Look out for the <>! And happy Monday!

Stella POV

It feels wrong leaving him in the field. But at the same time, he scared me. Did he really mean everything he said? This feels like more than a bluff. He believed every single word he said to me. He says he cannot be trusted, do I know believe him? Is Gray a killer? There should be a motive to kill, and I don't think he has one. 

I toss and turn for two nights, at war in my thoughts. It's far too long for my liking. 

When I sit in class that Monday, I do not expect to see Gray, but he's there. Sitting in the same spot he always sits at. I saw his state just a few days ago. He was not in any state to be in class. 

I make eye contact with him. His face is either healed or covered with makeup. I cannot tell the difference. Healed sounds like such insanity, but I know what I saw through that arch. That is insanity. The green grass and birds chirping still haunt my mind, making me fear that I'm losing it. 

We stare at each other for only a second before we look away. What am I doing? Why am I trying to grab his attention? Give him space. That's what he wants. It shouldn't be this hard. But I demand answers. He has answers. 

"Can I have you're notes?" Timberlynn whispers to me as class wears on. 

My notebook is empty. Not a single note on it. Not one. My mind is far too busy for this class. 

Timberlynn looks at my notebook then waves her hand. "Never mind." 

Back to my thoughts I go. I sneak a glance towards him again. His black sweater look comfortable in warm, perfect for hiding his wounds. He stares at his notes, writing things down with a scowl.

Does that boy look like a killer? Did he kill someone? I cannot wrap my mind around it. As much as I think about it, something seems off. Gray is not evil by any means, in fact, he cared more about others than I think he realizes himself. So, none of it makes sense. But he wants space so I'll give that. It's painful though when I keep on thinking about our dance. Maybe one day he will hold me like that again.

"So what is going on with you two?" Alice asks under her breath.

I shake my head as my attention turns to her. "With who?" We both know exactly who she is talking about, but I still want to play dumb. I'm not going to fuel her 'I told you so' comments even though she knows something happened between us. 

"You and Grayson. It was like you two were all in love when you were dancing and now you aren't even making eye contact."

I frown. She won't stop. "We had a fight." And that response is all she will get. Already I can see her thinking about what to tell me. She warned me from the beginning to stay away, but I refused to listen. I'm hurt because of him. But not for reasons she would guess.

"See, I told you he isn't what met the eye."

Even though I saw it coming, I didn't need her jab. "Thanks for the reminder," I pan.

She nods. "Hey, on the bright side, I know this one football player that is interested in you. Can I set you up on a blind date?"

Nope. I know who she's talking about. The company she keeps is hardly date worthy. Not my type. Any of them. "I'm not really interested."

"I didn't even say who it was," she pouts.

"But it doesn't matter who it is, I am not interested in dating right now." Only if it is Gray.

"Fine, but you are missing out," she says as the teacher clears his throat. 

"Care to share with the class Alice?" 

Alice turns bright red just as the bell rings. 

"Saved by the bell. Lucky you," the teacher says as students start cleaning up. 

As we pack up, Alice continues to talk my ear off about her upcoming holiday plans and Timberlyn invites me to an upcoming party that I have no intention of going to. I try to pretend I'm interested in this conversations but I cannot stop glancing at Gray. He doesn't look at me and that hurts just a little. Is he really that quick to move on and push me away?

Time passes and before I know it, I am waiting for Bec to pick me up after school. With the snow covering almost everything, the possibility of riding a bike is next to none. Until the snow melts, I will stay hostage to their cars. Today it is Bec. Tomorrow, who knows. Maybe Dad?

I stand by the doors, looking out the front doors, as snow falls. It started two days ago and has not stopped. I never thought I would like the snow, but there is something so beautiful about it. And the cold is not as bad as I thought it would be either. At least sweaters are cute. 

Who knew that living here would be this nice? Shocking, I know. Everything that I thought would be terrible is actually not that bad.

The front doors open, sending a shock of freezing cold air into the building. My head snaps up to see who opened the door and freeze when I see Gray. He continues on his path, not bothering to look back. How dare he. I cannot let him go that easily. 

