For Worse Or For Better

Chapter 08

    The next few days felt like a blur, all rolling into each other. The only difference? A certain, tall, lanky boy that swept up all of her thoughts was conveniently missing from everything. After their little run in at her dorm room, Blair hadn't caught a single glance of Harry. He was purposely avoiding her, she just felt it in her gut and it confused the hell out of her. Why would he allow himself to let down his guard a little in front of her and then bolt? 

    She'd hoped to see him in English, but when she walked in, with his notebook in her hands, and he wasn't there she thought maybe he was just always the last to show up. When the final bell before class rang and he still hadn't shown up, she felt disappointed, like someone that had been stood up for a date, even though he'd never made her any promises. He'd barely talked to her and she'd let her imagination run wild, thinking that he was into her even though most signs pointed to that not being the case. 

    Not seeing him had put her into even more of a funk than she was normally in and the people around her could tell. Cassidy had spent hours apologizing for ruining the moment, but Blair could tell she didn't really mean it. The blonde couldn't hide her disgust when she talked about Harry and there was a sense of underlying accomplishment that Blair detected in the girl's voice. Eventually, Blair had just snapped on her, telling her not to talk about it anymore and Cas had listened. 

    On day three of Harry being M.I.A., she told herself that she wasn't going to look for him around every corner anymore. She was feeling pathetic, pining for this guy that no one knew anything about and it was driving her crazy, so she did what she always did when she wasn't getting her way. She forced herself not to care. Before leaving for classes that morning, she left his notebook on her desk. 

    If he wanted it back, he knew where to find her. 

    "It's gonna be f*****g awesome. You coming?" A hand waved in front of Blair's face.

    "Huh?" Blair's vision focused in on the piece of celery she was twirling in between her index finger and thumb mindlessly. Cassidy, Gunner and a few of their other friends were discussing people and places Blair wasn't yet privy of knowing, so she'd gone off in a daydream, thinking of what was going on back home. 

    "The party at the lake? Remember what I was telling you about earlier?" Cassidy chewed on the tip of her straw anxiously as she eyed Blair up. "You weren't paying attention?" 

    "Obviously not," Blair grunted. "It's too cold to have a party at the beach. You're all insane." 

    "Oh, c'mon. It's gonna be a bonfire." Gunner grinned, playfully wrapping his arm around her. "I'll warm you up if you get too cold." 

    Laughing, Blair shrugged him off. Over the short amount of time that she'd been at Wolf Creek, he was one of the people that she'd truly come to like. Like everyone, he had his moments of being an annoying, pesky, teenage boy, but she appreciated that he never took himself too seriously. Despite his flirtatious comments and actions, she never felt put off by him, knowing it was all in good fun. If she hadn't been so distracted by the other one, she might've been able to like Gunner. 

    "Not happening unless you roofie me," she poked his chest, flicking his nose as he looked down. The oldest trick in the book. 

    "Why don't you two get a room?" Cassidy sneered from across the cafeteria table. Blair looked up, shocked, at the girl's tone. If she couldn't confirm it from the way it sounded on her worlds, the look on her face was proof enough. Cassidy's blue eyes were dark with green. Envy and jealousy clouded her irises as she tried to avoid looking directly at either Blair or Gunner. 

    Blair immediate slid a few inches away from the boy, eyeing up her friend, assessing the situation. From the day that Cas had introduced her to Gunner, Blair had wondered if there was anything between them, but being around them had all but showed her that they were platonic. At least, that's how it came across. Perhaps Blair was more blind than she thought when it came to knowing how Cassidy felt. 

    Being that Cas was one of her only friends in this whole place, she didn't want to make an enemy out of someone that she'd gotten closer with and if she wanted Gunner, Blair wasn't going to stand in her way. 

    That's when an idea flicked into her head. If Cassidy was worried that she was into him, she'd show her that she wasn't. Better yet, she'd help her get the guy, just to prove that she could be a good friend whens he wanted to be. 

    "You know, now that I think about it. I don't think I'll be able to go tonight. I've got major catching up to do in my classes and my grandfather will kill me if I don't pass." Biting down on the celery stick she was previously twirling, Blair blinked innocently at the others. 

    "What? No. You have to come." Cassidy's eyes grew wide, panic evident on her face. 

    "It's fine, Cas. I'm sure you guys will have just as much fun without me." Giving a pointed look to Gunner and back to Cassidy, she grinned. "I'll still help you get ready." 

    Her friend gulped, trying to hide the anxiety attack that was surely building up inside of her, but Blair was sure that if the two of them hung out without her around again, that Cas could finally man up and make a move on him. 

    After a few more minutes of convincing Cassidy that the party would still be a 'total blast' without her, Blair smugly glanced out the window as she zoned back out of the conversation. Scanning over the parking lot that the cafeteria overlooked, she took in the mundane scenery, only perking up when a car pulled into the lot. It didn't take her a lot to focus in on it, seeing as it was the only movement that had happened in minutes. 

    "s**t, guys, look who's back from the white room," Gunner snickered, shaking his head as his face appearing over Blair's shoulder as he followed her gaze out side. "Crazy fucker." 

    Like the pull of a magnet, as he got out of the car, Harry's eyes scanned up to the window, looking directly at her.