Immediately I stepped out of English on Monday morning, a small piece of paper was quickly placed on my shoulder from behind. Smoothing out the crinkled edges, I read the single word written on it.

Library.

I didn't need to look behind me to know who it was from, heading to the cafeteria instead for some chips, and mentally crossing that day off the list of days I'd had lunch. After getting a small bag of chips from the vending machine and ignoring the chatter filling the room, I made my way to the library, to the same spot in the back where my plans to remain anonymous had fallen to the floor.

Even though I was expecting to see him, the sight of West in the very chair I was sitting in that day caused me to halt. He looked peaceful reading an old book, and I wondered if he knew about the quality of the books back here. Students didn't really come this far, mostly because it was a little creepy with all the dust and big, dull-colored books, but it was the only place in the entire school that I looked forward to spending time at.

"That's my chair," I said in an effort to grab his attention, and he wasted no time in looking up at me.

"Grab another one and claim it," he told me. "I already like this one."

I lifted my shoulders in submission, then went to get another chair. I was torn between placing it next to him and placing it across from him, aware that both positions could cause serious distractions for me. Beside meant proximity. Across meant intensity. My confusion didn't go unnoticed, because he lifted curious eyebrows at me, his eyes asking the question his mouth wasn't.

Making up my mind, I placed my chair on the other side of the table, making a mental note to not stare at him for too long. Everything in me knew I would've preferred staying away (far, far away) from West to enduring this meeting we were about to have.

"So?" he inquired after I'd taken my seat and set my backpack gently on the table. "You gonna fill me in on things?"

A breath of preparation escaped me as I proceeded to take out my laptop, and the silence in the library seemed to thicken afterwards. West didn't take his eyes off me the whole time I spent producing the Word document, and I silently asked myself when I was going to address that as I glanced at him through my lashes.

I turned the laptop to face him, consequently forcing him to look away from me. His eyes ran over the screen for a few minutes, before he let out a low, impressed whistle.

"Wow, you really did your research. How'd you find out all this stuff? I mean, what'd you have to do to get them?"

"Well, it wasn't too hard once I had the hunch. I just followed my instincts, snuck around, went to a few events—"

"Events?" He looked like he was trying to hold back his laugh, and I glared at him before responding.

"Parties. Get-togethers. Those kind of events."

My glare didn't have any effect on him because his lips spread into a smile that looked more mocking than amused. "You sound like you're fifty. Who says events?"

"Don't mess with me, West," I warned with a firm voice, not sharing his amusement, and his grin grew impossibly wider. "They obviously have stuff to hide," I continued, "because they're secretive, somehow. And I figured a little sleuthing wouldn't hurt."

"And you're extremely sure about these?" He gestured to the laptop.

"About eighty-nine percent sure about some of them." I saw his lips part, probably to question me, but I spoke before he could. "Which is why I need more proof."

"How about pictures?"

"Yes. That's what I mean. I have one, but it's useless now."

"Why?"

"It's one of Piper and Milan's boyfriend under the bleachers."

His lips formed an O when he got my point. "Damn, I knew something was up with those two." My eyebrows lifted in curiosity, and he elaborated, "I've seen them sneaking around maybe twice, but I wasn't sure what they were up to."

I let his words digest, another thought crossing my mind, and I momentarily forgot about my plan to not look at him for too long. His eyes were focused on mine as I thought, only moving when I shifted in my seat nervously.

"I still don't completely trust you, West," I said, and he leaned back in his chair, averting his eyes and focusing on something above my head.

"Why?" he asked softly after a while, and I thought about the right way to put this.

You're creepy, you confuse me, you're not transparent. There was no way I was saying any of that.

The moment I came up with something else to tell him, my phone buzzed in my pocket, signaling a new text. I knew who it was from, but I chose to pay it some attention today—to ward off the uncomfortable silence.

I'm sorry :( You've not talked to me in days.

I could feel my eyebrows coming together in a frown, and for a moment, it was only me in the library. Kairi was undoubtedly correct. Since she angrily talked to me the previous week about ignoring her attempts to "reach out to me" on social media, we hadn't said a word to each other. We hadn't done much of talking lately, really.

A sigh escaped my lips as I looked up to stare at the dusty shelf, but my eyes locked with West's instead.

The awkward silence I was trying to avoid kindly grabbed a chair and sat with us, and I saw the crease in West's forehead as he maybe struggled to figure me out. Seconds passed with us just staring at each other, waiting for the other to speak. Maybe the confusion wasn't one-sided, after all—perhaps I also confused West.

"I don't know you," I said, replying to his earlier question, and it took him a while to understand what I meant.

"I don't think that's it," he murmured, his voice extremely low, and his eyes finally left mine. He let out a sigh, then continued, "I'm not sure you're gonna appreciate this, but you look troubled to me. There's a lot going on in your life, and its obvious in the way you act, in the way you present yourself. That's the reason you don't trust me."

I was troubled. Why was that such a bad thing? Why did he say it like that? Like it disturbed him. Like I disturbed him. Didn't everyone have trust issues?

I wasn't someone who liked being judged, especially by people who probably hadn't experienced the same things that I had, but instead of feeling mad about West's observation, I felt sad.

I looked down at Kairi's text, then typed back a reply to prevent tears from filling my eyes. I hated being put in situations like this.

It's okay. How are you doing?

West cleared his throat when he didn't get a reaction from me, but I didn't look away from my phone. "I don't know much about your sister's blog, but don't you think it could cause her trouble? You know, since you're the one posting?"

"I don't care about that." I pulled my laptop away from him and turned it to face me, keeping my phone on the table. "I thought about it, if you were wondering, and I think it's better if they're scared of her."

