Mistrust by Margaret McHeyzer

think of anything.
    “Hey, thanks for everything,” I say to her as we walk up the steps into the corridors of school.
    “We’re sisters, we’re supposed to stick together. Anyway, I gotta go. I want to see if Taylor’s around.” She fixes her hair then runs her hand down over her jeans. “Do I look alright?”
    “You look cute.”
    “Cute? I don’t want to look cute, I walk to look, hmmm.” She pushes her chest out. “Like a woman.”
    “Well you’re not, and don’t rush trying to be one.”
    Sam nods, then looks down at her shoes. “You know what I mean,” she whispers. “I didn’t mean anything by it. Sorry.”
    “I know. Anyway, I’ll meet you out front. See ya. Oh, and good luck with Calvin.”
    “Taylor,” she corrects immediately.
    I get to my locker, open it and put in my bag, taking out the books I need for my morning classes. When I close it, Mariah is walking toward me. “Hey,” I say when she reaches me.
    “Did you and Levi break up?” She leans against a locker and eagerly looks at me. “’Cause he’s telling everyone he broke up with you.”
    “Yeah, we broke up yesterday.”
    “Why didn’t you call me? Oh my God, are you going out with someone else?”
    “What? No. I wasn’t feeling my best yesterday. I went home and crawled into bed, I wasn’t really up to calling or talking with anyone.”
    “You should’ve called me. Anyway, why did you guys break up?”
    We both start walking toward our first class for the day. I shrug and choose to remain quiet. “We just did,” I finally say after a few moments.
    “You just did? What kind of lame answer is that?”
    We get to Mrs. Walker’s class and sit in our usual seats. Levi walks in, with Reece a step behind him. Levi looks at me, his gaze travelling all over me, then his top lip curls up into a snarl. “You don’t belong here. These seats are reserved for my friends.”
    “What?” I snap toward him. “This has been my seat all year.”
    “You’re no longer welcome to sit here anymore. Go sit somewhere else.” He hovers over me, trying to intimidate me with his size.
    “Levi,” I hear Reece call him. “What’s going on?” Reece comes to stand beside Levi and looks between us.
    “I was just telling her she’s no longer welcome to sit here. These seats are reserved for my friends.”
    I watch Reece’s left eyebrow rise as he looks at Levi in a disgusted way. “Dude, since when are those rules in place?”
    “Since we broke up,” Levi barks at Reece.
    “Don’t be a dick, man. Just leave it alone.”
    Levi looks down at me, then back to Reece. “Whatever, but next class, you’re not sitting there.” He thumps his hand on my desk, causing me to jump back in my seat and my heart to startle with fright.
    “She can sit wherever she wants.” Reece pushes on Levi’s chest to get him away from me. It’s not an aggressive gesture, just one basically saying to leave me alone. “You can sit there again if you want, Dakota.” He smiles at me, and pushes into Levi to get him to leave.
    “Thanks.”
    When Levi and Reece are on the other side of the room, Mariah leans over to me and rubs her hand up and down my arm. “What’s gotten into him?” she whispers in a voice only I can hear. Lifting my shoulders and shaking my head I opt to not answer. I know why he’s being a jerk, because I haven’t had sex with him.
    Mrs. Walker enters the room, and everyone goes quiet. She starts talking about the book we’ve studied but her voice becomes a persistent hum in the background. Nothing holds my attention because the only thought drumming through my mind is the way Levi is acting toward me. I try and not look over in his direction, but I can feel his intense gaze boring into me.
    I’m fighting myself, because as much as I know I shouldn’t look, I almost can’t stop myself. As the class continues, the frustration builds and my hands become clammy. A nervous knot in my stomach grows. I can feel my shattered