CHOICES (Completed)

DODGE AND SCORE

“Lily, that’s a really, really bad one. It’s like the worst joke in the history of the worst jokes.”

“Well, it was worth a try. Anyway, I’m going to the bleachers, you coming?”

“No, I got Literature.” She gives me a mock salute with an eye roll before making off to the football field.

I wouldn’t miss literature for the world.

Celia used to say that our love for literature has surpassed our love for people. And the two of us have never agreed more.

I open my locker and put in my algebra notebook. There’s Literature and then there’s this. Math. Perfect example how there’s both, light and dark in the world.

How I wish I could lock away the subject to the darkest depths of Tartarus so I never have to see it again!

Speaking of things I never want to see again, I don’t understand what’s gotten into Hardin.

It’s not like the kiss meant anything to him, no matter how much I wished it to.

And then he wouldn’t even let me forget it. He is just so-

“You can’t just walk off saying something like that, Tessa!” Hardin cries out beside me and his sudden appearance takes me by surprise.

“Hardin, we’re in a hallway. I don’t want to cause a scene.”

“How can you even compare yourself to those stupid girls? You think that’s just what I’m doing? Whoring around with you?” I’m appalled at the intensity and seriousness of his voice, which happens to be too loud and people stop midway to stare at us.

I take out my book and close my locker silently punching in my code to lock it.

“Hardin, everyone’s looking. Just stop thi-“

“I knew what I was doing when I kissed you. I may have been angry but I meant it. I meant every bit of it.” I look at him dumbfounded, at his brown eyes that are the sincerest they’ve ever been.

His words tug at my insides as he continues to look at me with vulnerability and I try to believe. I want to believe.

“That’s what I’ve been meaning to talk abou-“

Hardin is thrown off hurling to the ground with a loud unprovoked blow to his jaw and I turn shocked to find the reason facing me.

“You! Everything happened because of you!”

Dan grips my neck roughly and throws me to the lockers fiercely causing my earlier wound to bleed anew.

“Don’t you fucking touch her, Evans!” Hardin’s strained shout comes out through his gritted teeth as I clutch my head and look around to find him held back by three other boys, probably with Dan.

I step forward to reach him when Dan once again holds me by the neck, more violently this time, stopping me in my tracks. My back hits the lockers with a loud thud and my eyes start watering with pain.

“I lost fucking everything because you, bitch, messed it all up!”

I try to remove his hold as I turn breathless and squint my eyes in pain. But his hold is too firm. My head starts throbbing too bad when suddenly his grip loosens and then is removed.