hey guys, gunna be a super short authors note right now. this chapter is a sarah and jerome chapte rwidhff a bit a mystery to throw everyone off. i loved everyones comments and sorry im not responding just about to eat dinner and wanted to post this before i went jogging but that didnt happen. i hope everyone likes it.! now introducing chapter 10: the cross roads.

Me and Nina made our arrangements on how to destroy the cup after we melt it, what's the one thing that metal can change into.? Rust. And how do you change metal into rust? Water. It always leads back to water..
"Mara, pass the juice.?" Patricia asked, Mara passing the picture over. It was an awkward breakfast, extremely quiet. All you could hear was the clinking of silverware against the plates. Jerome was the first one to push away from the table and leave out the door. Watched as he walked out of the room and felt a nudge against my shoulder. I turned to amber and she mouthed 'go' in a shoeing motion. I shook my head and looked down at my plate, stop trying to play matchmaker princess Millington. Mara and Mick got up from the table and hopped their way out the door and to school. "American." Patricia called. Me and Nina both looked up. Patricia rolled her eyes. "New American." she held out the word new. Nina smiled and returned to her conversation with Fabian.

"Yeah Patricia.?" I asked

"alright, I'm gunna be frank, you and Jerome's obsessions with each other is almost as obvious as Nina and Fabians was and look where they are now." she gestured.

"Happy and together, sitting next to and in love?"

"exactly, and look at amber and Mick."

"But there isn't an amber and Mick." I said confusingly.

"Exactly. So go and try and make that boy happy, from what Mara has mentioned he's been pretty messed up. As much as I totally dislike the guy, guess he deserves some kind of unhorrible thing to happen to him." Patricia never seizes to surprise me. I mean I'm surprise she has said anything well Patricia-ish. "Think a good kick in the shin would help too but I don't know your standing on physical pain." she shrugged her shoulders. Guess I spoke too soon. I just shook my head and laughed. She just doesn't understand and the less she knows the better. I slouched my backpack over my shoulder and took a last bite of toast before putting my headphones into my ears and leaving for school. Patricia and her wacky thoughts. Woohoo, Phew. But she was right. I wouldn't just want to not have a friendship with Jerome . I walked into the history classroom where Jerome sat alone in an empty space. The room was quiet, quieter than breakfast. All you could hear was the clicking of my black boots on the floor. I reached his desk and stood there as he looked down at his book. I pulled my headphones and looked down at him. "Jerome." I mumbled. "I-"

"Sarah I'm really not up for arguing right now." he said coldly. "I'm just sick and tired of being told no to what I want so bad."

"Jerome! You know why we c-"

"honestly Sarah, I don't care about this stupid Egyptian shit anymore. That's just seems to be your excuse to say you didn't mean what you said." how could he say that! I did mean what I said. He has no idea.

"You seriously thinks that's an excuse?" I said a bit horrified.

"Yes obviously. I mean are you that cold hearted that you just can't tell me straight up that you don't like me the way I do. Cause then why would you push me away like you are.?"

"I told you! I don't want anyone to miss me. I want everyone to move on if I die, kay Jerome?"

He sat up in his seat so that we were eye to eye. "You keep focusing on the fact that you might die somehow Sarah, when the chances of that are slim to none. God, you are such a freak." god.. You are suck a freak.. Those words rang in my ears. The tears built up in my eyes. I saw Jerome's expression change from the cool iciness that radiated from him to a look of shock from his own words. "Sarah.. No, I didn't mean that.." his eyes glistened with sorrow. God, I didn't know what I hated more the insicsorrowful pity or the fact that he admitted what he thought I was to him. I just shook my head, trying to hide the tears.

"You're just like everybody else." I whimpered out.

"No. No, no, no, no, no, no. Sarah wait."
I stormed out of the classroom into the hall. I bumped into amber, Nina, Patricia, and Fabian.

"Sarah!" amber squealed, but after getting a closer look at me, her smile faded. "What's wrong." I whipped my tears from my eyes "nothing." the shocked expressions stood on their faces annoyed me. "I have to go." I pushes through them and jogged down the hallway out the main doors where I the collapsed against the concrete staircase rail. I took deep gasping breaths like I couldn't breathe.
"Hey, miss America. You alright?" it was Fabians voice. He came and crowed down next to me. I sat up against the rail and extended my legs out on the step. I whipped my tears from my face and looked at Fabian.

"Oh, Fabian hi." I muttered.

"What's wrong.?" he asked.

"Nothing just had a bit of a.." I laughed, trying to blow it off my shoulders, and then sniffling. "Mental breakdown."

"hey there, Sarah." he gave a smile. "Listen, everything is gunna be fine. You and Nina are going to destroy the cup and then everything is going to be normal. No more worrying, no more crying. Here, were all a family Sarah, a very screwed up one, but a family." I smiled. A family. I liked that. I had a family, a small broken one but a family. But they were like the brothers and sisters I always wanted.

"Thanks Fabes." he smiled and put his arm around my shoulder to help me up. "c'mon. Off to class we go." we trotted our way off to history and walked inside the room.

"Sorry were late." Fabian apologized. Mr. Winker waved us off, not really caring and we took our seats. His next to Nina and mine next to amber.

"Amber, do you think we could switch sides.?" I asked not wanting to sit on the side closest to Jerome. She gleefully switched and I sat on the other side. "Thanks amber." I smiled.

