Halfway There | COMPLETE ✔ + Sequel

Chapter 13 - The Hit

I woke up in a panic from the same nightmare I've been having for the last few weeks. I placed my hands on my neck because the feeling of someone else's hands wrapped around them still lingered. Bella and Kendall decided to go hiking when they realized both of their morning classes had been canceled so that meant there was no one to witness my pathetic display.

I groaned as I grabbed hands full of hair from my scalp after bringing my knees up to my chest and resting my chin on them. I looked at the clock on my bedside table and sighed when I noticed that I woke up almost two hours before my alarm. I quietly swung my legs off the edge of my bed and made my way out of the dorm, towards the bathroom.

The first thing I went for was the sink, turning the nozzles to as cold as it could possibly go, before splashing my face with the freezing water.

I lifted my head to see my reflection in the mirror. My face was almost red from the icy liquid. The bags under my eyes were dark from my restless sleep and the bruises on my face were almost completely gone, aside from the small specks of red and purple on the edges.

It's been over two weeks since the last time I had spoken to Nova. I spent all that first night cursing his name to hell but by the next day, when my mind wasn't clouded with rage, I still found myself wanting to know who Bradley was and what his threats meant. Nova had the right to not want to be near me but I also had the right to know why some, strange and potentially dangerous man was keeping tabs on me.

As humiliated and angry as I was at him I was ready to confront him the next day in class but the days following our argument I hadn't seen him once. He hadn't showed up to our astrology class that Monday or the days after that either. There was potentially some random stranger watching me when I couldn't even see him and Nova was the only one who had the answers I was looking for and he was nowhere to be found.

Everyday I searched for his dark brown hair and tall lean figure parting a crowd of students as he walked. I waited for him to show up to class. I hoped to see him at his usual spot at lunch but all week there hadn't been even a sign to say he ever existed in the first place.

I'll admit that I wasn't completely myself for the first few days but almost everyone of my friends didn't make it any easier. It was almost as if I couldn't get away from any drama.

Bella and Kendall were not talking for a few days after Bella walked in on Kendall and Liam kissing in the lounge one night. Apparently that was why Kendall was sneaking off so often. I'll be the first to admit that I was just as surprised as everyone else by their sudden relationship. They had done a really good job in hiding it but if I thought back hard enough I could find times they slipped up and made me wonder how I could've been so blind.

"I don't even care that they're together!" Bella shouted the night after she found out that they have actually been seeing each other since the night of Thomas' party. "I just thought we were best friends, ya'know? Like if I started dating Will I would have told you guys!"

As much as I understood why she was upset I couldn't help but be annoyed with her. Kendall was allowed to have her secrets and if they wanted to keep their relationship from us then I don't think it wouldn't be without good reason.

Thankfully, they made up just a few days later. Liam and Will set something up so they would end up being in the same room together at the same time and it just so happened to be right in the middle of our dorm room.

"I tell you guys literally everything!" Bella shouted at Kendall.

"Well, we didn't know what we were, Bells! We were just having fun!"

"Oh! Oh, you hear that?!" She looked at Will when she asked her rhetorical questions, "They were just having fun!"

"Yes, Bella! We were just having fun! We didn't know what we were or what we were doing! And we didn't want to make it awkward for everyone else around us!"