Chapter 35

**Mr Peters**

Everything she has just told me is a complete lie.

This was her chance to get away from it all, to be free, finally, and she just pushed it aside. Why has she done that? Obviously, this is all her dad, and it angers me so much that she won't just tell me.

I pick her up, place her on the bed and pull the covers over her. It’s morning, and I’d fallen asleep with her on the floor. Thankfully, my alarm woke me up, but it didn't wake her up. She'd probably force herself to go to school. I'm going to phone in sick and make some excuse for her. I walk into the living room to see Carl holding a mug in the kitchen.

"Are you not working?" I ask. He shakes his head and turns away from me. I sigh and walk into the kitchen. "I'm sorry," I say, referring to his now black eye and bruised nose.

"You should go get ready for work," he states.

"I'm not going in," I say

"Well, phone in then," he snaps and finishes his coffee. He walks past me into the living room.

"It isn't like I intended to. It's just it felt like you were trying to wind me up," I say, turning to look at him.

"Logan, I get it," he says, still not looking at me and turning on the TV. "Just leave it," he says and starts to flick through the channels.

"What? What do you get?" I ask, sitting down now to face him. He turns his head to look at me and lets out a small, frustrated sigh.

"You're in love with her," he says. "It's obvious," he states.

"No. No, I'm not," I deny.

"Whatever, but if you're not, I suggest you keep your distance from her," he says.

"I am sorry, though,"

"So you've said," he mutters. "Now shut up and let me watch TV," he demands. I sigh and look at the TV to see the news on. He always watches the news. It is annoying as hell as the news depresses me.

It is about half ten now, and she hasn't woken up yet. I phoned the school and told them that I saw her father yesterday, and he told me to tell them that she isn't going to be in today due to a hospital appointment.

The woman was suspicious until I started telling her why I was having the day off, and then she started to make fun of me and accused me of just having man flu. Carl is still giving me the silent treatment, and I don't blame him. I did punch him. Even though he’s giving me the silent treatment, I have been speaking to him. I explained to him what he walked in on last night, and I explained to him what happened last night when I found her and what she said to me.

Carl sits at the other end of the couch. "How long is she intending to sleep for?" he asks.

"I don't know," I mutter, and there is silence again

After about ten minutes we hear my door slowly open. I look to see her run out with her bag. "I'm late," she mutters, and then I watch as she turns around, looking back into my bedroom. "It looks tidy, Megan; stop fussing," she says quietly. She then walks back in.

"Maybe you should tell her she has no school today," Carl mutters.

I sigh and get up. I stand at my bedroom doorway to see her standing with her back to me, looking at her phone. She sighs deeply and then turns and jumps. "Sorry,”

"Is it Saturday?" she asks. I shake my head "Sunday?"

"No, it's Tuesday," I state. "But I phoned in work sick and I phoned in for you," I explain.

"What? Why?" she asks. "I can still go to school," she says, looking at me slightly offended.

"Well, I figured it would be best for you if you didn't go in today," I say.

"Well, you figured wrong. It's the worst thing for me right now," she snaps, puts her phone in her pocket and picks up her rucksack. "I *need* to go to school," she emphasises on the word need. I sigh and watch her walk to the door. "Thanks for letting me stay here," she mutters, "and I'll see you at school or something," she says, opening the door and walking out.

"Are you not going after her?" Carl asks. "I mean, by what you told me about last night, I'm guessing your suspicions were right,"

"So you have been listening to me," I state with a smirk.

"Yes, I have, and it's obvious what's going on," he states. "Now, stop her from going home to him," he commands. I nod and walk out after her.

I run down the corridor and quickly stop the elevator doors from closing with my hand. The doors open automatically and I look at her to see she is on the phone and kicking her bag. She doesn't glance at me, so I figure she thinks I'm someone else. I stand beside her and put my hands into my pockets.

"But...I understand...I'll be good...I'm sorry, Dad...yes, I'm sorry for my attitude towards you. I don't treat you the way I should treat you...I should respect you," she glances at me, sighs and slowly takes the phone from her ear.

"Was that your dad?" I ask.

"What do you want?" she asks a little angrily.

"Maybe I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like that,"

"Yeah, you shouldn't have," she snaps.

"But, with how you were last night, I thought it would be for the best, and I'm sorry if you're offended. I thought I was doing what was right for you," I explain, looking down at my feet.

I hear her let out a frustrated sigh. "It doesn't matter anyway. My father won't even talk to me," she mutters. "So here we are again in this elevator," she says, looking around it. I do the same "And we have come in this elevator the same way, me trying to leave your apartment and you stopping me," she mutters. I chuckle lightly and agree. "What excuses did you make?" she asks, looking at me.

"I said I had man flu, and your dad told me to tell the school you have a hospital appointment," I explain.

"Man flu?" she asks, raising her eyebrow. I smirk. "Hmmm," she hums and puts her hand on my forehead. "I don't think that's a lie, to be truthful," she says, looking at me. "You do have a temperature," I don't. She is making me hot with her being so close to me. I can feel my hands getting sweaty and my stomach knotting. "You're sweating," she says.

"Urm...maybe we should..." I gulp, "Go back to mine," God, I had never really said that sentence without getting something and that is playing in my mind. If Carl wasn't in right now, and if she wasn't a mess right now, I would. I'd make love to her all day and night.

"Err, yeah," she says, and then I see the red tint that covers her cheeks and her slow perusal of my body. She puts her hands in her pockets and looks up at me "Are you cold? You don't have a top on," she stutters out and then looks at my chest and bites her bottom lip and turns even more red. She seethes in a breath and then presses her lips together.

I feel myself smirk slightly as she raises an eyebrow. She is checking me out, and it looks like she likes what she observes.

She moves her hand to her shoulder and scratches it while clearing her throat. I bite my bottom lip. She is wearing a black bra. Is she doing this on purpose to me? Turning me on, that is. "Well," she says, swinging a little and looking me in the eyes, "if I'm staying with you today, maybe we could do something," she suggests.

"Err, yeah, sure," I say, scratching the side of my head. What did this girl have in mind? Oh, I want to know so much. "What would you like to do?" I ask.

"Urm, that's up to you," she says, smiling mischievously at me. Oh, she had to say that, didn't she? What I wanted to do is totally out of reach. With Carl being in the apartment, I can't do anything.

"We'll see," I say and can't resist going in to hug her. She hugs me back, and I feel her warm cheek on my shoulder. Her hands move up my back, and she squeezes me slightly.

"Hmm," she hums and grips me tighter. I move my hands down her back and lightly press her closer to me, burying my head in her neck and inhaling. She smells so beautiful.