Chapter 27 Avoidance
NANCY'S POV
The next few days were torture.
Having to ignore Mr. Landon in a space as small as this wasn't exactly feasible, but I managed to do so with some difficulty, which included skipping dinner and breakfast.
I only went out of my room at midnight, when I was sure everyone was fast asleep, and each time I did so, it was to grab a bottle of water from the fridge and an apple.
Like a monk who had sworn himself off blood, I lived off of that for the next couple of days.
It wasn't an easily achievable feat, either, considering Diana kept persistently asking why I kept skipping meals.
"I'm going on a diet." That was the excuse I gave her, and I could still remember the way she ran her gaze over my figure a couple of times with the biggest eye roll she had ever given me, following suit.
"You already are all skin and bone. What else is there to lose?"
"Dieting doesn't always mean losing weight..." I muttered with a wry smile, having nothing to back up my statement.
Diana rolled her eyes once more, then walked over to the microwave, grabbed an already prepared sandwich out of it, and stuffed it into my hands. "Eat, I can't have you dying on me."
Initially, I wanted to retort, but after thinking it over, I realised it was wiser to keep shut.
This interaction between us happened on a Wednesday morning, and now, it was Friday, and just like the days before, I dreaded going to school.
It was the only place where I couldn't avoid Mr. Landon. I had to keep taking his classes, and the only way I could avoid contact with him was to keep my head down every time he lectured.
I avoided eye contact with him and avoided the man himself like the plague.
The day began like the days before, and I stuck to my routine of avoidance, gathering my books quickly into my bags ten minutes before class was even over.
"What are you doing?" Diana leaned over to whisper, face pulled into a frown.
"Packing up," I answered without looking at her.
"I can see that. Why are you packing up? Class isn't even over," She pointed out.
"I know," I responded in the same tone she'd employed with me, lifting my head only when my zipper was fully secured. "I don't feel like staying."
She angled her head at me, "Well, that's new."
I shrugged once, "Now you've seen it, get used to it."
"Wait, Nancy," She grabbed onto my arm before I could stand up.
"What?" I turned slowly to her, holding my bag to my chest.
Up front, Mr. Landon was responding to a question someone had asked him.
My gaze returned to Diana, and I repeated, "What?"
She stared at me for about a quarter of a minute, and her frown deepened, "You are acting weird."
"Weird how?"
"I don't know," She let go of my arm with a puff of air. "Why don't you answer that?"
I cocked my head at her, "You're the one who thinks that, I think I'm acting perfectly normal."
"You think you're normal," She scoffed, then shook her head, "No, you haven't been acting normal."
"Diana, can we not do this now?" I sighed, crossing my arms over each other.
"Do what?" She cocked her brow at me. "You mean asking why my best friend is suddenly acting strange?"
I paused, staring at her eyes. Guilt prickled my skin, and I hurriedly looked away.
Even if she hadn't pointed it out, I knew I was acting weird. I needed to act weird, or I wouldn't know how I would survive each day without feeling like my feelings would unalive me.
I forced my emotions down and then muttered, "I'm fine, just tired."
"Well, I don't believe you. That's what you tell me all the time..." She paused briefly, then added, "You are always tired now, Nancy."
I shrugged again, "I guess I am."
Her gaze hardened, "That's not an answer, you know that, right?"
"It's the only one you're getting," I responded, now anxious to get out of my seat.
Diana, however, wasn't ready to let me go.
She inched closer again, peering at my face, "Nancy, did something happen?"
My stomach dropped, and I tried to keep my eyes from flickering nervously as I wondered if she'd noticed something from my expression.
"What do you mean?" I asked, trying to keep my voice neutral.
She glanced towards the podium for a second, then back at me, lowering her voice, "Did something happen with my Dad?"
My heart slammed hard against my ribs and then began to pound erratically in my chest.
I could no longer stop my eyes from darting around. After struggling to get that under control, I forced a laugh, "What could possibly happen with your Dad? I haven't even spoken to him since detention..."
"Exactly my point," She cut in, still staring searchingly at me.
"You tell me."
"Nothing happened..." Before I could finish, the bell rang, and I held back the breath of relief I would have let out, keeping my face composed.
She stared at me a while longer then exhaled, "We'll continue this conversation later."
I hoped we wouldn't.
Before she could engage me in another form, I strapped my bag to my shoulder and hurriedly got up, "I have another class after this, I'll see you later."
Without giving her a chance to speak or stop me, I walked out of the classroom, going through the back door so I could avoid Mr. Landon as well.
Right before I walked out the door, my gaze instinctively swept to the side, and from the corner of my eyes, I caught him watching me from the podium where he still stood.
I didn't wait to meet his gaze or question why he was watching me; I walked out without a look back.