The Finished Masterpiece Boxed Set - Pepper Winters Page 0,18

broken string, drawing the two ends of our severed love closer together.

Gil groaned beneath his breath, turning away from me.

I gasped as a thousand dormant butterflies stretched their paper wings and flew.

Chapter Five

______________________________

Gil

-The Past-

“MISS MOSS, WHERE do you think you’re going?”

I glanced up from rubbing out an incorrect answer on my math work. Olin flinched, tucking dark blonde hair behind her ear, the rest of the shoulder-length strands messy from running in the field at lunch.

I’d watched her stand-up to Josie Prichard—a bully of epic proportions today.

Josie had cornered a younger student, commanded her to do her chemistry homework, then robbed the poor girl of her lunch money. I’d stayed in the shadows while Olin had dashed across the grass, placed herself bravely in the middle of the bully and victim, and demanded the money back.

No one else had intervened.

No one else had been kind enough to stand up for the weak.

It didn’t matter that Olin hadn’t won.

Josie just snickered, punched Olin in the shoulder, then pranced away with a smirk. Olin had rubbed the injury while turning to the young girl, then, as if she was some sort of school-ground angel, plucked the girl’s hand and dragged her to her circle of friends where she shared her lunch with her.

She had to stop being so sweet.

Had to stop being so courageous because each time she did something selfless, my walls cracked a little.

I didn’t trust anyone. Literally anyone.

But Olin...she shone with sincerity. She made me wonder what it would be like to trust her. To have the luxury of her friendship, knowing she’d have my back because that was who she was. She wasn’t fake. She didn’t protect others for recognition or reward.

She helped others because she was good.

And being good these days was one of the rarest things in the world.

For God sake’s, even the wildlife wasn’t safe from her sweetness.

The sparrows got her sandwich crumbs; the squirrels earned nuts bought to school especially for them. Even the scratched, scarred, and ill-tempered tom cat got loved on as she walked home at the end of the day.

Home time was the only moment when her happiness faded. Her dancing gracefulness fell flat. Her positive personality clouding over.

Yet another reason why she intrigued me.

She gave everything she had to those around her, but when it came time to return to loved ones, she dragged her heels and acted as if home wasn’t an enjoyable place to be.

I understood that far too well.

“I asked you a question, Miss Moss. Where do you think you’re going?”

Olin rolled into herself, intimidated by Ms Tallup’s stare.

Couldn’t blame her. Ms Tallup had a nasty streak that was deadly intimidating.

“Bathroom?” Her voice pitched with guilt.

The two girls she hung out with snickered beside her. Olin didn’t look at them.

She was the opposite of me.

I was the boy everyone left alone.

She was the girl everyone wanted to be with. Girls flocked to her side. Boys beamed whenever she walked by. But I had a suspicion she was lonely beneath the popularity.

I didn’t know how I knew but her drive to protect others must come from somewhere, and it usually came from a desire to have someone do the same for them.

I got it.

I wanted someone to look after me, too. I was sick of fighting through life and dealing with punches, kicks, and sleepless nights. But I was far too wary to go out of my way to help like she did. Far too closed off to give the meagre energy I had to others.

Ms Tallup narrowed her cold, grey eyes. “You went to the bathroom ten minutes ago.”

“Tiny bladder.” Olin dropped her gaze, a blush working over pretty cheekbones.

“I don’t believe you.” Ms Tallup stomped to her desk and tossed down a notepad. “But I have to let you go, school policy and all.” Her head snapped up. “But you’re taking another student.”

“Oh.” Olin wrinkled her nose. “But, I—”

“No buts.” Ms Tallup surveyed the congregation of students. “Mr. Clark. You’ll accompany Miss Moss and make sure she doesn’t get lost on her journey.”

“Me?” I coughed.

What the hell?

I was fine nursing my crush from afar.

Happy to watch her good deeds and selfless acts without her ever knowing how much I missed her when she wasn’t there. How much I thought about her when I was at home with screaming whores and cursing fathers.

She didn’t need to be tainted by me.

Not when she was literally the only good thing in my world.

An addiction really.

Not only did her kindness