In My Skin

CH 56 || Good Plan

I loved Killian. As if a dam had finally broken, the feeling consumed my thoughts as I climbed into my car and rushed to school. In love. Me. Wow.

How the hell did I not notice that?

Then again, I never had been, so there was that.

I stood at the entrance of the science building, shifting my weight from one foot to another. I'd chosen this very spot for two reasons. One, he'd have to pass here to walk to his car, and two, I stood higher than the other students, which hopefully would make it easier to spot him.

Rocking on my heels, I combed my fingers through my hair and stole a quick glance at my reflection in the long glass front. Did I look okay?

Argh. I had to stop fixating on how I looked.

Yeah, as if I'd ever. Wait. What was I even going to say?

Shit. With all my planning I hadn't thought about what to actually say to him.

How the hell did you talk to someone you loved but dumped? I couldn't just stop him and stare, right? Or...could I?

No. That was dumb. God, our conversation hadn't even started, and I was already making a fool out of myself.

Words. I needed words.

Hey, Killian, let's make up. Let's go back to before I left you hanging in the worst moment possible and dumped you.

Okay, maybe not like that.

Hey, Killian, I know I sort of dumped you last month, but I finally realized that I love you. Hooray.

Ugh. That was even worse. Perhaps I should simply tell him that I wanted to talk if he was up for it. But even if he wasn't, I should still make sure he listened. Yes, I should inform him that we needed to have a conversation.

Or was I coming on too strongly?

Fucking hell.

I was completely out of my element. When had I ever approached a guy? Never. I was usually a bit passive. But I couldn't give up. Not this time.

Okay, force Killian to talk, good plan.

The feeling of standing at the edge of a cliff surged through me. Time seemed to stretch, every second feeling like an hour. Yet at the same time, time seemed to fly. Another look at my phone confirmed that he had to be here any second—if I hadn't missed him already.

Shit, what if I missed him?

No. Focus.

As students began spilling into the open plaza, I stood on my tiptoes, grateful that I had chosen a higher spot to wait.

And there he was. Despite the baseball cap he had pulled low over his face, I could easily pick out his large frame among the crowd. However, my calculations were off. Instead of heading towards the parking lot as I had anticipated, he turned right and strode towards a different building, moving away from me.

Shit. I hadn't forced—uh, cornered—him yet.

I pounded down the steps and chased after him. More and more students spilled into the yard, making it harder for me to follow. Just when I squeezed past another group, I came face-to-face with Jared, Chris, and Jessica, surrounded by their usual group of friends.

Of course, this was my luck. Just great.

"Hey, Taylor!" Jess greeted me with a fake smile. "Haven't seen you in a while."

"Yeah," I replied curtly. "Things happened. Gotta go."

I attempted to move around them, but she blocked my way, apparently determined to play out whatever skit she came up with this time. "What's the rush?" she asked. "I heard you had some health issues."