"Fear isn't what I mean, Kimie."

My head shot up so fast, my neck felt the impact. "I thought we promised no personal stuff. She's my sister, okay, and I don't need you poking your nose where it doesn't belong." He maintained the eye contact for a while, before nodding and sliding my phone over to himself. "What are you doing?"

"You don't have a passcode," he said as he unlocked the phone with ease, his thumb sliding across the screen. "Pretty careless move for a detective."

I watched him type a few things into the phone in silence, feeling surprised by the amount of courage he had. First, he had the nerve to call me troubled, then he was brave enough to take my phone without my permission and question the absence of security on it. The fearlessness was quite impressive.

After a few seconds, he slid the phone back to me, and I saw what he had done. He had saved his number on my phone.

West.

"Text me when you're less mad," he said, making to stand up, and I looked up at him.

"I'm not mad," I argued.

"Then why the face?"

"I'm frustrated."

He relaxed in his chair like he changed his mind about leaving. "At me?"

"At everything, but mostly you right now."

He smiled, then leaned further back in his seat and stretched out his legs.

"And I think you made up the excuse of me being mad just so you could put your number in my phone."

"What if we want to arrange a meeting like this again?"

I leaned my forearms on the table, on either side of my laptop, my body tense. "Then I'd place a crumpled piece of paper on your shoulder after class—just like you did with me."

He copied my action, placing his forearms on the table and subconsciously leaning closer, his lips stretching wider. I could tell he was trying to achieve something. "And you say you're not mad, Kim?"

I buried my face in my palms for a moment, before meeting his eyes again. "Why do you like messing with me, West?"

His smile softened into one that said he was satisfied, and he traced invisible lines on the table with his index finger. "I just want to get a reaction out of you, Kim."

Perhaps there was something wrong with me, because that time, I liked the way he said my name. Despite the irritation I was feeling towards him just a few seconds ago, the way he said it had me relaxing, like I was a tiger that had been sedated.

"Why?" I asked, my emotions reducing in intensity.

It seemed like he leaned even closer, but maybe it was just me. His features looked clearer, his eyes even darker, and it held me bound for a moment. West's lips lifted a little, forming a soft smile—so soft that it threw me aback.

"I just want to get a reaction out of you," he reiterated, his eyes focusing on mine in a way they hadn't before, and I felt something. It bubbled up from the bottom of my stomach to my chest, spreading until it reached my fingers.

Overwhelmed, I leaned away from him and gave the neckline of my top a slight tug.

"Call me if you need anything," he said, sounding like whatever just happened was in my head. "You never know when the number of that guy you don't know will be useful."

I didn't know if he said that because he was feeling bad for me, but I didn't argue anymore, watching him instead.

"So, who's next?"

I was in the middle of answering a technical question about electricity later that day when the doorbell rang. My pencil hovered over a line on the sheet of paper in front of me, and I felt annoyed at the interruption. Physics required a good amount of concentration, but I wasn't getting the quiet I wanted—the quiet I believed I deserved.

The smell of spices filled the living room, and I heard the clanking of kitchenware as I quietly made my way down the stairs with bare feet.

"Kimie, can you get the door, please? I'm kinda busy," Kairi called from the kitchen, sounding distracted.

"I'm on it," I replied with a quiet voice, then pulled the door open.

I didn't know who I was expecting to see on the other side of the door, but it certainly wasn't the girl in all-black standing there.

"I brought pizza!" Macy lifted a box of pizza, her pink lips widened in a smile, her eyes filled with excitement.

Beneath the collar of her shirt, I spotted a gold-colored necklace that had a little cross as its pendant, and it drew my mind back to old times, back to the day she gave it to me in exchange for my bracelet.

"Wear it close to your heart. It's going to strengthen our friendship," she had said as she placed the piece of jewelry in my hand. Now that I thought about it, taking the necklace only managed to pull us apart, because it wasn't too long after that that she started doing pot.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her, expecting her smile to fall, but it only softened, and she tilted her head at me.

"I brought pizza," she repeated, but that time, it sounded more like a question. "It's your favorite."

"Macy's here already?"

I looked over my shoulder at my sister, who was taking off the oven mitts covering her hands with a smile on her face. "You knew she was coming over?"

Her smile melted into a sheepish one, and I knew what she was going to say. "Don't tell Dad, but I've been texting Macy."

I didn't respond, too disappointed to speak. My dad was going to freak out if he knew about this.

"Macy, come on in. That smells delicious," Kairi said, and Macy gave me a smile before walking into the house after months.

"It has you and Kim's favorite toppings," she told my sister as she fluffed up her hair after taking her hat off, throwing it to the sofa, and setting the pizza box on the coffee table. She suddenly paused like she realized something, then took her hands to her face. "Now my hair's gonna smell like pizza."

Kairi laughed as Macy sniffed her hands, then said, "Come on, wash your hands in the kitchen. I have something in the oven I think you'd love."

"Ooh. Smells fantastic."

"I got the recipe from the Food Network."

Even after they'd disappeared into the kitchen, I remained by the door, wondering what the heck was going on. Dray came, then Macy, and I wondered how long it would take for Milan and the others to arrive and ring the doorbell, too.

I wasn't paying too much attention when I shut the door and went to take a seat on the couch, or when Macy and my sister returned, deep in conversation about what shows they were binging on Netflix, but I realized that I wasn't ready to leave the both of them alone.

So I stayed, abandoning physics and having pizza with one of the people I couldn't stand anymore.

ElleLeeLove thank you so much for the endless support! 💕

See you all real soon!