February 17 | Monday #19
Will smiled bitterly. He had spent hours yesterday wondering what possible explanation could make sense of what had happened, but he hadn’t come up with a single one.
“Will, please…”
The teacher arrived at that moment, so Oscar backed off, and Will finally entered the classroom and took his seat. Blake, who as usual was sitting at the front, was watching him carefully over his shoulder. Will lowered his gaze. He suspected Alden already knew what had happened.
His suspicions were confirmed in Tech class when they were called to the front.
Will waited for Blake to say something about his lack of participation, but he only presented their creation.
The box, covered in black lacquer, looked beautiful, especially considering it had been made in a single day.
Red roses were painted on its lid. Will was impressed. Mr. Lorne, not so much.
“Nice,” he assessed with reservation. “But after what you presented last year, Alden, I expected something more. Besides, there are a few shortcomings. It’s a shame you didn’t give this the attention it deserved. B-minus.”
Will glanced at Blake. Alden did not look pleased.
He had another opportunity to mention that he not only had to work under a time crunch, but also completely on his own, yet he didn’t.
Will felt awful. He opened his mouth to confess, but Blake shot him a glare.
Then Will felt even worse, because he remembered how he’d treated him yesterday.
It was hopeless.
Hiding in the bathroom or in less-frequented hallways during his breaks, Will managed to stay away from the cafeteria and the lockers entirely. He came to his classes at the last possible moment. It proved to be a successful strategy, as he managed to avoid Oscar all day.
When classes finally ended, Will quickly ran to his locker to throw everything inside.
“Hey, Will,” he heard Norma’s voice. He looked over to see her standing beside him. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes,” Will replied tersely, slamming his locker door shut.
“I know we kind of clashed at the party, but if you wanted to talk about Oscar or…”
“No, Norma, I don’t want to talk,” Will gritted through his teeth. “Especially not about that.”
He slung his backpack over his shoulder and rushed toward the exit. Suddenly, someone bumped into him.
“Sorry,” he said automatically, intending to keep walking, but the person blocked his path. Will looked up. It was Axel.
“I told you to stay away from Liam, didn’t I?” he asked aggressively. “Are you really so dense that you’d ignore my warning?”
“I’m in a hurry,” Will grumbled, pushing past Owens.
“You had your chance!” Axel called after him. “Remember that!”
Will left the building. Owens really couldn’t have picked a better time!
Enraged, he left the school and started down the street, heading for the bus stop.
“Will!” He heard Oscar’s call.
Will’s hands clenched into fists. He felt like he was about to lose it.
“Will, please…” Oscar caught up to him, out of breath. “If you’ll just let me explain…”
“Then what?” Will hissed, stopping. “The fact that you were making out with another guy will suddenly make sense? What are you going to tell me, Oscar? That it was just pretend? That you were practicing? Auditioning for a part?” he mocked openly, but with every word, he felt a growing pain.
“That the guy was on his deathbed and asked you for a final favor? Do you really think there’s a convincing lie that could get you out of this? ”
“I don’t want to lie. I want to tell the truth.”
Will laughed with pity.
“Now that’s a first.”
“Will, please…”
Will’s gaze fell to the other side of the street. Blake and Abby were walking there, but they stopped when they saw him. Blake said something to the girl.
Will swallowed hard. Great. The last thing he needed was for Alden to overhear this pathetic exchange.
“Let’s not do this here,” Oscar whispered, apparently not wanting an audience either. “Let’s go somewhere. I promise I’ll explain…”
“I gave you a chance to explain,” Will snarled. “The day before yesterday. You looked like you’d swallowed your own tongue because you couldn’t stammer out anything that made sense. Now, two days later, you’ve managed to come up with some sob story and you think I’ll fall for it? Yeah, right.”
“Morgan!” A distant shout reached him.
He frowned and looked toward Alden. Blake had moved closer to the edge of the road. He looked shocked.
“Morgan!” he called out again.
Will had no idea what he was talking about. He turned around instinctively, and then…
He came face-to-face with Christine Ellis.
Her lips stretched into a hideous smile, and… she pushed him.
Will didn’t have time to react. He heard the piercing squeal of a horn, blending with Alden’s shout, and then he felt the impact. So hard, so painful, that he lost not only control of his body but also consciousness.
When he regained it, he was lying on the asphalt, unable to move. He could hear people screaming.
“Will.” He saw Blake’s blurry face above him. He felt his hand on his shoulder. “Stay with me, you hear me?” Panic laced Alden’s voice. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
He drifted away.