Chapter Twenty-Eight

I missed Stone.

The hollowness hit me harder as I glanced behind my shoulder at his vacant seat in the English classroom.

He had not been at school all day and I was starting to get worried.

In first period, Lana commented about my sulking which I replied with a fake grin and telling her that I did not care.

It turned out that I did care a lot. I cared that I did not have him to talk to about books or even to talk to about things as casual as the weather. I cared that he was not here to make me laugh or to challenge me in class. I cared that I did not feel his eyes on me or that I did not have the feeling that came along with his dark gaze.

Lana put a hand over the pencil that I had no idea that I was tapping

"What has got you so agitated?" She asked.

With a sigh, I told her "I feel unfulfilled."

Her face contorted to a confused expression as she raised a perfect blonde eyebrow "Why?"

Biting my pencil in the corner of my mouth, I thought of the best way to put it without sounding like I missed the giant. A way that she would not interpret as me sulking.

"It is just that I land some great blow to his ego in English." I explained, "I usually come up with great book-centred insults and references and he is not even here to hear them."

I cursed Stone in my mind. He would definitely revel if he knew what I was talking about. He would have something to tease me about.

"So, you miss him?" Lana asked with a large smile "I guess it is true what they say. Distance makes the heart grow fonder."

"No!" I exclaimed too quickly. Quickly enough that it sounded fake and an utter lie.

An even larger grin grew on her face as she said "You are such a little liar! Just admit it. You like Stone."

I crossed my arms and looked over at Mr Dankworth's board lesson as I muttered "I guess a little but that is only when he is not here, and I can’t hear him."

"So, if you don't like him, I guess you would not be interested in knowing why him and Brennan are not at school..."

"I am kind of interested." I admitted instantly after she said it.

Lana covered her hand as she giggled "I don't actually know where they are. All I know is that you are a bit too keen to know where a guy that you supposedly don't have feelings for is."

"And I know that you are getting a bit too good at sneakily getting things out of people." I rebutted.

A shrug was her reply before she voiced "I have learned from the best. All that time spent with you."