"No problem. So what happened? We asked Jerome but he just told us to go away. Then Patricia poured her water on him. Which was actually quite funny." we giggled. "But are you okay?"

"yeah, Fabian came to the rescue, he's like the big brother I never had."

"good kid, good kid." amber said in her amber voice, ya know when she's being amber.. Anyway. We kinda drowned out Mr. Winkler's lesion. Honestly I couldn't possibly care less. The bell finally rung and I collected my books and walked over to Nina.
"Hey nin's, is there any chance I can see the cup again?" I hadn't seen the cup since we had got it from underneath the school stage.
"Sure why.?" she said a little suspiciously.
"I want to get another look at it. I feel like there's a hitch we're missing here."
She knew I was right. Nina agree and we left class. The rest of the day I thought about the cup. But Jerome still resided in the back of my mind. I mean how could he call me what he said I never was to him? It just proved my point even stronger, I was a freak. And he lied to me.. He told me differently. But now I know how Jerome thinks of me. I knew everything he said wasn't true. Physics finally came and it was the quiet class as usual. I thought back to the cup and tried to push Jerome out of my mind. "Mr. Sweet.!" I raised my hand.

"Yes Ms. McMayson."

"What is the best way to disintegrate metal. Like I know water is how you change metal into rust. But what kind of element could be used to speed up the process?" I had to ask. I knew Mr. Sweet was part of victors little 'society.' but he was also a science who would know the answer.

"Well I believe that bleach would speed up the chemical change of metal. Such a peculiar question. Why do you ask?"

Crap. "Oh, just curious." I smiled.

A confused look plastered Mr. Sweets face. "Very well." and he continued to the lesson. Bleach. That makes a lot of sense. The bell rung and I ran out of class to find Nina and ams. I tried to avoid Jerome but..

"Sarah!" I'm just not that good at keeping my distance from that boy. He grabbed my hand.

"I don't want to talk to you Jerome."

"I didn't mean what I said. Honest I didn't."

"I knew you were lying to me the whole time about everything." I muttered.

"Sarah, please don't run away." he begged. I crossed my arm and waited for him to continue. This better be good. "Sarah. I didn't mean what I said. You know I didn't, you know how much you mean to me. Why can't you just tell yourself that."

"you know why I can't-"

"please, just tell me that you don't feel the same and I will not bring it up again." god.. Jerome. I really should say no. I really should be pushing him away. But I can't anymore. I can't.

"Jerome. I really do, I really do." I took a breath. "I just want to be with you but I can't. Not now. I mean you're everything to me since I got here. You were the only one who understands what I've been through and doesn't care about it. You Look at me and don't see the freaky ghost girl you see me." I felt the water welling up in my eyes. God, this guy always makes cry. He engulfed in a hug, holding me tight. Why can't we just freeze in time like this forever? Maybe I will get what Nina and Fabian have. Maybe I'll get that ending with Jerome.. Maybe. But I can't do this to him. I don't want him to have any feeling for me than have no emotion at all. "But we can't.. Not right now." he loosened from the hug and I saw his eyes, just as the time we had that fight. They weren't icy or warm or steely. I couldn't explain them. It was like glitter. Blue sequence. They were loving and protecting. And I loved it.

He shook his head forcefully, "no."

I sighed. "Jerome, c'mon. You know, you know my reasoning, you think if I didn't care this much I would be telling you I do want to be with you but I can't."

He leaned his forehead against mine. "This is like a sick game." he gave a smirk. "I'm on edge once again because you are just full of tricks."

"I do have a few up my sleeve." I joked.

He smiled warmly. "You really do mean a lot to me Sarah." I could feel my face reddening from excessive blushing. He kissed me on the cheek. "c'mon let's go home." me and him made our way back to the house. We sat in his room, me upside down on his bed and him on the floor with his computer resting on his lap.
"So if x squared times three fourths of y and a number what is a plus b divided by x times the number, let n represent the number in terms of y.." I read off my math home work. "what.?" I asked confusingly and aggravated. Jerome just sat staring at his computer. I rolled up the math packet and hit Jerome across the head with it. "Jerome!"

"ow!" he complained. "What was that for.?"

"help please." I need to finish this assignment.! I started the slide off the bed backward. Oh shit. "No now really help help help.!" I was sliding towards the floor. "Jerome!" I screamed. I felt my head get lighter and the back of my knees be held together slightly as I still fell from the bed. I looked around and heard Jerome laughing and the blood rushing from my head to the rest of my body. I had my arms wrapped around his neck and his hands held up my arch. I breathed out a thanks to him.

"no problem there klutzy. Almost broke your head there yeah?" he chuckled.

"I'm fine I'm fine, thanks." I felt my scar piercing with severe pain. I let out a slight wince and dropped my hand from his neck.

"You alright?" Jerome asked. "Oh my god." he murmured. I felt the pain become much intense. Jerome took his arm that he held my legs with and slipped off my wristband. The blood seeped from my scar. You gotta be fucking kidding me. Jerome grabbed a tissue and tried to clean the blood but more and more just kept pouring out. It hurt like hell. We ran our way into the bathroom and suppressed the red liquid. "You okay there?" he asked worryingly.

"yeah I think so." But what does it mean? I just want to get through this all.. that's all I want to do. Jerome embraced me in a hug. "I just want this all over." I sniffled out.

i know this chapter was a bit shorter. i hope everyone liked it. so reveiw and all that good stuff and everyone can get half price on lemon filled unicorns only sold in ohio. yeahh so kbyee. :)