“Thanks.” I wave a hand.
I sound ungrateful. I’m not. I like my car, but I really didn’t care that he took it away when I got expelled either. It’s hardto find the energy to care about much these days. Having my car back just makes it easier to get around. Although now I’m wondering why he’s giving it back. It’s only been a day. I’m also not going to question it.
Instead of going back up to my room, I walk into the library and curl up on the sofa. This is one of my favourite spots in the house. I like to read. When I’m reading and stuck in a book, I’m living someone else’s life and not my own. It’s an escape from reality.
Not really feeling in the mood to read, I open Instagram and start scrolling. Before I can stop myself, I’m clicking on Ares’s profile page and now am staring at the most annoyingly handsome face I’ve ever seen.
God, I hate him and his perfect face. Even knowing how much I hate him, I can’t stop those damn bees that buzz around inside my stomach just at the sight of him.
A message pops up in my inbox as I’m scrolling. A message from Ares. I’d like to say I have the self-restraint not to open it. I don’t.
Ares:
Here’s one you can keep so you don’t have to keep scrolling through my old posts.
There’s a selfie of Ares with a stupid smirk on his face, right under the message. I drop my phone.Shit, how the hell does he know I was looking at his page?Another message pops up, and I look over at the screen that’s now sitting next to me on the sofa.
Ares:
You liked one of my pictures. That’s how I knew.
I didn’t. I would know if I did. I was super careful not to hit any of the little love-heart buttons.
Ares:
The nice thing to do would send a selfie back. You know, repay the favour.
Me:
You sending me a photo of yourself is not doing me a favour. But here’s one you can keep so you can stop staring at me in class.
I snap a quick picture, not caring at all how I look. I’m not trying to be appealing to Ares. Right now, my hair is up in a messy bun, minus my usual pink bow. My face is free of makeup.
Ares:
Hot!!
I roll my eyes. Like I said, I was not trying to be hot.
Logging out of the app, because I do not want to keep talking to the asshat, I start searching the shelves for a new book to start. And then it occurs to me. It was a five-minute exchange, but the whole time I was messaging Ares, I felt… something other than sad. I can’t pin what that feeling was, though.
Annoyed? Probably. He annoys me so much it overtakes the sadness.
Chapter Six
Imade sure to get to school early today and parked in my usual spot at the front so I could sit here and wait for her. I’ve ignored messages all morning from my friends. I don’tneed to hear their shit nor do I want to answer the questions they’ll have if they find out I’m here this early.
When my phone rings, I almost send the caller to voicemail until I notice it’s my mum. I never send her to voicemail. “Hey, Mum.”
“Ares, where are you?”
“School. That place you insist I need to be,” I tell her.
“This early?” she asks, doubting my answer. I don’t lie to my parents. I never have. I’ve never needed to. There isn’t anything I can’t tell them.
“I had something to do. Did you need something or just miss your favourite child?”
I don’t really think my parents have a favourite child. They show me and my little sister equal amounts of attention. Although, lately, it’s mostly on me because Cara decided she wanted to go off to some boarding school in another state. And my parents let her. Apparently, the school had the best art program in the country, and at sixteen, Cara is already planning on being the next big name in the industry.
