few weeks, any reason would set them off.

To be honest, that group did not need any reason. Those were just helpful for excuses, when they were caught and reprimanded. But it was not as though they learnt anything from those sessions.

“If you don’t like it, why don’t you do something?”

Glancing at him, I found that his green eyes were intent on Jane and the leader of the group around her table.

Dylan’s gaze slid back to me when he realized I was looking at him.

Not liking the calculating interest in his eyes, I replied, “It’s not that simple.”

I was Christina Drake, cold and disinterested. There would not be any reason for me to ‘do something’ about Jane and Kiernan Scott. It would be extremely out of character. Though I admit that I slipped up many times in front of Luke and Dylan Fuller, going in front of the entire roomful and declaring that they stop bullying Jane would be completely different and far too risky.

“I don’t know why you don’t want to do anything about it. But, if you want, I can help Jane out, dollface. But you’ll owe me one.”

No favour he would want from me would be pleasant. But hadn’t I already sacrificed enough for my survival? Surely, I didn’t need to exchange Jane as well?

I somehow managed a small nod.

His lips quirked up in a fleeting smile. My stomach lurched uncomfortably.

23 November 2009
“Going for dinner?”

I looked over my shoulder as I locked my room up. “Yes. Are you?”

“Yeah,” replied Luke. Noticing the expression on my face, he added, “Dylan’s not though. He’s sulking about not going back home for Thanksgiving. So you don’t have to worry about that.”

“Good. Let’s go together then.”

He looked slightly surprised by my invitation but masked it quickly. We walked together in somewhat awkward silence and I wondered what had possessed me to make such an invitation.

At least, before Luke asked, “So are you going home?”

“For Thanksgiving? No. My family doesn’t really celebrate Thanksgiving. I’ll probably go back for Christmas though.”

“Do you want to join us for Thanksgiving then?” asked Luke, wearing a smile as though he knew the answer. He probably did.

I pulled a face. “No thanks.”
***
“She’s really not warming up to you, Fuller.”

Dylan stopped bouncing his ball for few moments to reply. “I know, Ouverson. She’s warming up to you.”

“Do you want her to hate you?”
“…No.”
“Are you sure, man? You’re behaving like you do.”

Actually, he did want her to hate him.

He hated her after all. Hated her for destroying his life, hated her because of what he needed to do now. Maybe just hated her because of who she was.

“Right…” Luke looked like he didn’t believe him but didn’t say it. He knew Fuller too well not to. Instead, he told him what he had wanted to know. "She's staying for Thanksgiving like us. But she doesn't want to come."

"That's okay." Dylan knew that he was going to have to man up and Thanksgiving would be his golden chance, even if she didn't know it yet.

After all, he had a mission to do here. Maybe making her hate him would work in the beginning, but he was going to have to change that very soon.

How else will he break her heart in two?