ONE MORE MISTAKE
STERLING
Sterling Haze, the boy who got murdered two months ago was now here, walking in the halls of Royal high, alive and surely not dead.
He looked more alive than ever, his lips curving up and smiling at everyone but there was an edge to it. A hidden implication that suggested something was wrong. I knew not everyone around me was able to notice the wrongness of his smile or his strange eyes.
No. Everyone in Royal High was too shocked to see underneath the facade he put up. They were all confused as to how Sterling was alive and not buried six feet under.
For a moment, I felt something close to relief but it didn't last long because of the hard truth that dawned on me. Out of all the shitty things he's done, this one was the worst of all. Because he lied. He faked his own fucking death and for what? Attention?
I looked around, and I felt my lips twist. Well he has it now, he has everyone's attention.
His eyes soon glanced at mine and as expected he didn't show any guilt or shame. Nor regret. I shouldn't have expected such expressions from him, not after this but there was a part of me that felt disappointed. Betrayed.
I didn't dare show him those feelings. He had no right to know of them, no right to know how much he hurt me.
I stood my ground even as he passed by me, his group of friends walking alongside him like dogs. Loyal fucking friends he had there. They all knew he was alive, it was clear he trusted them enough to share his secrets.
They didn't reveal anything during these tortured months, not then and not now. They walked the halls as if they weren't walking next to a ghost.
I made the mistake of locking eyes with Alexandra King. She held cold hooded eyes, her lips slightly tilted up and if I didn't know any better I'd say she took the pleasure of watching me in this state. There was no one else who hated me more than her, and it served me right but now I wanted nothing more than to rip her to shreds.
Everyone knew not to provoke her because of her senseless behavior. Everyone knew she was dangerous and malicious however it didn't stop Owen Pearson from setting his eyes on her. He claimed her and that was that. It didn't make sense, because he was the opposite of what she was. Everything she stood for, he was against it.
She was evil but he was virtuous. However they made the perfect pair.
He walked hand in hand with her, holding her as if she was something precious. He glanced at me, for a second only, but I was able to see the apology hiding behind his green eyes. It was the only thing I was able to get from him, from all of them. I looked at every single one of them, the people who Sterling called friends.
I almost laughed at the thought.
Linda Steward was walking beside Sterling, and I searched her face but there was nothing that I could grasp. She showed very little, and I knew she wasn't going to reveal anything. I looked away from her and found Ysabel who was already staring at me. She had a smirk on her lips, and a glint in her eyes. She quietly challenged me, as she reached her hand to hold Sterling's arm. She wanted a reaction from me, she wanted me to cause a scene.
She knew how to taunt me, and I was accustomed to it but this was the worst time to provoke me and she knew. I took a single step towards them.
She revealed her teeth, glancing away.
Just as I thought of taking another step, blue striking eyes held mine.
Rory Clark, who was walking behind Sterling, shook his head, warning me to stay away. If anyone caught this exchange, they would notice the mysterious boy advising an old friend. But all I saw was the mockery behind his innocence.
Rory was anything but innocent, he was cold and callous to anyone who wasn't in his circle. He made sure everyone in school knew that. No one besides his friends truly knew him. He was a mystery to me and there has never been a time I haven't felt unsettled by his presence. But there was no denying how much he held people's attention. I'm sure it's his cold demeanor and looks that makes everyone gravitate towards him.
He walks with confidence and elegance. There was no denying he was striking. Even though his eyes were one of a kind, there was something about them that made you feel uncomfortable. It's impossible to possess such eyes, especially by someone like him but I couldn't deny that they were majestic.
However his stare was dark and vicious. It almost seemed like he had something hidden behind them. Something very strange and twisted. I always had the desire to stare at them long enough to know what he hid even though it meant no good.
He wasn't a good person, I knew that, Royal High knew that yet everyone admired him as if he was.
"I thought he was dead?" A girl next to me asked her friend.
There were a lot of mumbles going around the hallways but never once did they dare to ask them.
I, myself, was curious as to why Sterling was acting all calm about this. I mean everyone witnessed him getting buried, including me. It almost seemed as if this didn't affect him, in fact, it seemed as if it fueled him.
He had a winning smirk forming on his lips and it made me angry for some reason. He was walking these halls as he had never left them. As if he didn't just fool everyone into thinking he was dead.
