Frozen
Her
I left the library, smiling to myself, butterflies still occupying the empty spaces in my stomach. Still, the smile left my lips in a matter of a second when I looked up to see Micah eyeing me with a frown on his face.
His eyes looked behind my shoulder, narrowing with suspicion, "I thought you weren't at school today."
He turned to walk beside me when I tried to ignore him and walk away.
"Is that supposed to be a question, Micah?" I turned the corner, quickly walking to my locker. I spun the lock, though my mind seemed preoccupied by the warm body that followed right behind me.
"Inesa," He whispered, his hand pressed against my lower back.
Uninvited shudders ran up my spine and I sighed, pressing my forehead against the cool metal.
I bit my lip, trying to hold back the tears. His touch brought forth a number of memories. Though he ripped my heart in two, there was still a part of me that loved him, that craved him. His fingers were still warm as they pressed circles into my back.
"I want to get back together, I miss you," He continued to whisper, his lips pressing against my cheek.
I want to, too.
I pressed my teeth together, stopping the phrase from leaving my lips. Anger soon replaced the feeling of longing, images of him and Liz together setting the tips of my fingers on fire.
"Go away, Micah. I will never get back together with you," I managed to open my locker, rummaging through my things to grab my keys and books.
He took a step back, his eyes turning dark with a frown across his brows, "It's because of him, right?"
I scoffed, slamming the locker, "No, Micah. It's because of you."
I shook my head, walking away from him. The doors that led outside slammed open, Samarah walking in with Mia and Kayla beside her.
I grimaced inwardly, not wanting to walk by them, but I pushed my feet forward. I didn't miss the way Samarah scowled at me though and I kept my eyes to the ground, nervousness settling in the pit of my stomach.
“How long after we broke up did you open up your legs for him?” Micah shouted from behind me.
I froze, watching Samarah smirk. Slowly, I turned on my heels as I shuddered, the hallway filling with surprised gasps and shocked giggles. Micah tensed, his eyes widening and regret instantly on his features, though he could not take back the pain his words caused me.
My blood rushed to my ears, making everything around me a muffled mess.
“I-“ I tried to defend myself, to tell him that he was the one that broke me and not the other way around.
I didn’t deserve his ridicule. If anything he deserved to be ridiculed, to be made fun of, to be gossiped about in the hallways.
Samarah walked past me and stepped up next to him, laughing as she threw her ponytail over her shoulder, “Cat caught your tongue?”
I shook my head, tucking my head down to my shoulders and ran out of there. My steps echoed in the hallway, hitting the pavement as the door slammed closed behind me. I sobbed, letting my shoulders shake. I was angry and tired of being angry. Humiliation covered me like a blanket and I wanted the ground to swallow me up.
I angrily whispered to myself, feeling weak, feeling dumb for not standing up to myself. Shock took over me at the sound of the accusation. Me and Kian? Never. Without even thinking about the fact that my heart still ached for Micah, Kian would never think of me that way. He couldn't.
The books I carried suddenly fell from my hands, the sound drawing me from my destructive thoughts.
How could he do that? Say that? And only moments after telling me that he had wanted to get back together with me. There was nothing I could think of that could defend him. I hated myself more for even wanting to defend him.
I knelt down, picking up the books that decorated the floor, when two large hands beat me to it. I looked up in shock, Kian's green eyes watching me in a frown, "Are you okay?"
We stood as he passed me the books and I opened my mouth only to find myself without words.
"Inesa, what happened?" He tilted my chin to look at him as he did when we first met, though I pulled back.
I pressed my lips together, trembling with the need to angry cry.
“Hey hey hey,” He whispered, his strong hands wrapping around my shoulders.
I shook my head, closing my eyes tightly, not wanted to repeat the words spoken inside.
“Look at me,” He pressed his palms against my cheeks, forcing my face toward his, “Tell me what’s wrong, baby.”
I snapped my eyes open, watching his eyes as they scanned my face, a worried frown making his look dark. My heart fluttered painfully, the feeling warm and welcome. I tried to pull away from his hold, but he only tightened his hands. He lifted his eyebrows, letting me know he was not going to let me go so easily.
With a shuddering exhale, I pressed my lips together, “M-Micah.” I whispered, not able to say anything else.
His jaw clenched before letting me go and walking toward the building. With his hand on the handle, he turned back to look at me, “Stay here, I’ll be right back.”
I nodded, frozen in place.