Chapter 18
Shane’s POV
Theoden drove us to school with Layla mumbling some words and rolling her eyes every two minutes. She kept frowning and wouldn’t stop shaking her head over every little thought that crossed her mind. Theo must’ve noticed it too cause he looked at me and shrugged before turning back to face the road.
What’s wrong with her?
I also noticed that she and Renee hadn’t uttered a word to each other since yesterday and whenever they’re in the same room, there’s always so much tension. I could say the same for myself because she makes me so nervous.
After my last encounter with her, I’ve known to keep my distance and stay far away from her. Instead of going to the kitchen to get some snacks or fix a bowl of cereal for myself, I’d rather stay in my room and starve to death.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.
The only time I can move around is when Layla would come into my room to inform me that the ‘Weirdo’ like she always called her, is in her room doing God knows what. But even still, that doesn’t help to ease the anxiety of living with her in the same house.
After playing basketball with Theoden yesterday, I rushed into my room to take a shower only to remember everything that happened earlier on. Surprisingly, the more I remembered, the more strange feelings I got along with a hard, standing dick.
I freaked out once again and didn’t know what to do because the situation was beyond my understanding. Why do I get hard just by mere thinking about how she had touched me?
I had contemplated whether to tell Theo or not. We’ve been friends since five and knew each other’s secrets. We shared things with each other and if they were difficult, we’d solve them together but how do I share this with him when I don’t even know what is going on with me?
It all started with the crazy mysterious girl who said she wanted to ‘EAT’ me. How was she even gonna do that? Was she going to kill me and chop off my body parts before feasting on them? Or was she gonna roast me? No doubt she was gonna choose both options without thinking twice.
And now, we were not only living together, but we were also attending the same school which would make her plans easier. She’d kidnap me first and then she’d eat me while I’m unconscious. Then, I’d be dead and no one would know how It happened.
“Shane… Shane!” I was jerked out of my thoughts by a gentle tap on my shoulder. I turned to look at Theoden whose hand was resting on my shoulder. We had arrived at school but I didn’t even notice.
“Are you okay? You’re sweating and your hands are shaking”
I looked down at my shaky hands and curled them into a fist. Of course, I didn’t realize that they were shaking and I was breathing heavily. Layla pulled her head in between our seats in the front and looked at me. Without her uttering a word, I know she wanted to ask the same question.
Closing my eyes, I filled my lungs with air as my chest kept rising and falling, then I tried to find a focus object. I looked around, my eyes searching through the crowd of students who kept walking up and down. I didn’t know what or who I was searching for but when I finally saw her, my whole body relaxed.
She was in the middle of a small crowd, talking and laughing with the students. She was so beautiful and I took note of that as I inhaled softly to calm my nerves. She’s not gonna eat me, I said to myself and she’s not going to kill me. I kept feeding myself with positivity until the attack was gone and I was myself once again.
“Shane, are you alright?” Layla finally asked and I nodded. Theo heaved in relief and squeezed my shoulder gently before taking his hand off.
They were both aware of the anxiety attacks that I had and instead of freaking out like they used to, they’d help me overcome them by practicing relaxation techniques with me. But this time, they didn’t have to do anything. All I did was focus my attention on her and it was all gone.
“Alright, let’s go, shall we?”
*
We walked into the school together and as always, the students stopped whatever they were doing and stood to gawk at us. Theo blew kisses at the girls who kept calling out our names until we reached the hallway.
“We have English” Layla mumbled and opened her locker to get her books and textbooks. Theoden did the same but I couldn’t stop looking around. Where is she?
“Aren’t you taking out your books?” Layla asked “Class is in ten minutes”
I heard that but couldn’t take my eyes off the hallway. Where’s Renee? I asked myself. Wait. Why am I even looking for her? She’s the same girl I’m trying to avoid but still, whenever she walks into the room, I keep staring at her as if my life depends on it. I think about her now and then and keep wondering what crazy stuff she’s up to.
“Shane, what are you looking for? Did you drop something off?” Layla asked and I squeezed my eyes shut before turning to face my locker.
“Forget it, it’s nothing”
“See y’all in class. I gotta go” Theo said and walked off while Layla yelled from behind him. “You dumbass, when did you start leaving for classes pretty early?”
Theoden didn’t respond and she rolled her eyes before turning to watch as I pulled out my books from my locker. Dropping off my backpack, I turned to leave but she held me back. I know that look on her face. She’s worried.
“What happened back there, Shane? It’s been a long time since I saw you that way. When did they return?”
“I don’t know” The words slipped out of my mouth before I could process them. Holy Christ! Did I just lie to Layla? My best friend?
“What were you worried about? Is there anything you’re scared of? Talk to me, Shane, you know I’m always here”
I felt bad that I had just lied to her. I never did. I always told the truth no matter what the consequences might be but I couldn’t tell her that I made up a whole scenario of how Renee was planning to eat me which would result in me dying eventually. I couldn’t tell her about the fact that she made me so anxious and scared at the same time.
“No worries, Lay, I’m fine”
She sighed and before I knew it, she wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me. I was way taller than her and had to bend a little so I could reach her height.
“If you’ve got a problem, always know that I’m here” She pulled away and I nodded before turning to leave. But then, she added. “And one more thing, Shane”
I paused and turned to look at her. “I think we should stay away from Renee. She’s crazy and she’s a bad influence”