Classified ☑

[ chapter 12 ]

My skin tingled from the cold weather as I came to a stop, dirt kicking out from underneath my shoes. I'd gone on my morning run trying to clear my head. Everything that happened this last weekend had been buzzing in my mind on a constant loop.

Someone was after me now and I had no idea why or if it was even the same people who'd murdered my dad. But there was something else, or really someone else, I couldn't get my mind off of.

Cole.

I'd be seeing him at school today and I had no idea what I was going to say when I saw him. I wanted to protect him and the best way to do that was to not be friends with him. As much as it hurt to think about not being friends with him, I knew it was the best thing for him.

The screen door slammed shut behind me as I kicked off my shoes by the front door. I pulled off my hoodie letting the warmth from inside the house soak into my skin.

Thomas, who usually had breakfast made by now, was sitting at the kitchen table. His brows were furrowed as he stared at his phone.

"Hey Uncle Thomas," I said to him as I grabbed a glass cup from the dishwasher.

His eyes darted up from his phone and stared at my neck. "You're going to have to cover up your neck because of the bruises. We can't have people asking questions."

I rolled my eyes since my back was to him, filling up my cup with ice and water from the refrigerator door. "I'll wear a sweatshirt."

"Will that do the job?" He set down his phone with the screen against the table so I couldn't see what he was doing on it.

I shrugged my shoulders as I took a sip from the cup, leaning my back against the counter next to the fridge. "It's the best thing I have to cover my neck. I don't have makeup or anything." Not that I didn't like to wear makeup every now and then, but living with my uncle for eight months and having nowhere to go, I never needed it.

He got up from his chair, letting the chair legs slide against the floor, and grabbed his phone and shoved it into his pocket. "You let me know if anything happens at school today, you hear me?"

I nodded my head, taking another sip from the cup.

"And you know what you need to do with Cole?"

I gulped, staring into the cup in my hand. "To stop being friends with him."

"Good, I promise it's for the best." Thomas walked over to me and rubbed the top of my head, messing my loose ponytail up. "You be safe today, Nina. I'm a phone call away if you need anything."

I watched him leave before heading upstairs to get ready for school. My uncle never left before me so I knew he was doing something. What I wasn't sure, but I knew he wasn't going to tell me unless he wanted me to know.

After showering and pulling a hoodie on, I pulled my dark hair loosely around my face, hoping it would cover my neck as well. The purple and green marks on my neck wouldn't be a good sight for anyone to see.

Plus, if people saw the bruises, they'd ask questions. Mr. Hall had already questioned me about my hands, if he saw my neck I'd be at the police station in a jiffy.

The ride to school was quiet besides the pitter patter of light rain drops as gray, dark clouds started to roll in. I turned the radio on to see what the local news station had to say.

Static filled the truck's cab until a woman's voice came out clearly through the speakers. "This week is going to be filled with rainy days. Thursday and Friday will be the worst days with severe thunderstorms to be expected. Icy roads are to be expected throughout the week as well. Please be careful as you drive to work or school in the early mornings," the lady said.

I turned the radio off as I turned into the school parking lot, already filled with cars. The engine cut off as I pulled the key from the ignition, grabbing my backpack before getting out.

The icy wind nipped at my cheeks as it whipped the hair around my face. I pulled at the ends of my hair, trying to keep my neck covered as I walked towards the building.

Laughter and chatter filled the hallways as I made my way towards class. As I walked to class, a familiar laugh stood out among the rest, causing my heart to race a little faster.

Cole was laughing and talking with a few guys I hadn't seen before, which wasn't surprising since the school was so huge. I tried my best to avoid them, but his brown eyes caught mine as I passed him. I looked away quickly, trying to walk faster through the crowded hallway.

Cole's long legs caught up with mine, cutting me off from walking any further. "Hey," he said, a look of uncertainty on his face. "How are you doing?" The noise around me seemed to disappear as he talked, him being the only thing I could focus on.

"I'm doing good as anyone can be after what happened," I said, telling the truth as I tugged on the straps of my backpack. Considering my uncle and I now knew someone was watching us, I thought we were taking the news pretty okay.

Cole stared at me intently, like he wasn't sure I was telling the truth or not. "You know you can talk to me, right?"

I was about to respond, but a locker banged shut, jolting me back to reality as the hallway became loud again. I shook my head and looked back at Cole. "Yes, I know." I knew it was true, but I also couldn't let him get wrapped up into my world.

As I was about to sidestep around him, a guy, one Cole had talked to moments ago, threw his arm around Cole and smiled at me. "Hi pretty thang. I'm Liam." The dark haired boy stuck out his hand for me to shake.

I glanced down at his hand and slowly looked back up at him. His eyes looked me up and down shamelessly as a lazy grin spread on his face. Cole, who didn't seem to have a mean bone in his body, looked at Liam as he pursed his lips, not looking too happy but also not saying anything.

"I'll see you later, Cole," I said, completely ignoring Liam as I sidestepped them. If I'm going to be honest, the fact he didn't tell Liam to stop eyeing me bothered me, but then again, this was Cole. The more ammunition I had to dislike him, the better.

As I got closer to class, Cole came jogging up to me again, looking flustered this time. "I'm sorry about Liam. He can be a real prick sometimes."

I shrugged my shoulders, looking back down the hallway. "It's whatever."

"Nina-" He grabbed my forearm gently and pulled it so I was looking back at him. "Please talk to me?"

The concern in his eyes was impossible to miss. "What's there to talk about?" I asked softly, letting my eyes flicker over his face.

The look he gave me showed defeat, like he didn't know what he was supposed to say to make the situation better. "Nina, I'm not trying to hurt you here. I'm just trying to be a friend to you. I thought after what happened this weekend you would see that I just want to help you."

I swallowed the words I really wanted to say to him. That I did trust him and I wanted to be friends with him as well, but I couldn't get them out. So instead, I said, "Well, you thought wrong."

Turning around, I pushed open the door into Mr. Hall's classroom, leaving Cole out in the hallway.

A thought haunted me though, words that my uncle had said. He was right, someone was watching us and I had no idea who it was. As much as I trusted Cole because of him saving my life, I didn't really know him.

I was confused on what I felt for Cole. I cared for him and believed him, but the more time I had to think about what happened, I knew I also couldn't go into any type of relationship blinded. My dad was proof of that. Whoever killed him, he knew them personally.

There was no denying what I saw in his eyes that night he saw who rammed their car into ours. The look in his eyes was betrayal.