Page 86 of Chains of Obsession

And by haircut, I mean buzzcut.

I keep telling him he looks better with longer hair.

“Hey, Estella!” he calls, and his voice cracks on her name, making me snort lightly.

“Hey, Jacques,” Estella replies in a sweet voice. My focus stays on the table, but I can hear the smile on her. And I know that’s all it will take for Jac to call this the best day ever.

At least one of us can enjoy life.

“Hey, Xander,” she says, and I lift my hand in greeting. “I have to get to class. I’ll see you around,” she says as her skirt passes our table.

“I’m gonna marry her one day,” Jac sighs, leaning back in his chair.

“Not with that stupid haircut.”

He punches my arm but lands his fist on an old bruise. I tense my arm and hold in my yelp, clenching my jaw.

Jacques knows about Steve and Kirsty. But I keep most of it hidden from him.

‘Your problems are my problems,’ he says, but I don’t want them to be. I don’t want my best friend to deal with any of the hurt that I’m dealing with.

“Tell me what happened,” he demands.

I sit up straight and roll my eyes at him. His shirt sleeves are pulled up to his elbows, and his arms are covered in pen ink. ‘Practice tattoos’ he calls them. Apparently his dad has a lot, and he says he wants to be just like him when he grows up.

“Do you need me to stab anyone?”

“If you wanna end up in the headteacher’s office, yeah.” I smile lightly at him.

He puffs out his chest and curls his arm, showing off his non-existent bicep. “I’m ready.”

We laugh together, and the reality of my life fades out for a while.

Chapter 28

Camila

‘Luke’s coming’ are all the words I need to hear to be snapped out of the mental purgatory I’d locked myself in.