Chapter Twenty - Cooky Conundrums & Cliche Cliffhangers-1

So that's what it feels like. That was the first thought that went through my head about Keegan running after the incident. Now I felt bad for all the time I ran from tense situations with Shane. It sucked. I stood there for who knows how long, staring at the door and trying to piece everything together in my mind. Clearly the answers were right in front of me. But in my hazy brain that just got rocked right out of this world, it took me a few seconds to process. Keegan was the mysterious Oliver. I suppose it made sense. I mean, Keegan was always the quiet one. He shied away from the rest of the world. He knew books inside and out, knowing novels that even I had never heard of. That in itself was quite a feat. I still kept a slight sliver of doubt, but it seemed to completely be overwhelmed by everything inside me screaming that this was no doubt the truth. After the shock wore off, though, I felt the need to smack Keegan. How could he possibly be around me so much and then write those letters? How much of it did he actually use to get me to be comfortable around him? I squinted my eyes and shook my head. No that couldn't be it. Both Keegan and Oliver were sweet and nice. Neither ever showed any sorts of animosity towards me. The more I thought about it, the more I had it settled in my mind that Keegan and Oliver were one and the same. And those thoughts were the only ones that followed me the rest of the day and over the next several. Translation: After Keegan ran out of my house and left me standing there gaping like a dry fish, I've barely seen him and we haven't spoken once. In the one class we did have together, he came in right as the bell would ring, sit on the other side of the room and then leave as soon as class was over. It taught me to never play ninja again. Knowing that Keegan was avidly avoiding me grated on my nerves to no end, especially considering the fact that we have so much to talk about. So much still needed to be said. Which brings us to the third day of Keegan's disappearance. The setting: Washington High School The scene: Shelby and Evan standing by Shelby's car, only to be met with an anxious teen girl. Rushing to meet my friends, I blurted, "Have you seen Oliver? I mean ... Keegan! I mean ... oh for the love of God I don't know what his name is but I need to talk to him! Now!" I slightly bounced up and down looking around for the tall frame with dark hair, but to no avail. It seemed as if Keegan simply didn't want to speak to me. He cleverly avoided any areas in which I would be. He avoided the library and the school lawns. He never came into the hallway that my locker was located in. In short, Keegan proved to me that his ninja skills far surpassed mine. My friends looked a tad concerned, especially Evan. He reached out and latched onto my shoulder with one hand, pulling me closer to Shelby and him. "Gabrielle, what are you going on about? You can't just pick up in the middle of a sentence and then expect us to know what you're trying to get across," Shelby told me, her brow slightly furrowed. Taking a deep breath, I started to explain the events of the other day, leaving out no details. About halfway through my rant, Shelby said goodbye to Evan and grabbed my upper arm, dragging me away from the scene. I gave a haphazard wave to a confused Evan as we disappeared around the corner. Shoving me into the bathroom, Shelby cornered me and grabbed my shoulders. "Wait ... so the guy sending you the letters has been KEEGAN MONROE?" Her voice began to raise and by the end of her sentence, she was practically shouting. Wincing, I nodded my head. "Well, the signs point to him. The folder full of letters, the shy persona, and he knows more books than a library. It fits. More so than anyone else that we suspected. I'm telling you, Shelby. Keegan has to be Oliver." Shelby's eyes widened and she stared off into the distance, her mouth forming an O shape. "Wow," she said, her eyes fogged over and a little grin forming. "All this time ... the resident Bad Boy has been the Closet Bookworm." Then, without warning, she punched me in the arm and started cheering, hopping from one foot to the other. "A-ha! I told you he was checking you out that one day! Do you remember? Cause I do! I knew it! Oh my gosh, this is incredible!" she exclaimed, flopping backwards so she leaned heavily against the wall, one hand raking through her fiery locks. Gazing back at me, she asked, "So where does that leave you two now?" I shrugged my shoulder, giving her a blank look. "I'm not sure," I replied, a frown taking over. "I mean, I know now. But, he sort of ran out when I found out. So ..." I trailed off, letting her connect the dots. "So you guys haven't spoken at all since then, have you? Thus the insane reaction when you showed up at school earlier," She finished, crossing her arms and biting her lip. "Well, it makes sense. Didn't 'Oliver' say he was super shy and had problems talking to you?" "Well, yeah. But Keegan's been talking to me for weeks now. Wouldn't that phase have passed us by at this point?" I replied, confused. Shaking her head, Shelby motioned for me to follow her out of the bathroom. I suppose now that we had our little heart to heart, secrecy was no longer valid. "Not really. In the letters, he wrote to you as someone completely different. Maybe facing you head on, as himself and knowing you had the truth, well ... maybe it just overwhelmed the poor guy?" she suggested, looking over at me with a pensive glance. "Maybe," I replied uneasily. My fingers played with the hem of my shirt as I said goodbye to Shelby and made my way to class. The uneasiness didn't leave either. It followed me through every single class. I tried searching for Keegan between classes and even at lunchtime. But it seemed like a fools errand. He didn't want to be found. "I guess I'll just wait for him to come to me," I muttered as the last bell rang. Shaking my head and glancing around for the person responsible for my muddled brain, I left the school grounds and started for the Creamy Dream. Work felt ... bland. Just ... blah. I wanted nothing more than to track down Keegan and get to the bottom of everything. I wanted answers. And more than that, I wanted to hold down a conversation with the guy, knowing exactly who he was and that I could bring up past points and see his reaction. To hear from him what went through his mind when he asked to start this pen pal relationship would be great. The bell dinged and in monotone, I called out, "Welcome to Creamy Dream." My back had been turned, my hand holding the cloth tightly as I wiped down the counters. Chucking the wash rag into the bin, I made quick work of washing my hands before wiping them dry. I spun on my heel to the counter. "Sorry for the delay, how may I ..." the words died in my mouth when I found Keegan standing sheepishly on the other side of the counter, a small smile on his face. "Keegan. Hey," I mumbled, trying to smile a bit as well. I punched in his order, holding my hand out for the money. Silence ensued between us, the sound of blenders and crushing ice filling the air. Upon filling the empty space in the cup with whipped cream and tossing on chocolate shavings, I pushed the drink towards Keegan. He smiled once more and pushed a piece of paper back at me before leaving the store, not even bothering to glance behind. Oh - so we were back to notes, were we?