With every second passing by I was getting angry. He shouldn't be feeling all this glory when I've been dying these past two months. He shouldn't feel as if his actions didn't have consequences.
With my anger I made my way towards him. I noticed Rory looking back at me again to warn me away but I wasn't going to back down. He had no business telling me what to do with my emotions.
Soon enough, I felt the eyes of everyone but I didn't let that stop me from walking to Sterling. He was my target, and I wasn't going to allow anyone to stop me from getting to him. I ignored all my thoughts that told me to stop and run away, I pushed them far away until all I felt was the agonizing wrath running through me.
He lied.
He faked his own death.
He betrayed me.
Once I was near them, his loyal friends stopped walking. Now standing before them, I felt their fury as if it were my own. However it didn't reduce my rage, instead it enhanced the feeling making it much more intense. I felt dizzy and blinded by my emotions but I stood before Sterling as if he weren't the one making me feel this way.
When he met my eyes, I felt my wall come undone.
You lied.
I wanted to tell him, but his growing smile stopped me from saying anything.
My heart dropped at that moment.
He was going to act like it was okay, like whatever he did didn't hurt me in any way.
I expected him to have the decency to look uncomfortable but he didn't. Instead he looked straight at me like he didn't even know me, his eyes didn't even soften. It hurt much more than I wanted it to, however it fueled the anger that wanted to unleash. It gave me the courage to push him hard, my fingers digging into his chest.
But that didn't even phase him. He hardly stumbled back.
I took another step toward him and lifted my hand. I wanted to do something, anything to get a reaction from him just like he was getting a reaction from me. I wanted him to look sorry, to express some kind of sympathy for me but he didn't.
Sterling did nothing.
My hand flew back and I was so close to slapping him but a hand took a hold of my wrist from behind.
I wasn't sure if I was grateful or disappointed.
I ripped my hand away from the tight grip.
However, Alexandra still managed to pull me away from Sterling. She came in between and she gave me the most cunning smile. Then I looked beside her and found Ysabel, Linda, Rory and Owen standing before me as if to protect Sterling from me. As if he needed protection from me.
It was clear that I was not going to win this fight.
"You wild girl, what the hell did you think you were doing?" She asked, her grip tightening around my arm.
I was wounded, and so I lashed out. Now these were my consequences. And this was all for someone who didn't care about me.
I looked over Alexandra's shoulder and found Sterling looking away. His eyes narrowed, directed towards the back door as if he wanted to run away again.
I didn't think it was possible for Sterling to hurt me more than he had but this? This was...
I hate you, Sterling.
The words were meaningless, especially if his face was turned away from me as if I weren't worth his time.
I wanted him to look at me though, so he'll notice the rage burning through my body. I wanted him to notice me so he'll know that I wasn't ever going to forgive him.
"Alexandra, we should just go." Owen grabbed the hand that was gripping my arm but she didn't let go. However, I pulled my hand free, and stepped back. Defeated.
I turned to look at Owen but he didn't even look at me. It wasn't until the group started to walk away one by one that I realized that it was because he pitied me. It was a look I knew all too well.
Ysabel was the last person that stood between me and Sterling. There was a look of satisfaction that formed on her face, I felt my anger die down.
"You got what you wanted." I said, my voice cracking. She smirked, laughing softly.
"You never disappoint us, Thea Nightingale." She said softly and walked away, following the rest of the group. They were already turning the corner, students were glancing back at them then at me and Sterling.
He stayed behind, but I didn't even turn to look at him. I picked up my bag that slipped off my shoulder and rubbed my arm.
I caught from the corner of my eye that he started to walk towards me. I looked up at him, and he finally had the decency to look at me. He actually looked sorry for me but it was too late.
I shook my head and before he could even utter a word, I walked away. I felt the eyes of every single person, I felt their eyes following me all the way through the school.
It took everything in me not to run away and hide. I shouldn't be the one to hide away, I wasn't the one who faked my own death.
I felt Sterling's eyes following me as well. It also took everything in me to not look back and tell him how much I hated him. Even though I was out of sight, I still felt his eyes burning onto my skin.
All this time I had struggled with his death, living day by day while he was living his life like normal. It was a betrayal. He clearly didn't care about me or anyone who loved him.
He didn't care that he had left me all alone.