I run after him. With school nearly empty, he can now share anything. At least I would hope he would. That seems like a pipe dream now that I'm outside in the cold chasing him down. "Hey," I say, unable to stop myself.

He doesn't flinch as he continues walking. It's like I don't exist. But I'll make sure he turns. I will not be ignored. 

"Hey, Gray," I say louder.

Gray continues to move toward. Anger fills me. Just as I'm about to shout at him, I hear Bec calling my name. 

"Hey, Stella! Come on! It's cold out here!" Bec yells from her small red car.

Shouting at Gray will have to wait. I hate waiting. But it will give me time to prepare. What questions should I ask him first? 

"Coming!" I say and run to her car.

"This snow won't stop. I think the ski season is going to be great," she says as she drives off, passing Gray as he continues to walk. She must not notice because she continues to talk about skiing. I'm grateful for that. "Speaking of which, want to go out and get your ski legs this weekend?"

Bye, Gray. Till next time. And there will be a next time.

"Sure," I say. 

Gray thinks he's avoiding me. But for how long? It cannot last forever. He cannot outlast me. There is no way I'll leave him alone, not until I have answers. There is more to the killer story than he shared. How could he be dangerous when he scared everyone away? That's not what dangerous people do. 

"Hey, Stella, what's the long face for?" she asks, turning the radio down to only a soft hum in the background.

My attention towards her. This will be another, nope, not telling the truth moments. But as I look at her something tells me to spill the beans. Maybe she could share some insight on what to do with guy drama. She would be probably better than Alice who would just tell me I picked the wrong person to like. "It's Gray."

"Oh gosh, what did he do?"

At this point, I was trying to figure out what he didn't do. "He's just being difficult. I swear he's just interested in self torment."

"AH, one of those kinds." She frown as if speaking from experience. "Don't let it get you down. Sooner or later he will realize what he's missing."

"I tried to talk to him today, he didn't even make contact with me."

"Sometimes, you just need time to have whatever happens play its course."

Gray POV

<>

Textbooks in front of me do not move. They remain on the same page I opened to 30 minutes ago. There is such a lack of motivation to study. I push them away, giving up. Maybe I will never study again. What's the point? 

I carefully touch my healing arms as I think about how Stella tried to talk to me today. Even after all I said, she was still around, trying to get through to me. She's clearly has a disregard for her life, a death wish even. But I cannot even describe the joy I felt as she called my name. It still cared me shitless. Even with knowing the truth, she still wants to talk to me. Was it to be my friend or to get answers? Maybe a little bit of both. But she called my name. That is something I never thought would happen again. 

"Hey Gray, are you home?" Else's voice rings out.

She's home early. It's becoming a habit, ever since I told her I saw my father. Maybe she's afraid he'll kidnap me or something.

"Yeah, I'm here," I say, pulling the textbook closer in attempt to make it look like I am studying instead of scowling at the wood grain of the table.

She smiles, walking into the kitchen. In one fluid motion, she takes off her white fur coat. "The whip wounds are healing nicely," she states.

They will heal, but the memories won't. I will never forget what those kids did to me in the oval.  "It's all the herbs you are using," I say.

"So how is studying going?"

If I pass this test with a C, I'll celebrate. C's get degrees, right? Or at least a graduation ceremony.  I didn't need anything more than that. "It's going."

"Well, if you need any help, I am here to try my best."

It's honorable that she wants to help but she knows little about these topics. She never attended school here, in fact, I think I was the only person in Churchwell that attended school on earth at all. "Thanks."

For a moment, we are silent. My mind falls back to Stella. She smelt nice today. Like rain on a fall day. I thought ignoring her would be easier than this. 

"You were right," I admit.

"About what?" she asks, confused.

"Stella. I shouldn't have talked to her to begin with. It's no use being friends with a human."

She frowns, taking a seat beside me. "Oh, Gray, I'm sorry."

And she does look sorry. Maybe it's because she sees the pain in my face. 

All I know is that I have to remain strong. Stay away from Stella. Keep her safe. It's for her own good, even if it hurts. 

"I know this doesn't make it any better, but I just got approval for you to start training at Churchwell." 

My head snaps up to face hers. 

She nods. "You start in a week."