discovery
1236 Words
Chapter four
Phoenix
I hiccuped like a thousand times after he released me, but we averted each other’s gaze briefly afterwards. He must've been as confused as I was, or maybe not. That was intentional! The thought of being used to satisfy a longing filled me with hate and rage and I exploded before him.
“Hey, what was that for?” I quizzed, poking him with a finger.
He had his back to me, but turned when I nudged at him and glanced at me. However, what I saw in his eyes wasn't anger, or lust. It was amusement. What did this mean to him?
“Don't act like you didn't like it.” He offered a smug reply.
“I didn't!” I yelled.
“Liar!” He replied, without yelling nor angry.
“What?”
“Aren't you gay?” He asked, running his tongue across his lips.
“When did I ever say I was?” I asked, shifting backwards.
“Yesterday. Don't you remember?” He asked, making a face.
What the f**k! Did my joke come back to bite me in the ass? Am I rooming with the real gay? What the hell have I done to myself?
Wait, I never said that. He was being manipulative. I turned to him, fuming. “That wasn't true. I never admitted to being gay.”
He paused, smirked and said. “I thought you did.” Then waltzed over to his bed and laid back, covering his eyes with his palms.
What? Didn't he like the sun? Was he a vampire? Why did I even care? “I should go.” I managed to say, grabbing my bag and heading towards the door.
“Also,” he started, pausing me at the door. "Let's not get in each other’s way from now, I might not be so kind to you, Rowan.” he mentioned the name like it was a curse.
Whatever! I muttered under my breath as I slammed the door shut.
***
The day had shifted from a cloudy morning to a scorching, spiteful afternoon. I sat under the oak tree, staring at the kids playing Table Tennis in a roofed space close to the lawn but my mind did the unexpected. It brought back memories of my moment with my roommate.
It was weird, but I did like it when he kissed me, I thought smiling. I didn't even know his name, yet we'd both shared a steaming kiss. He was a good kisser. My roommate. He was better than most of the guys I'd kissed in my lifetime but did that matter? I was a guy to him, and on a mission. Don't forget that Phoenix.
Keep your head in the game. That guy either knows something about Rowan's death, or is the lead to finding the real killer. And how about the other guy? What was his name again? I closed my eyes to try and remember his name but couldn't.
In fact, I didn't need to recall his name. The devil was right in front of me with the same killer glare on his face.
“Darren Carlton,” I suddenly whispered as he stood before me. His name had jolted back to my memory like a silent pain.
I tried to act normal. Like I had no idea who he was, but it was too late. I'd been caught.
“What? Were you fantasizing about me?” Darren asked, towering over me like a giant. He wasn't glaring at me, nor was he smiling.
I felt so short, looking up to him. “Why would I do that?” I asked, rising, and wiping some speck of dust off my fanny.
“Then why would you groan my name?”
“Groan?” I scoffed, rolling my eyes. “You give yourself too much credit.”
Standing close to him, I took in what he really looked like. Darren was probably six feet tall, with olive skin, and warm brown eyes that got me wondering how he taught them to glare intensely when they looked so gorgeous. He had silky auburn hair, a model jawline and full red lips. Suddenly, I couldn't resist imagining what they would feel like on mine.
“Did I?” he asked, bending to look into my face.”
I bit my lower lip, and tried pushing the guilt away. Still, he caught me. “You're either gay, or you're not a boy.” Darren blurted confidently, out of the blue.
“What do you mean?”
“If you're gay, then you're not Rowan. If you're not gay, then you're a girl.”
I'd been found out, but I wasn't about to surrender. “Girl? Why would you draw such hasty conclusions?” I scoffed, my knees growing weak.
“Two reasons. You were fantasizing about kissing me in your head.”
“What are you? Mind reader?” I asked, regaining my lost confidence.
“No, I can smell your thoughts.” He replied, making a face. “Oh, secondly, I know that there can't be another Rowan who looks so much like the boy I knew. Plus, Rowan wasn't gay.”
“People change.”
“Not Rowan.”
“Well, I'm not him. And thinking about it, you must've known him very well.” I said, accusingly and when Darren read the meaning, he heaved a sigh of resignation.
“You know you do not belong here.” he said finally.
“You don't have the right to tell me where I should or shouldn't be.”
“No, I don't, but the school authority does. And I wonder what they'll do when they find out that there's a girl in an all boys school.”
My heart skipped.
Son of a b***h!
“What do you mean girl?” I asked, my eyes watery.
Darren drew closer and whispered, “Because I know that you're not a boy, Phoenix.”
Phoenix?
My voice got stuck in my throat at that exposition. It's only been two days, and I've been caught. I thought I could hide it so well.
“Pack your bag and get out of this place, or I'll make you leave.”
My blood dried up, but I wasn't about to give up. “Why? What are you scared of? That I'll uncover your secrets?” I asked, regaining my voice.
“What secrets?” Darren's voice carried a weight of confusion, but didn't all killers act oblivious?
“That you killed my brother.” I answered.
“What? Is that why you're here?”
“Don't deny it.”
“I wouldn't try to.
“What?”
“You just told me not to, didn't you?”
“Don't use my words against me, Darren. You were Rowan's arch enemy.”
“So what? Doesn't mean I killed him.”
“If you didn't - and I don't believe you didn't - but if you didn't, then whoever killed my brother attends this school. And I won't leave until I get to the bottom of this.”
“Do it outside.”
“I'll stay here until…”
“No, you won't! Listen to me, and get lost, or I'll make you.”
“What's going on here?” A voice interrupted, and I froze.
Did I get caught by another student?
- Writer
