You Were Always Mine

36: Enemy. Lover. Friend.

Carter

I wait outside the door of the chemistry lab I watched Morgan go into. The last time we spoke to each other, she was trying to seduce me into a relationship with her, to which I made it known that I belonged to Jasmine. That only resulted in her once again cryptic statement about me needing to watch my back.

Something tells me I should just walk away and leave everything how it is, but the way Jasmine showed genuine concern for a girl who has only ever had it out for her showed me that if my girl can put their differences aside when the other looks like they need help then I should be able to as well. I wouldn't even be standing outside this door right now if she hadn't told me to see if she was okay. I sigh heavily and make my way into the chemistry lab.

Morgan sits at a desk with goggles on, eyebrows kit together in concentration at the bubbly concoction of whatever she is working on set before her. With dropper in hand, she let's out a small droplet into the flask, igniting a quick reaction that I thought would boil over, but it slowly simmered down.

"Your girlfriend isn't in here." Morgan's voice snaps my focus off of what she is doing and on to her.

"I know um," I take a few steps in her direction, "I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"I'm happy and thriving." Her tone sounds anything but happy or thriving.

"That's good." I shove my hands into my pants pockets, giving myself something to do in this otherwise awkward situation.

"Yup," she replies flatly. "Anything else I can do for you?"

I want to say no so I can just turn around and be out of here. But the more I look at her, I see how right Jasmine was. She looks awful. I run a stressful hand through my hair.

"I remember you liking science in middle school," she visibly tenses at my words. I swallow hard and continue, "You won our science fair that one year." I chuckle, "I really thought I had everyone beat with my volcano."

Morgan removes the goggles from her face, and for the first time since I entered the room, she looks at me, a full-on stare as though she is analyzing me. With arms crossed over her chest, she speaks, "What is this Carter are you on some kind of guilt trip or something?"

"N-no I just-"

"N-no, you just what?" She scoffs. "You pretended I didn't exist for years and then we became somewhat friends again only for you to go right back to ignoring me and now you are going to stand here acting like you really care about how I feel?" She shakes her head at me, a small mocking laugh slipping past her lips.

She begins to clean up the mess she made while I stand there dumbfounded. Why am I even still here? As if she read my thoughts, she replies to them.

"You're still here?" Her tone is so far from the sweet one she would use on me the week we had spent as "friends." I hate to admit that she was more of a distraction to get my mind off of Jasmine than she was a friend to me. I know it was different for her, especially now that I know she has feelings for me. Well... had. I push all of my thoughts and any malice I hold towards her aside and remember that at the end of the day, we are all human.

"How are you, Morgan?" I ask her genuinely this time, looking into her eyes so she knows that I am serious.

However, her demeanor towards me doesn't change. "I already told you I'm fine." She comes from around the desk and shoves past me. I reach out, grabbing hold of her arm. "I know what you said, but I want the truth."

Her eyes mist with tears as she stares up at me before ripping her arm out of my hold. "How I am is none of your business, Carter!" She spits the words at me. "And I will not be the subject for your pity."