The Girl With The Tattoo

48. unexpected turn

Lexi

I really didn't want to be here today. But even though I would rather be anywhere else right now, I had to show up so that I would please my dad. Class was excruciatingly boring and I almost drifted off a few times. But now I have a reputation since I won the ballet scholarship.

I walk into the locker room so that I can grab my bag so that I can head home. But as I walk over there, I realise that I'm not alone.

Isabella smiles at me and I decide to put my mood aside and to smile back at her.

But before I can get out of here, I hear her say to me "So, you're like a big deal now, huh?"

I shake my head "I'm certainly not.

"But you are!" She continues to speak to me "You should see the looks on those kids' faces when you walk past them!"

I roll my eyes "Well, it shouldn't be that way. I don't get why winning a scholarship makes you a big deal! I'm the same person that I was before they handed me that award!"

Isabella shakes her head "No, kids look up to you now."

"Well, they shouldn't."

I grab my bag to leave as I don't want to talk to anyone right now. All I can think about is Carl and I have to be out there looking for him. I have to do something or else I might never see him again.

But before I can leave, I feel her hand on my shoulder and she pulls me back.

She hesitates "Look, I just want to say that I'm grateful that you kept my secret. I always knew that I could trust you."

"Yeah, I told you that I wouldn't say anything."

"But I just want you to know that I appreciate how kind you are to me." She tells me, looking into my eyes "I want you to know that I admire who you are as a person. You've always wanted the best for me and I can't thank you enough."

"It's okay." I tell her, not wanting to have a deep conversation about this right now.

And I watch as she stares into my eyes and I can tell that there's something that she wants to say to me. I can tell that she's hesitant as her mouth opens to speak yet no words come out

"Lexi..." she says, not taking her eyes off of me "I ended things with Dan."

"Oh, I'm sorry." I say to her.

And then I ask "But why did you do it? I thought you wanted to be with him? You talked about him like he was the love of your life."

"Because I was lying to myself..." She admits.

Because I'm confused, I ask her "What do you mean?"

She takes a few steps closer to me and I realise just how close we are. I feel her hand brushing against mine and I furrow my brows because of how confused I am right now.

And then she says "I've been thinking about me and you... I've been thinking about what we had and how amazing it was! And I know that I haven't been so nice to you but I want to change."

"What are you talking about?" I ask her, not wanting to believe that this is actually happening.

"I want to give it another go with you." She admits to me, my heart skipping a beat as she says this "I want you to give me another chance. I promise that this time I'll be better."

I feel myself panicking as she says this. I can feel my heart thumping against my chest, my hands shaking. I have a girlfriend yet I can't help but think about the possibility of being with Isabella again. And I know that I told myself that I would never do that but maybe this time it could be different.