Truth Be Told

four

a / n :

do tell me if there's anything i can improve on for this chapter--or this story in general. i feel like a shit writer lol so any suggestions/comments/recommendations are welcome and encouraged!! 

f o u r

COLIN SWEARS THERE are three perfectly reasonable explanations for this.

Reason one: It's raining hard. And he doesn't have an umbrella with him. It's not like he can just spend the rest of the night waiting outside for it to stop.

Reason two: There were two plates of perfectly good pancakes, still warm, laid out in front of a girl who didn't seem like she'd eat anytime soon. Colin firmly believes it would be an injustice to leave them uneaten.

Reason three: Aanya has always been nice to him, right? Aanya never made fun of him like the others. She would be devastated if she'd learned about whatever her best friend seems to be going through, so he'll check up a bit on Sadie and spare Aanya the misery.

These are the thoughts taking up his mind as he takes the seat Daniel had just vacated. He sits sideways so he wouldn't have to look at Sadie head on. From the corner of his eye, he sees her look up.

Colin ignores her stare and instead says "Are you gonna eat these?"

Daniel has ordered the s'mores pancakes. Colin can smell the toasted marshmallows. It's a shame Daniel left before eating them.

"Go ahead," Sadie says, pushing her plate towards Colin too. She ordered the strawberry and chocolate pancakes, which is typical of her. She always liked strawberries. "Have mine, too. Please."

Colin eyes her plate. Then he lets his gaze travel up to her face. She looks exhausted, and tears streak her face. He bites back a curse before grabbing Daniel's plate. He cuts up a big piece and shoves nearly half of one pancake into his mouth, chewing angrily for reasons unclear to him.

Neither of them speak, and Colin eats mostly in silence. He lets her cry, trying his best not to look at her. He also tries to tune out her sniffling, which he finds increasingly aggravating the more he listens to it.

Despite his effort, he can't resist studying her. There are dark bags under her eyes, and her lips seem almost pale. He realizes, for the first time, that she'd lost some weight, her cheeks sunken in and collarbone prominent.

Sadie catches his gaze and he jumps in his seat.

"Why are you here?" she asks him. She sounds more composed than she looks.

Colin doesn't answer this.

"You can leave, if you want," she offers timidly. "I'll be okay."

Colin takes in a breath. "I'm not concerned about you." He says the word like it revolts him, the expression on his face souring almost immediately.

"Still," Sadie says, holding his gaze. "Thank you for being here."

"I'm not doing this for you or anything," Colin rushes out. "I don't really—care about—whatever. I'm just stuck here. Because of the rain, which is a bitch. The rain, I mean. And the pancakes—it'd be a waste if—I can't just—"

Sadie's brows furrow.

"Point is," he huffs, feeling his ears heat up. "I'm not here for you."