?WINGLESS AND BEAUTIFUL?
?EPISODE 34?
With the charmed ones. He was, after all, a golden boy before he lost his sight. And he wasn’t blind anymore, so it was easy to go back to old habits.
Maybe that guy who loved me was
never coming back. Because the guy who looked at me with
annoyance a while ago… that wasn’t my Hunter.
They look alike, but my Hunter would be strong enough to fight for me, and would see that something in me was worth loving.
“He’s… gone,” I replied in a weak voice.
Chaise stared at me for a moment and then he
whispered, “Then babe… get him out of your heart, so I
could come in.”
I felt for Chaise at that moment. I wished it was that
easy. I wished my heart had a switch button that I could turn
off for one guy and on for another.
I reached out for Chaise’s hand and squeezed it. “I’m
sorry, Chaise.” Tears were beginning to well up in my eyes. I didn’t want to cry, but since Hunter’s return, I had been feeling emotional.
Chaise sighed and pulled his hand away. “Hey!” he said
in a soothing voice. He cupped my face between his hands.
“Don’t cry, babe. I’ll be okay. As long as you let me care for
you and love you… even as a friend. That’s good enough.
Who knows? Maybe one day you’ll wake up and realize
that… you’re in love with me already.” He grinned smugly.
“It’s not like your ex-boyfriend is around to make you feel otherwise, anyway.”
I bit my lip.
If only you knew.
“You say it like you’re hoping for a miracle.”
Chaise smiled at me bitterly. “When it comes to you, I
don’t believe in miracles anymore,” he said. “I rely on
them… like my life depended on them.”
“Chaise…” I whispered. I didn’t know what to say really.
I felt both guilty and sad. But I couldn’t lie to him. I couldn’t force myself to fall for him. I couldn’t even force myself to forget Hunter.
We heard loud laughter from the center where I knew
Hunter was sitting in with the rest of the ‘beautiful ones’.
But shortly after, we heard a commotion. We turned around
to see what it was about. Everybody froze. I felt like time was frozen. The only ones moving were Hunter and Don
Winston.
Hunter held Don by the collar, then he swung his arm
and his fist connected with Don’s jaw. Then he pushed him
to the table.
Hunter turned around and walked away without a word.
Everybody was shocked, everybody felt scared. They
expected Don to fight back, but he was only looking at
Hunter like he had no idea what just happened.
Hunter had a furious look on his face. He glanced at my
direction and our eyes met. He raised a brow and then he
turned away, shaking his head slightly. Then he pushed the
cafeteria door open with a strong force.
The world moved again when he was out of sight.
Everybody wanted to know what happened. People went to
Don’s side to ask him if he was alright.
I turned away from them. Don must have said
something stupid, which he didn’t know was offensive.
Hunter was a very sensible, level-headed guy. His time
being blind should have taught him to think first before he
reacted. Don must have done something to provoke him.
“I can’t say Winston didn’t deserve that,” Chaise said,
shaking his head. He stared at me for a moment. “Denise’s
cousin seems like a firecracker, though. Worse than her.”
“Where is Denise anyway?” I asked, trying to change
the topic. “She’s been too busy to have lunch lately.”
Chaise inclined his head to the right. “Ask her yourself.”
Suddenly, Denise sat down in front of us, settling her
tray on the table. Her face was flushed.
“Everything okay?” Chaise asked her.
Denise shook her head. “Hunter is out of control
sometimes.”
“We could tell,” Chaise said. It didn’t sound like he
cared.
“I just don’t get why he’s a dynamite in pants. Before
his accident, he was just playful… conceited even.
When he lost his mom and his sight, he was angry at the world. I get that. But now that he could see again… I thought he’ll go back to being the smug, mischievous boy I used to know.
I was prepared to handle even that. But not this… quiet,
brewing, impatient trouble-maker that came back as him.”
“Maybe he’s still adjusting to school again,” Chaise
suggested.
“I hope so. I didn’t want to worry about him all the time.
But I can’t help it.”
I can’t help it too. This was not the Hunter I knew. Even
when he was blind and mad at the world, he wasn’t like this.
He wouldn’t start unnecessary fights… especially not when he was in an institution with rules to follow and authority to respect. He was smarter than that.
I told Chaise and Denise that I would be heading off. I
still had to pass by my locker and my next class was starting
in a couple of minutes.
The hall was still almost empty when I got there. Most of
the kids were probably still in the cafeteria, having lunch
and gossiping about the incident with Don and Hunter.
I saw Hunter standing in front of his locker. My heart
pounded in my chest. I took a deep breath and gathered my
courage. I wanted to talk to him. I wanted to know for sure if he knew who I was.
If he did… and he didn’t care about me anymore, then I knew I should move on. I should let go of any hope I still held on to in my heart.
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