13 | knight in exchange-2

Miles was evolving, or perhaps he'd already evolved. A part of me was glad about that; truly, I only wanted the best for Miles. But the other half of me was terrified. Why did it feel like I was the one being left behind, trapped in a state of stasis, a fixed point that never seemed to move? I shut my eyes and if, before, I could see the reflection of the sunlight beneath my closed eyelids, all I could see now was darkness and shadows, more darkness and more shadows. "Alright," I opened my eyes and my voice was calm, "what do you suggest we do?" Liam sighed and Marcel looked more than relieved. But the silence still prevailed, as if they were unsure about what to say next. "You could train him," came a voice from behind. The three of us turned to see Ean, who was still standing perfectly still behind us. "I don't mean you two girls, but maybe the other guys could," he continued, matter-of-factly. "Maybe teach him how to evade and block and get some offensive moves in, probably. It's worth a shot." "Ean's three steps ahead of you, Darce," Liam managed a smile. His eyes were gleaming once again. "That's precisely why I came to tell you." "Or," and Marcel's voice was a double-edged sword that sliced thin and painful, "you could attend to that pressing matter we were talking about and he wouldn't have to go through any of this at all." I tried hard not to glare daggers at Marcel, really I did, but if looks could kill, she would've crumpled up there and then. Both Liam and Ean looked utterly confused at first, but then a slow recognition dawned on the former's face. "Oh, she means you being part of a sorority. Miles doesn't know?" And for the second time that day, the earth shattered beneath my feet. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ "I can't believe you didn't tell me," Ean hissed, as we made our way back home. After lunch break, Mom had taken over the shack with Marcel. Liam stayed to help. And so both Ean and I were given the day off. I knew Ean planned to hide in his room playing computer games for the rest of the day, and I had my daily tutoring session with Miles. "There's nothing to tell," I insisted, keeping my eyes ahead when Ean turned to shoot me an annoyed look. "Liam's bullshitting. I'm not a sorority member, not really, anyway." "You know if Miles finds out about this, he'll freak. You're literally a part of the group he's trying to hard to get into and you could've saved his ass and - " "I know, I know!" Covering my face guiltily, I held my palms flat against my flushing cheeks before drawing away. "I will tell him, I promise. I'll fix it." We continued the rest of the walk in silence. It wasn't until we'd reached the doorstep when I pulled Ean to a halt, staring up at him seriously. "You cannot tell Mom or Dad about this," he opened his mouth and I pressed on, "they will be broken-hearted. They'll ask me why I rejected a place in college when I could easily get in and I don't want to have to explain to them and see them look all disappointed." He folded his arms across his chest and I caught a glimpse of his innate stubbornness glimmer in his eyes. "Then why'd you reject it?" "Look at Miles," I returned, simply. The frown on his face cleared as my words began to make sense to him. "I don't want to be part of the group that did this to him. I'd rather be labelled a failure all my life for not getting into college than spend sleepless nights staring at the walls and seeing nothing but terror and fear." "Fair enough," he admitted, begrudgingly, before heading into the house. Just before he disappeared up the stairs, he paused and glanced at me over his shoulder. "Darcy?" "Yeah?" "For the record, I don't think you're a failure. You're great in all other things that matter anyway - " but he was cut off as I wrapped my arms around him quickly, engulfing him in embrace that nearly knocked the wind out of him. He stood stiffly for a moment or two, like all other teenage boys did when embarrassed, before pushing me off. "Okay, okay, I got it. You're welcome, now go away. It's like you're trying to strangle me." Laughing, I stepped back, putting a safe distance between us and he practically escaped upstairs. I heard the sound of a door slam in the distance and knew I wasn't going to be seeing him till dinnertime. Then I sobered up as I thought of what I needed to tell Miles. I couldn't even predict how he was going to react when I told him and that in itself scared the hell out of me. I hated the unknown, hated things that left me floundering, gasping for air that had no oxygen, falling into an abyss that had no bottom, running through a tunnel that had no end-point. By the time Miles had arrived, I'd worked myself up into a fine frenzy. I was a bundle of nerves when I opened the door to let him in, but that all seemed to dissipate when I saw his smile, peaceful and calm, like he was genuinely happy to see me. "Hey," he greeted, reaching out and then pausing, as if he didn't know whether to pull me into a hug. I decided that for him. Pushing myself up on tiptoe, I looped my arms around his neck, pulling him down to meet me halfway. Our kiss was brief, gentle, but he met my lips with more confidence this time. "Hey yourself," I murmured, pulling away from him with a smile on my face that matched his. Then I sobered up as I remembered the task at hand. It took nearly all of my willpower to force a calm expression on my face. The inner child in me felt like running away and avoiding this whole thing altogether. "Listen, I've got to tell you something." "Me too," he returned, letting me lead him further into the house. I led Miles up to my bedroom this time, certain that if Ean came out of his room and chanced upon us kissing or cuddling, he'd be thoroughly appalled. When I'd shut the door properly behind us, I turned around and there was an apprehensive look on his face as he sat down on my chair. I settled down on the bed, pulling my knees up and tucking them under my chin. "You're going to tell me about the Durden, aren't you?" I asked flatly, and his mouth fell open, his surprise clear and unmasked on his face. "Liam told me earlier today. Right after he told you, I believe. He said you took it pretty calmly." He let out a chuckle, but it was a nervous one. "Trust me, I wasn't. I was scared as hell. I still am, to be honest."