Chapter 197: Say My Name
Nina
After the new girl, Sadie, ran out with a wig in her hands, my friends and I lost ourselves laughing on the bathroom floor. The ridiculousness of the situation made me temporarily forget about what I had seen in the girl’s strangely familiar eyes, as well as what Justin had said to me earlier about taking our relationship to the next step.
When Lori, Jessica and I finally regained control of ourselves, we stood from the bathroom floor and decided to head back out to the dance. By the time we re-emerged, however, the dance was coming to an end not that I particularly minded. I was planning on going home, anyway.
I didn’t see Sadie anywhere when I came out, which was a relief. I thought it was a little strange at first that she was being so territorial over a dance that was out of my control, but I knew now that there was something off about those two. I couldn’t quite explain it, but I knew what I saw when I looked at both of them; they both looked too familiar at times to let it go, and I needed to figure out what was going on with them. That night, I decided that I would call the witch that Lori found and see if she could offer any sort of help. Maybe she could help me see the full truth and reveal who these two new students were.
I knew that it was probably just my own wishful thinking, however, that got me hooked on the idea that somehow these two new students were secretly Selena and Enzo in disguise. It simply didn’t make sense; if Enzo was here, he would have talked to me already. Even though I felt a strangely familiar connection to the new boy when we danced together, I knew that the real Enzo would have said something to me, something to ease my worries and let me know what was going on. That boy clearly didn’t know who I was.
But there was one possibility on my mind: what if Selena sent these two for some reason? It was possible that they were set up to be a distraction, or even some kind of test. They could have been spies that she sent to see if I was still trying to find Enzo. They also could have been Crescent spies, which wouldn’t surprise me considering the fact that Selena had worked with Crescents in the past.
Either way, the entire situation was
fishy. I knew that my friends wouldn’t believe me until I had solid proof that something was awry, though, so I decided to wait and see what the witch would have to say about it.
“Sounds like they’re gonna play one last song before the dance is over,” Jessica said as we approached the auditorium. It was a slower song, and she took Lori’s hand. “Let’s go and dance.”
Lori shot me a concerned look. “Are you gonna be okay?” she asked.
I nodded and forced a smile. “I’ll be
fine. You guys go and have fun.”
I watched then as my friends disappeared into the auditorium, but I had no desire to dance anymore that night. By then, the altercation with Sadie in the bathroom made me sober up, and I no longer felt in the mood to party. However, when I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to see Justin, I knew what he was going to ask.
“Well?” he said, taking my hand. “Did you get a chance to think about it? We can go back to my place right now, if you want.” I froze for a moment, my heart racing in my chest. Justin’s sudden change of demeanor earlier was a red flag, and it scared me a little. We weren’t even dating again, and yet he had shown these subtle signs of jealousy that made me uneasy. And now, he wanted to have sex?
“Um…” I paused, swallowing, and gently pulled my hand away before shaking my head. “I don’t think so, Justin.”
Justin’s eyes narrowed. “Why not?” he asked. “I thought you’ve been giving me signs all night. In fact, when I kissed you at the hockey game, I thought you liked it.”
“I… I don’t know,” I muttered. “I’m just a bit confused right now. I need some time before I jump into anything. Enzo-“
“Oh, it always comes back to Enzo, doesn’t it?” Justin snarled, his face darkening. “I should’ve known you’d never get over him.”
I was taken aback by Justin’s harsh words. “Justin, it’s only been a few weeks-” I began, but he scoffed and cut me off.
“Three weeks is plenty of time to figure out that he’s not coming back,” Justin replied with a scowl. “How long will it take you to figure out that he’s gone for good? He probably realized that he’s sick of you following him around like a lost puppy and decided to do everyone a favor and just disappear.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing would come out. Justin’s cruel words struck me to my core. Tears began to well up in my eyes, and I could only shake my head and take a few staggering steps backwards as the tears began to spill out. How could Justin say something so cruel? All this time, I thought that he was trying to change and be better, but now I realized that it was all just a ruse to get me emotionally attached while I was still grieving over Enzo… All so Justin could sleep with me. I felt disgusted, used, and heartbroken.
And Justin didn’t even stay for another moment.
Without a word, he turned on his heel and stormed out, leaving me sobbing there in the middle of the hallway.
I decided then that I couldn’t be there any longer; Lori and Jessica would understand. I just needed to go home and get some sleep… And in the morning, I would call that witch and have her open a portal for me, no matter how much it cost. Even if I never returned, I knew now, more than ever, that I needed to find Enzo. Before I could make it out of the building, however, I felt another tap on my shoulder. I spun around, expecting it to be Sadie, coming back for another fight – but it wasn’t.
It was Eli.
I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes and folded my arms across my chest. ” Do you need something?” I asked.
“Are you okay?” he replied, taking in my appearance with a furrowed brow. ” Why are you crying?”
“It’s none of your business,” I growled. Maybe I was a bit too harsh, but I didn’t care at that moment. I just wanted to go home, and I turned on my heel and began to walk again – but Eli followed.
“I have to ask you a question,” he said. “Please.” He then stepped in front of me, blocking the door. I froze and looked up at him slowly, feeling his concerned eyes focused unwaveringly on me.
“What is it?” I whispered.
Eli stared at the ground for a moment, chewing his lip, before he looked back up at me. “Why were you two saying my name so much just now?”
