Chapter 13: Red on White
VANESSA’S POV
Ever since the assembly, the whole school feels different. People are talking louder than usual. It’s like everyone is just waiting for something crazy to happen next. I hate it. I know I’m the reason all this is happening, even if nobody else knows.
Walking to the library is basically a mission to avoid making eye contact with anyone. I keep my head down and my hands shoved so deep into my hoodie pockets that my shoulders probably look weirdly hunched. I can feel the bandages on my hands, they’re itchy and annoying, and every time my heart beats too fast, they sting.
The library is supposed to be quiet, but even here something feels off. It’s not real quiet. It’s the kind where everyone is pretending to study but still listening to everything around them. I spot Adrian at our usual table in the back. He’s already there, and for once, he’s not leaning back looking bored.
He looks stressed AF.
His hair is a mess, like he’s been running his hands through it for hours. He’s staring at his laptop screen with this look of pure hatred. Next to him is that History paper, the one I filled with hearts and disco dancers. Seeing it sitting there makes my stomach do a little flip of guilt, but mostly I’m just annoyed. If he wasn't so lazy, we wouldn't even be in this mess.
I pull out the chair across from him, making a loud noise on the floor on purpose. He doesn't even look up.
"You’re late," he mutters. He’s still typing like a madman, and I can hear the fast, angry sound of his fingers hitting the laptop.
"I’m here, aren't I?" I say, dropping my bag on the table. "Don't act like you were actually doing anything before I showed up.”
"I was trying to," he snaps, finally looking up. He looks tired. There are dark circles under his eyes that I haven't noticed before. "But Mrs. Gable is expecting this on her desk by the end of the day. If I fail this again, my dad is going to go crazy. He’s already stressed enough because of the fire and that animal thing."
I don't say anything for a second. I just look at the paper. "It's just an assignment, Adrian. It’s not the end of the world."
"It is when your dad is Derek Thorne," he grumbles, shoving the laptop toward me. "Look, I fixed the part about the dancers. Can you just check if the dates are right? I can't think straight anymore."
I reach for the laptop, trying to move slowly so I don't look weird. My right hand, the one I used to rip the door open, is really hurting. The skin around my nails is raw and red. That pre-shift fever is making everything feel too loud and too sharp.
I can hear the girls two tables away whispering. They keep looking over here like they’re waiting for a show. It’s annoying as hell, they’re clearly just bored and looking for anyone to gossip about after that assembly.
"Everything okay?" Adrian asks.
I jump a little. He’s watching me now. Not in his usual jerky way, but like he’s actually noticing that I’m acting weird.
"Fine," I lie. "Just tired."
"You’re always tired," he says. He leans back, and I hear his chair creak. He reaches down toward the floor, looking for his laptop charger. "Where is the stupid... ugh."
His charger is wrapped around the table leg. He pulls it, and the laptop starts sliding off the edge. He leans over to grab it, but his chair suddenly slips on the smooth floor. He’s about to fall.
I just move. It's like my body reacts before my brain even knows what's happening. My hand flies out of my pocket and I grab the back of his chair. I catch him and the whole heavy thing with just one hand, stopping his fall in a split second.
Adrian is frozen. He’s half-hanging off the seat, still holding the charger. He’s just staring at me with his eyes wide open. He lets out a quick breath, looking like he just realized he almost wiped out.
"Are you okay?" he asks. His voice is really low. He isn't even looking at his laptop anymore. He’s just staring at my arm.
I’m frozen too. My hand is still gripped tight on the chair, and I can feel my muscles buzzing. But then, a sharp, hot pain hits my palm. The weight of the chair just ripped my skin open again.
I pull my hand back fast and try to hide it in my hoodie, but I'm too late.
A single, thick drop of blood falls.
It lands right in the middle of his white paper. The red spot spreads slowly on the clean page.
Adrian stays perfectly still. He doesn't say anything, just stares at the mess. The girls at the next table have stopped whispering. The whole room feels way too quiet. He finally sits up, looking from the red stain straight to my face.
He isn't smirking or trying to make a joke. He just looks confused. It's like he's trying to figure out how a girl my size just caught a whole guy with one hand.
"You're bleeding," he says quietly.
"I cut it earlier. It's nothing," I say. My voice sounds weak and fake.
He doesn't look away. He looks at my hand, then back at the blood. He stares at me for a long time, his eyes searching mine like he’s trying to read a language he doesn't know yet.
"Vanessa...?" he says.
He isn't being a jerk or trying to boss me around. He just sounds... unsure. Like he’s finally seeing things that don't make sense, and he’s starting to realize it’s all because of me.
"I have to go," I blurt out. I throw my books into my bag with my good hand, not even caring that I’m crushing the pages.
"Wait," he says. He reaches out like he’s going to grab my arm, but he stops himself. His hand just hangs there for a second before he lets it drop.
I don't wait for him to say anything else. I run out of the library as fast as I can. I can feel him still sitting there, just staring at that drop of blood on his desk.
I get to the hallway and don't stop moving. I run until I’m in the bathroom, locking myself in one of the toilet rooms. I lean my head against the cold door, trying to catch my breath.
I look at my hand. The bandage is ruined and soaked in blood.
I just wanted to be a ghost. I wanted to stay invisible until I could finally leave this school for good.
But as I sit there in the quiet, I know I messed up. I think Adrian just saw way too much.