Disclaimer: I do not own the House of Night or the characters. They belong to P.C. and Kristen Cast.

Everything's Okay

What happens now? I sat on my bed in my dorm, staring at the phone. I'd made him mad. When was he going to call me? I knew that I had messed up big time, telling him that he didn't belong here. I had just meant in the stables. I didn't mean at the school. But he wasn't one to think like that, was he? I mean, he wouldn't be that stupid, was he?

My phone started blaring out Nickleback's Gotta Be Someone. I dived for it and stared at the caller ID. It was him. Did I answer it? Yes, dummy! I didn't, though. I don't know why, but I didn't. Maybe if I ignored him then maybe he'd cool off. Maybe not.

He called six times that night, but each time I ignored him. I buried my face in my pillow and screamed into it. Eventually, my roommate appeared. I quickly freshened up as I heard her voice down the hall and sat on my bed with my text book propped up on the pillow and my finished notes in front of it. I dug for a pen and pretended to write.

"Gawd, it has been a long day," Stevie Rae said, dropping her bag on the floor. I forced a smile and crossed my ankles.

"You mean night?" I asked, propping myself up on my elbows.

"Sure," she said, going over to the mirror. She picked up her brush and ran it once through her hair before turning to me. "What happened to you tonight? We missed you in class."

"I had…cramps. I just decided to stay here."

"I feel for you, hon," Stevie Rae said, her face softening. I nodded briskly before deleting all of the texts Stark had sent me. All the texts I'd ignored.

"Why was it a long night?" I asked. She shrugged and set her hair brush down.

"Don't even get me started," she said and launched into a detailed description of what I missed. As I was deleting my messages, a new one appeared. Without even thinking, I opened it.

Why are you ignoring me? I immediately regretted opening it because it was from Stark.

"What's wrong, Z?" Stevie Rae asked, looking over at me.

"Nothing. I think I'm going to go to the library and study," I said, picking up my messenger bag and leaving before she could say anything.

"Zoey," Stark said, looking up at me. I stood in front of the table he sat at in the library before sitting down across from him.

"What I said before, I didn't mean that you didn't belong at the school. It's just it's been a long week and I was stressed and without thinking, it just came out. I meant that you didn't belong there, in the stables," I whispered.

"I never thought you did. Look, Z, I knew you'd had a long week and I understood. What I don't get is why you completely ignored me," he said, looking at the librarian.

"I didn't want to face you because I was afraid of what you would think," she said quietly.

"What I would think? Z, you already know what I think," he said, standing.

"Where are you going?" she hissed, following him into the rows of books. He turned and pushed her against the bookshelf.

"Showing you," he said before kissing her lips. Everything was going to be okay.