Chasing Hearts

Five

Reign was at school on Monday like he said, head down on his desk like usual. He mentioned quickly that he ordered the paint supplies I asked for and that they should be there by the end of the week before he went back to napping. The guy in front of us, who I have learned is named Louise, is once again shocked at our slight exchange.

I have wanted to ask him for some time why it was that Reign didn't like sitting with anyone since he seemed fine sitting next to me, but I never had the chance to speak with Louise alone.

The class was about to begin, and I thought it was the teacher who walked in the door, but to my dismay and surprise, it was Bianca without her posse. She strode right up to me and stopped next to my desk with a slight glare, but it softened when she looked over at Reign who paid her arrival no mind.

"I need to talk with you, come with me," she said.

I scoffed. "Class is about to begin; I'm not going anywhere. You can say what you want to say here."

Bianca went red in the face. "How can you talk to me like that? Come with me, we need to talk." She grabbed my wrist and tried to yank me up from my seat, but another hand landed on my shoulder and pushed me down.

"Stop picking a fight with my seatmate and go back to your class, or it's me you're dealing with next," Reign said with a glare at Bianca, who was shocked beyond words that he would ever treat her like that.

She stumbled over her words before she ran out of the class looking like she was going to cry, but also pissed off. I sighed and leaned back in my seat.

"Do I need to remind you that I'm going to have to deal with her at home later? This is just going to make that experience worse," I said.

Reign scoffed this time. "Does she seriously treat you like that at home? What about your parents?"

"They're divorced. My father and I were estranged until recently."

Reign stayed silent at that, which was preferred, I didn't need any unnecessary comments on my messed up life. Class started soon after and we both became distracted until lunch.

Like always, Reign disappeared to the soccer field for lunch and to avoid any drama with Bianca, I avoided it like the plague. I had decided to start sitting in the cafeteria since no one seemed to bother me there.

But today was different. Bianca seemed to venture her way into the cafeteria and was picking a fight with someone new today. I could hear her across the cafeteria and like always when she spoke, it was ruining my appetite.

I also couldn't sit back and watch her yell and some poor girl for no reason. Knowing Bianca's anger, it was being misdirected at this girl, despite the reason if there was one.

"Can you quiet down? You're shrieking is ruining my appetite," I said to her.

"This has nothing to do with you, so just go away," she retorted.

I looked down and noticed the girl she was yelling at was the same girl from Reign's shop. Did she not know this was the cousin of her crush? If she knew, I had a feeling she wouldn't be speaking to her like this.

"Well, it does, since you're doing this in such a public setting. Handle this behind closed doors if you don't want anyone to intervene."

She huffed and shrieked angrily before she stomped off like always.

"T-thanks, you d-didn't have to d-do that," the girl muttered.

"You spoke with a lot more confidence the last time I saw you. There is no reason to be afraid of her, she is like a small dog with no bite, all bark." She laughed and gestured to the seat in front of her.

"Do you want to eat with me?"

I smiled and sat down. "I never caught your name before."

"Not many can say it, but it's Xiuying. Most people just call me Ying, though."

This surprised me. "You're Chinese?" I had a feeling from the first time I saw her, but I didn't want to assume just because it was someone familiar in an odd place.

"My mother is, but my father is Italian. I was born on the mainland, but I mostly grew up here with Reign. His mother and mine grew up in the same place and met their husbands through each other but my mother stayed in China longer before she moved here."

I realized that through her, I could learn a little more about Reign. I stopped my thoughts when they hit. Why did I care to learn more about him?

"So, what's going on with you and my cousin?" She asked as if reading my thoughts.

"There isn't anything going on, he's just getting me the supplies I need."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. You don't know this, but I left my bag at work the other night and went over Saturday night to get it. I heard the two of you in Reign's workshop. You know he never lets anyone else in there, right? Not even me."

"But, don't you live there too?"

She shook her head. "Of course, not. Who would live there?"

What the hell? "Doesn't Reign live there?"

Ying stopped eating and looked like she had just caught herself in a lie.

"He doesn't live there, but he stays there a lot to work on art projects and clean up the shop after a busy day."

I frowned and let it go, but there was something suspicious going on with Reign, I could feel it. There was a secret he was hiding from me, and maybe everyone outside of his family.

Is he really the person he has shown me? Or is he hiding something darker?