The Clairvoyant

Eighteen | 60 days, 15th hour

Audrey sighed heavily as we walked along the grovel path. She's carrying a big box that I know is filled with papers for the student council, and as for me, I'm just carrying something similar to it, but a heck a lot smaller. And lighter.

“Can I tell you something?”

The wind passes by, the current making our hair float in midair. “What's that?”

“I kissed Cain the other day,”

She didn't seem frazzled by the news. Instead she asked me, “So, what did he do?”

“Well, he was awfully surprised.” I began retelling the story that happened last Thursday. “And then we fell off the bed and that's when Jaime caught us.”

Audrey gave a small laugh, shaking her head. “I could just imagine his reaction.”

“So you're not angry?”

She turns to look at me, a wan smile on her face. “Why should I?”

“Well, I don't know... you're his cousin, I guess.” I mumble, hoping that she didn't hear the last bit. But since Audrey giggled I know she heard me. “Or maybe that's just an excuse. Maybe I just wanted to tell you that I might actually like Cain.”

“I kind of did think you liked him,” She began, opening the door to the empty student council. They were all somewhere else at the moment, so I've been told. “I mean, you always smiled around him. You two looked natural together.”

“I bet that's the reason why Bri and the others wanted to come at me.”

“Partially,” She replied, putting the boxes on the table. I put my box down too. “So, you guys dating?”

“Dating?” I look up from her magenta twinkling eyes. She seems really excited about these things. “I don't know – I've never dated before so I don't really know how that works out. He didn't even ask me to be his girlfriend.”

Audrey bit her bottom lip as she tore open the box with a scissors. “I guess he's just shy. And unsure. He's used to the idea that girls are the one's asking him out, not the other way. Maybe you should play hard to get or something.”

“Like make him confess to me instead?”

“Yeah, he likes you after all.”

“How can you be so sure?”

She shrugged and pulled the boxes open, now bringing out the stacks of papers with my help. “He's my cousin, and believe me, I've been with him for as long as I can remember. Can you pass that stapler over there on his table?”

I walk over to the oak wood table, grab the staplers and then grab another one for myself. Without being told, I helped her staple the stacks. They had something on about 'prom' that's dated on April 29; which is six weeks away from now.

“I'm not his first girlfriend, am I?”

Audrey shook her head without hesitation. “Probably the seventh already. Or eighth. He's always had girlfriends for as long as I can remember. But never always serious since they come to him for the sake of popularity. Oh...”

She dropped a stack and I bent down to pick it up. “Oh...?”

Taking them from my hand, she started stapling again. “He did take one seriously. During middle school. I remember how he was definitely in love with her – despite being so young. He cared for her, really showed his affections. Then she dumped him.”

“Just dumped him?” I squinted my eyes.

I can never really imagine a someone not wanting him. It just seemed... impossible, a bit.

“She fell in love with someone else by the time they reached their first year of high school,” Audrey began explaining, pushing another stack of papers for me to staple. “And that's when he began dating for no reason. Like he didn't care anymore. Until last year.”

“Last year?”

“Well, he was always staring at this one girl,” She slowly began, biting her lips again when she couldn't staple a stack. I offered to do it, she reluctantly agreed. Seconds later, it's already stapled. “She was an outcast. No one really took notice of her. Everyone was scared of her.”

“She seems familiar.”

Audrey chuckled, giving me that “oh really” look.

“It's as if you're saying he's liked me for a long time already.”

“Who's liked who for a long time already?” I jumped at the sight of Cain, instantly flaring up my defenses in my head for no reason. He tilted his head to the side then gave me a small smile. “Hi, I didn't know you were helping out at the student council.”

I sag my shoulders as I staple another one. “I didn't have anything to do at home,” I lie, knowing full well my parents are expecting me to come home earlier than usual. “And since Audrey's still here, I decided to stay for a while.”

While my parents are here in Eau Claire, I made it absolutely clear to Colton and the others that they took on my fights for me. I couldn't exactly come home late at night with bruises on either my arms, or a broken wrist right?

“You decided to stay for a while, and talk about me.” Cain implies, getting to his table and sighing at the sight of sheets of papers. He looks through them, then threw them back on the table. “This is boring. I can do this at home if I have to.”

“No one's stopping you,” Audrey mutters, stapling the last of the stacks. “I have a fight to attend to, so if you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to make those guys pay dearly for what happened last time at their hideouts. You coming, Stel?”

I look at Cain, wondering if I should stay. He isn't look at me.

“You can stay instead,” Audrey tells me while Cain says, “I have to talk to her about something.”

“Caio.”

“Bye.”

As soon as Audrey closes the door, I stand up in front of Cain's table, waiting for that 'talk' he said just a while ago. When he signs a document seconds later, closing the folder, that's when he looks up and gazes me in the eye.

“You guys were talking about me, right?” He says without hesitation.

“A bit.”

“Define a bit,” He says slowly, taking another document in his hand as I sit down on his table, crossing a leg over the other, my back turned to him. I hear him signing the papers, then closing it, then taking another and it kept repeating for some time like this. “Well?”

Audrey says you've been watching me. I think slowly, and when Cain stopped his actions abruptly, I knew he heard me. He then resumes seconds later with his actions as if I didn't tell him anything at all so I go: So? Were you watching me?

You make it sound like it's in the past, Cain replies moments later as he continues doing what a president should do. I'm still watching over you, aren't I? I watched over you from those fights you did, watched you get beaten and carry you home.

So you're saying you like me?

Not that I'm saying I do those to all the girls that I know.

