“I’m scared of what might happen to you,” he whispered. “I’ve gotta go.” He stepped through the door, closing it quietly behind him.
Well, that clears up everything. So glad we talked.
***
By Tuesday night, my face looked better. Makeup covered a lot of the bruising and the swelling had gone down enough that I could open my eye, which would come in handy when I needed to look at the white board in class—or over my shoulder for demons. I tried to convince my parents that I needed to stay home one more day, but they weren’t buying it. So Wednesday, I was going to school, but I made my objections perfectly clear to both my parents.
“Duly noted,” they said. I hated that response. It meant I was going to school. So long, weird game show people. My time of watching daytime television had come to a bitter end.
“You look better today than you did yesterday,” Muriel said when she picked me up for school.
I smiled. “You’re a bad liar.”
“Yeah, well, I tried,” she said with a laugh. “So… anymore visits from Jake the stalker?”
“Not since I talked to him Monday night. I guess he ran out of things to say.”
She drummed her fingernails on the steering wheel. “Maybe.”
“What? What do you know?” I sighed. I hated when they kept things from me.
“Nothing. Just… Jake’s been spreading rumors, saying that Chay smacked you around and that’s why you two broke up.”
I laughed. “Really?” Muriel nodded, and I laughed harder.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. It’s just that most people will probably believe him since Chay can act like a real douche sometimes… well, most of the time lately.” I wiped the tears of laughter off my cheeks with the back of my hand and blew a piece of hair out of my eyes. “That’s classic.”
Muriel glanced at me. “Glad you find it funny. Chay doesn’t.”
“Probably not. I’ll set it straight. By the end of the day, his reputation will be saved and he’ll be free to date whatever bimbo he wants.”
She glanced at me. “I guess that answers my next question. No chance of you two getting back together, huh?”
“Nope.” I shook my head. “None.”
“What about Xavier?”
I looked out the side window. “What about him? We aren’t dating, if that’s what you mean. I haven’t even talked with him since Sunday afternoon.”
“Oh.”
“What? Oh, what?”
“I was just curious,” Muriel said. “Are you gonna? Date him?”
I lifted a shoulder and let out a breath of annoyance. “I don’t know.”
Xavier is smart, charming, and straight-up sexy, but I’m not sure if I’m ready to date. Scratch that. I know I’m not ready to date. I’m in love with Chay, even if he doesn’t love me, which, according to him, isn’t the case.
I angled my body to face Muriel. “Chay said he still loves me.”
“Really? Huh. Then why—?”
“Why did he break up with me? According to him, he loves me but can’t be with me. Makes sense, right? I mean, why wouldn’t you want to be with the person you love, especially if they loved you back? It’s so totally Chay to say something so freakin’ stupid.”
***
That afternoon, I overheard Muriel and Chay talking. “What’s up with you? You’ve been acting weird.” I stood around the corner from our locker, eavesdropping shamelessly. Holding my breath, I waited for his answer.
“Nothing,” Chay mumbled.
“Something. Everyone sees it. Even Milayna sees it, even though love is supposed to be blind and all that crap,” Muriel said.
“I’ve… I’ve been having visions,” he admitted.
“Standard visions or something else?”
I wished I was able to see his expression when he answered.
“Something else. They’re about Milayna… I know who’s gonna try to hurt her.”
“Who?” Muriel asked slowly.
“Me.”
“What? What are you talking about? You’d never hurt her. I know you two aren’t together anymore, but you’d never hurt her.”
“My visions say different. And when I have one, I have this… urge… to make it… real.”
“You’re scaring me, Chay,” Muriel said quietly.
“I scare myself. I’d never hurt her intentionally. I love her, but the urge to carry out the vision is so strong…”
“Have you told her?” Muriel asked.
“Hell no!” he snapped. “What am I supposed to say? ‘Oh, by the way, I’ve been having dreams of killing you, and I think I want to make them a reality.’ Yeah, just what every girl wants to hear from their boyfriend.”
Their voices faded as they walked away from the lockers and down the hall. I stood rooted in place. My heart slowed in my chest. It plodded along painfully. I could feel it squeezing each drop of blood through it, like someone was wringing it dry.
Chay, my ex-boyfriend, the guy I’m still hopelessly in love with, who I’ve been dreaming is trying to kill me, is having visions about hurting me? Can my life get any more complicated?