Chapter 86: Ten minutes
WILLA
"What you saw isn’t exactly as it is," Lance continued, avoiding my gaze.
Now I was certain coming down had been a mistake. I should have listened to Verah. He was still lying to me. Why the hell had I thought he would suddenly tell the truth when even his own cousin, who knew him better, had warned me otherwise?
"What exactly is it then?" I asked, my voice suddenly tight.
"Well..." He hesitated, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
"Don’t tell me," I interrupted, already tired.
I drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I don’t want to hear it anymore."
Before I could turn and walk away, Lance gripped my wrist, stopping me.
"It’s a surprise," he added quickly.
I frowned. "A surprise?"
He nodded, wincing slightly. His eyes finally met mine. "It’s the reason you saw us talking. I’m not fucking her or anything like that."
I scoffed. What kind of surprise would involve Candace? They had looked far too familiar with each other for it to be innocent.
He was Lance, one of the most desirable boys in school. Surely, something was going on he didn’t want me to know.
His hand slid from my wrist to clasp mine properly. Our fingers intertwined.
"I promise I’ll never do anything to hurt you, Elyse," he added softly.
But he was hurting me. He was hiding something, and it involved him and Candace.
"Trust me," he whispered, squeezing my hand.
I looked down at our joined hands, then searched his eyes, trying to find any trace of truth or what he might be hiding. But his expression was unreadable.
I let out a defeated sigh. There was no point arguing further.
"Fine..."
Lance’s face brightened instantly. "You’ll go on a date with me? Is that what you’re saying?"
I rolled my eyes at the sudden enthusiasm in his voice. Yet I nodded. "If you promise not to hide things from me."
Lance tugged me forward, and I stumbled into his arms. "Of course," he murmured, wrapping his arms around me. "I won’t."
I melted into his embrace, inhaling the warm, masculine scent of his cologne. This was the first time I had ever felt truly relaxed in his presence. It was strange yet it felt right.
For a brief moment, I stayed there, letting myself sink into the warmth. Then he pulled back slightly and leaned in. I thought he was going to stare into my eyes.
How stupid of me.
I never expected what came next.
I froze as his lips touched mine. My eyes widened in surprise. Before I could even react, the kiss ended as quickly as it had started.
Lance pulled me into another hug, barely acknowledging the shock on my face.
"Hey bro," he said casually.
I twisted in his arms, turning my head. Eric was standing behind us. How long had he been there?
My heart skipped as Lance finally let me go. I turned fully toward Eric. He stood near the courtyard door, his face blank as he stared from me to Lance, then back to me for a long, heavy moment.
I winced as something sharp pierced my chest. It felt like betrayal. Even though I hadn’t done anything wrong.
"See you at the dance, babe," Lance said, waving as he walked toward the door. He didn’t turn back, leaving me alone with Eric.
"Babe?" Eric grunted, his voice low and dangerous. "Did I just hear him call you babe?"
"He wants me to go to the spring dance with him," I said quietly.
"And you agreed?" Eric’s eyes narrowed, darkening with something I couldn’t quite read.
I nodded, my cheeks burning under his intense gaze.
"It’s just a stupid dance," I muttered.
Stop explaining, Willa. He doesn’t deserve it!
Recalling how he had spoken to me the last time, I shouldn’t even be standing here entertaining him. But I couldn’t seem to walk away. Not anymore.
"Walk with me," Eric said, tugging me out of my swirling thoughts.
"Where are we going?" I asked, my body already moving toward him before I could think twice.
"Around," he replied simply.
"Hopefully not to kill me," I mumbled under my breath.
Eric stopped just as we stepped into the common room. He glanced over his shoulder, studying my face.
"It’s a joke," I rushed out, looking anywhere but at him.
The common room was nearly empty. Two students sat facing each other, quietly playing chess and minding their own business. I breathed a small sigh of relief, not ready to deal with any gossip but then I spotted Candace. She was coming out of Elliott’s room.
The moment she noticed us, she waved happily. Not at me. At Eric. She sauntered toward us, her hips swaying in that disgusting blue mini skirt she wore.
"Eric!"
I moved before I could stop myself. I inserted myself right next to him and took his hand in mine. "Aren’t we going somewhere?" I asked, forcing a sweet smile.
Candace stopped short, her brows furrowing in confusion. The confusion didn’t last long. She snorted, shaking her head.
"You wanted to see me," she said, her smile brightening in a way that turned my stomach. "Here I am." She added, as if presenting herself like a homemade cheesecake for him.
It was my turn to be confused. First Lance kept secrets, and now Eric wants to meet her.
What exactly were they doing with her?
"So?" Candace’s annoying voice yanked me out of my thoughts.
I glowered at her, my grip tightening around Eric’s hand.
"Ten minutes," Eric told her.
"Really?" I blurted out.
I was only worth ten minutes of his time?
I dropped his hand immediately, a sudden need to get away from him flooding me.
But Eric didn’t seem to notice. He closed his hand around mine again and began dragging me toward the door.
As soon as we were outside, I yanked free from his grip, my eyes sharpening on his.
