Chapter 8
Lunchtime came around and Jesse met up with Susannah before taking her hand and walking to an empty table. He proudly showed off his new girlfriend, revelling in the looks the other pupils cast their way.
Jesse felt like he'd known Susannah his whole life, and not the reality of just over a day.
He sighed happily as he began eating his lunch.
"Jesse?"
He loved the sound of that name coming from her lips.
"Yes Querida?"
"Have you … Have you ever…" She was nervous. Suze took a deep breath and carried on. "Heard of shifters. Have you ever heard of shifters?" She repeated more coherently.
Jesse was shocked.
Shifters.
He'd heard of them. Paul had told him. Jesse gritted his teeth ad he realised that Paul must have told Susannah about them as well.
"Yes," he replied. "Paul has mentioned them."
"Oh," that clearly wasn't the answer she'd been expecting. "So, you believe him?"
Jesse said nothing, only clenched his fists as memories of the previous summer jumped to the front of his mind.
"Jesse," she wasn't sure how to approach this question either, she knew it could be painful for him. "Why do you hate Paul?"
Jesse closed his eyes. The dreaded question. He'd been waiting for her to ask it but the answer was something he never wanted to bring up. Not now anyway.
"Querida," his voice sounded tired and heavy. Jesse held one of her hands in both his own as he gave her a reply. "I promise I will tell you why I hate Paul Slater. I just can't now. Soon." He promised.
He pressed his lips to the inside of her wrist, on her pulse point, and Suze instantly melted.
"Okay." She smiled and reached over to softly kiss him. That kiss told him she understood. That she accepted the fact that he needed more time before he could talk about it. His past.
"Hector!" A voice shouted from behind the couple, interrupting their embrace. "You coming?"
Jesse reluctantly pulled away from his Susannah before groaning as he remembered where he had to be. "Yeah, be right there!" He called back.
He turned to Susannah with apologetic eyes.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I forgot I have this soccer thing. Meeting with coach."
"It's okay." Suze spoke softly and watched as he left with his friend and team mate. She smiled as he turned back and blew her a kiss. If she didn't know any better, she'd think she was in love.
Jesse ran to catch up with his team mates but stopped completely when he saw that Paul was heading in the direction Jesse had just come from.
"Slater!" Jesse called out.
"De Silva." Paul said coolly.
"You better not be going to see my girlfriend. You've done enough with your talk of shifters."
Paul raised an eyebrow. "Oh, she told you about that, did she?"
"Well, yes." Jesse threw him a smirk and a lift of his own eyebrows as he continued in a way that made it sound like the answer was obvious. "I am her boyfriend."
He was purposefully rubbing it in the other boy's face. Susannah had chosen Jesse and not Paul Slater.
"Well," Paul was angry. He wanted to make Jesse jealous and insecure. "Did she tell you that she came to my house last night." He smirked at the way Jesse's face dramatically paled. "and that she didn't leave until gone midnight?"
Paul's smirk increased as Jesse stood in front of him stunned.
"Hector! You're late." The boy from before jogged over to Jesse when he realised he hadn't been behind him. "Coach is going to be so mad at you."
"I'll tell Suze you said hey." Paul patronised the helpless Jesse as he was practically dragged away by his friend.
Paul laughed to himself then scanned the area for where Suze had gone, as she was not at the table anymore. He saw her talking to Cee Cee Wells and Adam McTavish.
He rolled his eyes. She could do so much better then those two freaks as friends. Nevertheless, he put on his most charming smile and made his way over to the trio.
"Hey Suze," he said sitting himself down in the seat next to her.
Suze visibly shuddered and moved away from him.
"What do you want, Paul?" She hissed.
"Just wondering if you'd thought about last night is all."
He'd said it in a way that made it seem like something had actually happened between the two of them. Cee Cee' and Adam's interest was piqued.
"No." She replied shortly. "And I never will!" She lowered her voice so only he could hear. "Shifters can't be real anyway."
Paul grew angry. She'd just cast him and his teachings aside. Maybe she'd believe it if her boyfriend was involved.
"Ask Jesse," he shrugged. "He's done it. Shifted."
"You're lying," Suze accused him. "He would have told me. We were talking about it all earlier.
She still didn't believe him, Paul realised as he sighed quite dramatically.
"Well, talk some more. He's shifted, gone to Purgatory or whatever you want to call it."
Suze paled, not unlike the way her boyfriend had done earlier. "No," she stubbornly refused to believe this. "He would have told me."
This is just perfect, Paul thought. Not only do I get my revenge on him, I also get Suze to start doubting Jesse's honesty.
"Ever wonder why he hates me?" Paul said out loud, not realising that Suze had, more or less, posed that question to the boy in question not five minutes earlier.
"Ask him about Georgie," Paul continued. "Then you'll get your answer."
And then Paul had left the table and was walking towards the building of the church where classes were held.
"Well," Adam broke the silence that had settled upon the small group. "That was … confusing, to say the least."
"Yeah," Cee Cee continued, "What was that about?"
Both stared at Suze - who was looking decidedly ill - waiting for an answer.
"I don't know," she finally replied honestly. And she really didn't. She didn't know anything anymore. Especially if what Paul said was right …
Suze shook her head, wanting to forget the entire conversation. "I better be going." She informed her two friends. "Classes and all that. See you."
She received two 'bye's' in return and went to walk to her next lesson.
---
Jesse had come back to the lunch tables, hoping to catch Suze before she left, after his meeting finished. He spotted her walking away from him.
"Susannah!" He called out to her.
But she kept on walking.
Ooff. Sorry. Angst wont last long. Plus some Paul/Jesse hate next chap. D