Chapter ten || Lilah’s POV

Gripping into the basketball I storm into the classroom scanning around before spotting her.

I'm not stupid. I know Colton is drifting away and I noticed last year when he started acting distant. He went from calling me every night to talk about his day to texting me 'nothing much' whenever I ask how it was.

But the way he seemed so exited to talk to her irked me. I know he isn't the most loyal to whatever we have but I've never seen him so interested in talking to a girl that wasn't me.

I've tried talking to different guys and trying it out with them but they aren't the same as Colton. So I decided to get rid of any girls who he attempts to go after limiting his choices, and honestly it's been affective.

Sitting down in the empty seat next to her she looks up at me from her textbook. I've never spoken to her before, only now recognizing her as she looks me in the eye. She's Damon's little sister.

'Hey Katie.' I blink at her expressionless but she keeps looking at me before glancing around the room them looking back at me, 'it is Katie...right?'

'Are you being forced to talk to me or something?' She asks me dumbfounded.

But I ignore her question looking her down, we're wearing almost completely opposite outfits. I have a plaid white skirt with a light blue button up crop top whist she wear dark blue baggy jeans and a Black Nike sweatshirt.

Yet somehow she still looks gorgeous. I hate to admit it but she's genuinely really pretty.

Clearing my throat I touch my neck skimming the pendant Colton had given me for my sixteenth birthday. What if he preferred girls who dressed down?

'Lilah?' Katie waves her hand in front of my face snapping me back into reality, 'you don't have to sit here anymore...your friends just came in,'

Glancing over to the door I notice them enter. Jasmine and Elaina give me awkward looks as then sit down at a three person desk signaling me to come over.

Ignoring them I look back at Katie before forcing a smile, 'no. I'm actually going to sit here.'

Nodding at me confused she uncomfortably continues to write down in her book.

Touching my lip I watch her squinting my eyes trying to figure out what exactly about her is special. For a pretty person she still looks relatively plain, brown hair that's tied back into a mid height ponytail and hazel eyes.

Nothing about her is 'bright' or distinctive so why would Colton look at her that way.

'Are you friends with Colton?' I suddenly ask her.

She stops writing before sighing under her breath.

'I'm not interested in Colton, Lilah.' She looks at me seeming somewhat honest, 'if that's the reason you're talking to me- he only spoke to me at my locker because he knows the guy I'm going after,'

'Mmm. That's not why I'm here,' I lie to her effortlessly, it's not that I don't trust her it's just that I don't trust her, if that makes sense.

Looking towards the front of the class I notice the teacher walk in as I lean back into my seat watching him. If I'm going to be sitting next to her I may as well listen to the teacher to kill off any tense energy.

Taking out my predominantly empty textbook I begin writing down whatever the teacher is saying. Seconds turn into minutes and soon the bell goes off, looking down at my book I filled both pages feeling slightly archived. I've never been this focused in class before.

Hearing Katie get out of her seat I grab my stuff quickly following her. Realizing I'm walking besides her she gives me a side eye look slightly shocked.

'You've been looking really surprised lately,' I comment.

My original plan was to scare her away from Colton but given their 'relationship' that he describe to me between them it wouldn't work. She would still be around him frequently whether I liked it or not so it's better to keep her controlled.

'Because I wouldn't expect you to talk to me?' She looks away, vaguely letting her guard down.

'Why not?' I tilt my head at her denying the obvious. We're just way too different to get along, 'you're very pretty so wouldn't you be approached?'

'I've been told.' Her mumble surprising me. I haven't really met anyone who's reacted negatively to being told they look nice, maybe she likes to be called ugly or something.

Looking away from her I notice Alex walking over to us more fixated on me rather than her.

'Hey...Lilah,' He reaches us looking at Katie whilst talking, most likely wondering if I'm bothering her.

Alex and I have known each other since kindergarten, our parents are friends and I go to his house way to many times to count. Not that me and him ever talk. I tend to stay in his living room on my phone whilst he stays in his bedroom until my mom has finished talking to his moms.

But it wasn't always so awkward since we where once friends in primary school. We even used to be the ones who initiated the hangouts since we were practically best friends but after middle school it died off.

I'm not really sure why it did, we just never bothered talking anymore. Honestly I don't think we've had a proper conversation since the sixth grade.

'Hey.' I answer blandly trying to be nice since I'm going over to his house tonight. Then turning my attention to Katie again and touching her back, 'see you next class?'

Before she can say anything I turn away heading to my locker. Opening it in greeted by all the Polaroids I have of my friends causing me to smile.

Despite contrary beliefs I'm not a shitty friend. I've always looked out for all of them but I can't blame people for assuming i don't since my good to bad ratio is other peoples eyes is pretty fucked up. A lot of things people say about me are false but I ignore it instead of addressing them. So people are left to assume it's true, not that I care anymore.

I open my pencil case grabbing out my lipstick before turning to the mirror that Colton put on the inside of my locker door. He had installed it for me during his free break since I'm always struggling and using the small mirror in my three shade-eyeshadow pallet.

Focusing on the silver lining of the mirror I divert my attention to the little message he had written in permanent marker on the top corner of the glass when he first installed it for me.

'You look pretty today :)'

Frowning I close my lipstick before shoving it back I into my pencil case.

I can't lose him.