Half of My Heart ✔️

07 | break my fall

The next few weeks go by with little to no contact with Archer or Jack. Archer keeps trying to talk to me and my parents urge us to fix whatever feud we have going on, but I won't give him the time of day. If he's hell-bent on ruining my college experience, fine. But I won't pretend to be happy with him.

As for Jack . . . I try to spend as little time thinking of him as possible. I try not to think of how stupid I was to fall for his manipulative tactics and those deep gazes of his. I'm nothing special to him — just something to entertain him while he entertains dozens of other girls.

Or even worse, I'm just his best friend's pathetic little sister, and I've somehow tricked myself into thinking that he could ever think of me as more than a little kid. I've ignored his texts and calls, still trying to shake off the feelings he drew out of me that night.

I distract myself with dance and schoolwork. Thankfully, Mya has a few other dance friends that she introduced me to, and I find myself having plans even without Archer or Jack.

Then there's Levi.

"Crimson, I'd appreciate it if you didn't hyperventilate in my direction. You're creating a draft," he says as I slide into a seat only a few minutes before class starts. The seat next to him was one of the last available.

"Why are you always so out of breath coming into this class?" He asks, raising a dark eyebrow and twisting a pen between his fingers.

I take a second to catch my breath, gathering myself after practically sprinting across campus. "My class before this . . ." I pause to take a deep breath. ". . . is across campus. I practically have to run," I explain.

"Freshman mistake," he says. "Why don't you just drive your car?"

I lean back in my chair. "Archer needs it to drive to basketball practice."

"What about a bike? Scooter?"

I shake my head. "Nope. Also, I don't want to be that person that rides a bike or scooter across campus."

Levi laughs. "Of course, because sprinting across campus is so much more respectable."

I smile at that, realizing the fallacy of my logic. "Well in a perfect world, I wouldn't have to sprint to class or be that pretentious person that rides a bike or scooter to class. But I don't have many other options."

Levi twirls the pencil faster, then sets it down. "If you wanted my help, you could have just said so."

I snap my head up. "What? Where do you come up with this shit? You're the one who started interrogating me."

He smiles lazily. "Are you saying you don't want my help? If you're fine with huffing and puffing every week, then I'll just shut my mouth and let you do you."

I ponder his offer. "What do you have in mind? Stealing a car, maybe?"

"I'm down for stealing a car," he says. "But I think riding a skateboard would be easier. And a lot more legal."

"You think I should skateboard?"

He shrugs. "It's faster than walking, requires less energy than running. And you won't look like a pretentious bitch while doing it." He pauses, examining me. "Well, skateboarding wouldn't add to your pretentious bitch vibe, at least."