*brightens* But hey, the fact that I can't turn on the light because she and her overnight guest are sleeping (overnight guest popped in at 5 AM, BTW) leaves me with little to do save type on my laptop. So here I give you
Don't Let Go
Chapter Twelve: Don't Let Go Of Things That You're Feeling
"Hi Sarah," Christian smiled goofily as he passed by her in the hallway. "Thanks for editing my paper, by the way."
Sarah blushed faintly and tried to redirect his attention. "Well, once the screaming and panic died down, what else could I do? It is a good paper," she reaffirmed indignantly at his wide grin,"Regardless of the content." She glanced away, smiling.
He shook his head. "Maybe yes, maybe no." They shifted in their feet, smiling and meeting gazes and averting again in a rather uncomplicated dance of bashfulness.
By the end of the week this casually awkward interaction had deadened the surprised expressions and fierce gossiping, though they still got odd looks from different sets of students and more than a few teachers when they openly talked to each other. Even now, the stream of students rushing this way and that arched around the two, every passersby claiming a glance at the infamous couple. Sarah had yet to rejoin Christian's table, and he didn't want to push either her or his group. It seemed that the younger girls were struggling to accept that Sarah had lasted a week. They'd even gone to the trouble of starting a rumor that the current situation was a result of a bet Christian had with his buddies. Christian had quashed that rumor with a pointed joke, but couldn't stop the gossip that continued to fly. Nor could he condemn the gawking that the students indulged in. He was the first to admit this relationship was bizarre.
Sarah ignored the looks. She was used to strange looks after all.
Christian ignored the looks. He was used to attention after all.
"Are you busy this weekend?" Christian asked, studying the wall intently.
Sarah hid a smile and resisted the urge to squeal. "Nope. Not a thing in the world planned." Besides homework. But I've got plenty of time to do that.
"So...you wanna catch a movie?" Yes, his face was definitely a brighter shade of reddish pink than before.
For that matter, so was Sarah's. "Um, sure."
"Great!" His face lit up. Then his face crumpled into confusion. "What do you want to see?"
Sarah shrugged, feeling as though her boundless smile would permanently tear her cheeks apart. "Well, depends on whether you're willing to watch a chick flick or not." An pained expression settled on his face, and he looked like a small puppy begging for a treat. "Or we could watch, oh, I don't know, what were you thinking?" She could handle and probably even enjoy an action flick. Were there any of that sort playing, though? It didn't really matter so long as they could go out on an official date. The very thought made her stomach dance in rainbow ribbons as she waited for him to come up with a movie.
Christian grinned broadly, and swept his arms apart as though the answer was obvious. "Jackass: the movie!"
Sarah's lovely fantasy of sugar spun sweetness crashed and burned into a molten, black glob. "Jackass?" she asked timidly, and winced inwardly as she recalled the trailers she'd seen on TV. "I'm not really sure I want to see that," she said hesitantly.
Christian's grin faltered. "Okay," he said understandingly, clearly disappointed,"What else do you want to see?"
Sweet Home Alabama? Sarah shook her head. That sort of movie could wait. "How about the Ring?" she suggested hopefully. "I've heard that it's interesting, though the Japanese version's scarier."
Christian visibly weighed the pros and cons in his mind. Finally he beamed. "That sounds great!" The bell for the next class began ringing. "So, uh, I'll call you and we'll figure out what time, okay?" He waved her good bye and dashed into the swirling whirlpool of students.
Sarah waved after him and smiled, exhaling exasperatedly. She wasn't sure what to do with his obvious desire to see Jackass, but there wasn't much she could do about it. She shuddered. As much as she liked him, there were those tiny little things that annoyed her. It didn't lessen her affection any, and those little wrinkles certainly made life interesting. His habits made him himself, and for that alone Sarah did her best to accept his insistence on eating his food one section at a time and his certainty that UFOs had visited Earth and the government knew.
Besides, he embraced everything that was strange and different about her. If she didn't do the same it wouldn't be fair.
You say that so often, I wonder what your basis of comparison is.
Sarah shook her head and turned her feet in the direction of her classes. Even when he wasn't around, he plagued her. She was dating someone else, actually building a relationship with someone else- shouldn't the Goblin King have lost his power over her? She'd managed to live ignoring his presence, ignoring the wistful memories and regrets. Why were they all coming to a boil now, when she'd finally taken a step forward? Why did it seem she was walking backwards in time?
Sometimes the fastest way forward is to go back.
But that didn't make any sense!
Oh, I make perfect sense. You're the one who doesn't understand.
Sarah stiffened as she slid into her seat for history. Were the voices in her head actually her own memories, or was the Goblin King shifting about her mind? She tried to probe into her own mind, and gave up. Thinking about it, the Goblin King was unlikely to mess with her mind from the inside when he did it just fine from the outside. He seemed...different this time around. Yes, he was meddling, but didn't seem to have any ulterior motives-
Sarah snorted, and flushed as the teacher leveled a look at her. Sliding down in her chair, she frowned. Just because the Goblin King seemed perfectly benign -comparatively- didn't mean he was.
Or was she just second guessing herself now? She sighed and dropped her head into her palms.
"Miss Williams, do you have a problem with the war of 1812?" the teacher asked acidly.
Why did her life have to be so darn complicated?