Broken

Chapter 46

The rest of the week passed achingly slow for Makenna. She tried to focus on what was important which were her classes during the day and the parties at night; the two things that made her forget her troubles. At least for a little while.

Saturday came around and she was tempted to ditch Vanessa for their routine study session. But she didn't want to give Vanessa any reason to think she was avoiding her because of the way she'd left suddenly the last time. She was supposed to not care and here she was concerned about what Vanessa might think.

Fuck! What was happening?
Makenna thought as she headed out of her dorm not wanting to think about either option any longer.

She nailed the bad bitch exterior without even trying when she was running on autopilot. That was what she switched to as she headed out.

At the library, Vanessa glanced up at Makenna from the book she was reading for the first time since a minute ago. They were half an hour into their time and still, Makenna hadn't spoken a word to her. Vanessa felt like she was having déjà vu with Makenna not speaking. It was like their first meeting all over again with Vanessa nervous and tentative about Mrs. Kim asking them to partner up. Vanessa had gone into it with an open mind even though she'd seen Makenna in class a few times and had come off as intimidating although they never officially met.

Vanessa had sat down with one butt cheek, ready to flee the second Makenna attempted to lean over and bite her head off for literally nothing. Now, Vanessa sat down comfortably but the Makenna sitting in front of her felt like the Makenna from that time. Not intimidating but definitely withdrawn.

"Mac?" Vanessa tried, for the first time, to get her attention,

Makenna had her earphones plugged in to get her pumped up, but low enough not to interrupt her studies. So, she heard Vanessa call her name but pretended not to. If it wasn't important, Vanessa would let it go.

That was what Vanessa did. She would try again when they left.

Atlas and Will got to the library at their normal time and Atlas wasn't surprised to find Makenna and her friend at their table. Atlas sighed like he'd been holding his breath for her to be here which was what surprised him. He'd had some time to think since the day at the café, and since she'd left the café the way she did the urge to bump into her sprung up on him like a thief in the night.

He hadn't liked the look he saw on her face when she left and over the past few days, he'd replayed the moment he'd fallen to the ground with her in his arms. The more he thought about it, the more he became aware of how she'd felt in his arms. He'd been too stunned that day to notice but over the past few days, the feel of her in his arms, his hands on her small waist had become more prominent than anything else that happened that day.

For the first time, Atlas had thought about the small frame behind her dark, mostly oversized clothes. He wondered, more than before, what she was hiding.

Atlas almost shook his head at the full circle he had come. The first day they met at the café, he'd thought the colour black looked unappealing and dull on her and the last day they met, which was at the same café, made him think the colour black had never looked good.

Of course, the thought hadn't crossed his mind right there in the café but the past few days had been a long couple of days.

There had no doubt been another part of him that wondered what was going on with him and made him regret grabbing her as he fell in the first place. But it hadn't been a decision he made, she just happened to be in the way as he fell, so he couldn't exactly regret 'grabbing' her. And it was grabbing her that had prompted everything else that happened afterwards; her anger, the look on her face which made him want to apologize, him replaying the moment over and over again in the last few days, him realizing he had a thing for the colour black.

It was the ripple effect and there was nothing else to do asides from dealing with the fallout.

He'd tried to talk himself out of wanting to apologize to her. But just because Makenna was naturally always on the offence didn't mean he should have been. He knew if it was anyone else, he would have been polite and tried to explain so they didn't walk away thinking he was the villain in their story. But because it was Makenna, and Makenna was always ready to bite his head off, he had decided not to even try. And that wasn't like him.

So, he was going to apologize, but as for the other things like the feel of his hands on her over her clothes, suddenly having an affinity for black, he was keeping it quiet on those counts. Then hopefully, it would fade away after he apologized.

An hour and a half later, Makenna and Vanessa returned the textbooks back to their specific shelves and grabbed their things to head out. Atlas had been focused and hadn't noticed them but then looked up just as they reached the door. He glanced from their empty table to the door that swung closed after them and he pushed his chair back and was on his feet.

"What...?" Will began to question him but Atlas was gone,

Atlas burst out through the library doors and found them halfway down the flight of stairs. He went after them.

"Mac,"

Makenna could feel Vanessa about to burst with questions and just as Vanessa opened her mouth to talk, she heard her name from behind her. She and Vanessa both stopped and turned around and Makenna was surprised to find Atlas walking down the stairs and stopping in front of them.

His eyes were on her and hers didn't leave him as she wondered what in the world he was doing coming after her, yelling her name.