We stay quiet for a while, unsure what to say. Jumping off the table, I scoot over to his side and sit on the armchair. I playfully tug on his hair, feeling giddy all of a sudden. “So does that mean I can believe the idea that you like me?”

“Believe all you want,” He says with a chuckle, taking my hand as I tug at his hair. “Stop. You make me look like a cat around you.” Cain frowns, looking into my eye.

“Then, you hate it?” I grin.

“Kiss me instead?”

I give out a small laugh as he comes near me, but I pull away. “Dude, no way. I already did a few days ago.”

“Can't I ask for one more?”

I raise an eyebrow. “Just one more?”

“I mean, of course not. I'll ask for more in the future,” He grins. “So give me a kiss?”

“Give me an answer?” I counter, and his grin slowly turns into a frown. “Come on, tell me. That girl we were talking about before. Who was it? And if I may be so presumptuous to ask, who's that first girlfriend that dumped you?”

He touched his heart and shook his head. “You ask deep questions, Stella.”

“I'll give you a kiss for each.”

“I was watching you,” He answers, and I give him a kiss on the cheeks. He pulls away, touching his cheek, eyes turning into saucers as he says, “Hey! That isn't even considered a 'kiss'!” Cain points at his lips, pouting a bit like a kid.

Patting him on the head, a chortle escapes my lips. “Now then, your girlfriend?”

“That's just it. She fell in love with someone else.” He says with no hint of bitter in his voice. He pulls me onto his lap, a squeal escaping my lips as I thought I would fall down. “I've been over her for as long as I can remember. My kiss?”

I give him a kiss on the forehead, and he frowns again. “So not fair.”

“Your answers only amount to that, sweetie.” I grin back at his sulky expression. Audrey would love to see this. “Okay then, what about that seven or eight girlfriends you've had? Who were they, and how come you agreed to date them?”

“Why are you so curious?”

“Why do you answer my questions with a question?”

“Okay, fine. Fine.” He raises a hand to me, shaking his head. Cain then hugs me, his chin on my shoulder. “Do I have to give you names? Can't I just tell you that I agreed to date them because, as I was to them, I had plenty of uses for them.”

I titled my head a bit. “So you were using them.”

“Just as they were using me.”

Smacking his forehead, he looks at me with questioning eyes. “I can't consider that as an appropriate answer so no kiss. Besides, I've got other questions to ask you, i***t. What's so good about me, and how come you liked me?”

“Who said anything about liking you?” He asks with this serious face on, and my heart sinks into the depths of my stomach. “Just kidding. Chill, Stella, don't look so angry.” he chuckles, pinching my cheeks. “I'm actually happy you're here with me.”

“Yeah, happy you've got someone to tease,” I mutter, now looking away.

Cain chuckles and pokes my side. I flinch since I'm actually ticklish there. “Despite being a delinquent, you're awfully nice. You care about others to the point you'd do reckless things for them. And that's what got me hooked on you.”

“Me being reckless?” I question, frowning.

He shrugged his shoulders. “With you being reckless, it made me want to protect you.”

“So that's a good thing...?”

Cain raised an eyebrow. “Yes...? It's supposed to be, idiot.” He smacked me on the forehead, then placed his chin on my shoulder again. “So can I get a kiss? You being reckless isn't the only thing I like about you, okay? There's plenty of other things.”

I gave him a kiss on the opposite cheek and he frowned again.

“You know, if you really don't want to kiss me, just say so.”

I face him again – even though technically I'm sitting sideways. I wrap my shoulders around his neck, frowning a bit as I realize his hair smells like mint, or vanilla. Or something along those lines. And it made me want to touch it again.

So girly.

Who is?

You.

He pinches the side of my stomach again, and this makes me bite that part between the shoulders and neck. He yelps in pain right away, surprised by my actions, and I grin at him as I pull away. “Pinch me again, and I swear I'll bite harder, jerk.”

“I'd rather you kiss me,” Cain mutters, placing his face near my neck and hugging me from behind. Our positions changed so I'm facing the empty room again. And then all of a sudden I feel pain on the same spot as where I bit him.

And it took me a second later to realize he just bit me.

“Returning the favor,” He smiled sweetly like it was the most natural thing in the world.

I quickly jumped off his lap, hoping to the side of the table while he stood up and apologized. “I didn't mean to bite you that hard,” He apologizes, taking my hand in his. “Stella... come on, I'm sorry.” He apologizes again, and then all of a sudden the rest of the student council, Audrey excluded, came in.

Cain quickly pulls his hand away, and I felt my heart drop at the sudden act.

If he liked me, how come he was hiding it in the first place?

I was watched with curious eyes from the rest as they filed in, and then one of the girls said, “I just saw Audrey a while ago with someone, and I'm guessing that was her boyfriend. Are you sure it was alright for them to leave?”

“It's fine,” Cain replies with a kind, but fake, smile. I don't even know why he's faking it.

“I should go,” I turn around from the rest of them, their eyes boring into my back. I didn't really feel comfortable around a crowd that seemed like they didn't want me in the same room as them. “Thanks for the notes.”

Cain's expression shows he's confused, but then he gets a grip and nods. “Yeah, no problem.”

And like that, I walked out of the student council room, remembering that I'm still the school delinquent. Even if Audrey, Colton, Chace and Tristan loved hanging out with me most of the time, it still didn't change the fact a lot of other people didn't like it.

Then I realized why Cain pulled his hand away from mine the moment the other people walked in. I felt a little insulted that he didn't want to be seen with me. Then I remember: Cain's the president and I'm a delinquent.

Who'd love to see that pair walking around hand in hand?