Muted sunlight fell through a layer of gray clouds and over the school as Carter walked towards the front entrance. On one side of the school white trucks were parked. Men in jumpsuits unloaded heavy speakers and large cylinders with electrical wires. Carter glanced their way but barely gave the scene a second thought.

Weariness hovered around her as unanswered questions sat heavy on her shoulders. Hands jammed into her pockets, she climbed the stairs. She pushed through the school doors and entered the fray of sounds that ricochetted off walls. She nudged and pivoted her way through the throngs of uniformed students towards her classroom.

As she walked down a hallway, her gazed landed on Link and Maddy. They leaned against a set of lockers. Their faces were inches apart as their hands brushed, slipped together and shifted again. Carter looked across and found Donovan. He was resting against the opposite wall, watching the tide of students. His hands were shoved into his pockets.

At the sight of him, Carter felt her shoulders inch downwards a fraction.

She navigated her way over to him and took the open spot beside him. His face was impassive but there was a rigidity in his posture that contradicted his assumed emotionless state.

"Hey," she said, glancing at him.

He gave a single nod, but nothing else, his lips a thin line. A group of sophomore girls passed by and looked at Donovan, their lips curved in bashful smiles. They whispered to each other and a second late a round of giggles swept over them. Donovan gave no evidence that he was aware of them, but Carter noticed a subtle tightening of his jaw. His face remained unchanged. She said nothing about it.

"How did it go with your brother this weekend?" she asked.

"Fine."

His voice was toneless, his mouth hardly moving. Carter looked at him but his expression was a blank slate, not a trace of his thoughts were revealed. She crossed her arms.

"It was nice meeting him," she said.

Donovan made no reply or any indication that he had even heard her. A frown formed on her forehead as she looked at him. Again, his features were unreadable. She opened her mouth, but a petite, redheaded girl appeared before them. Without her heels, Carter figured the girl wouldn't have come up even to Donovan's shoulder. Donovan seemed unfazed by the girl. She gave him a sweet smile.

"Hi Donovan," she said. "I don't know if you know this, but we have A.P. Lit together. I sit two seats over from you."

Carter's eyes flickered to Donovan. He said nothing and the blank mask held. Even though he made no sign he knew the girl, Carter didn't doubt he knew the girl's full name as well as a lot of other information she would think personal. The girl wasn't hindered by his silence. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and gave him another smile.

"Look," she said. "I don't know if you had a partner for the project due this Thursday, I thought I would just ask-"

"I have a partner," he said.

Though the words were said with very little inflection, Carter heard an undercurrent of irritation beneath them. The girl nodded, as a deep blush bloomed on her cheeks.

"Oh...okay," she said. "Well, if it doesn't work out...I'm free..."

When he said nothing, she hurried away, her heels clicking on the tile floor. Carter looked from the retreating, mortified girl to Donovan, whose jaw was clenched. She turned toward him and leaned on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

The bell rang stirring people from their thoughts and own worlds. Groups broke apart and dispersed.

"We should get to class," he said.

He stood upright but didn't look at her. He made to walk toward Link, but Carter's hand on his arm stopped him.

"Hey," she said, searching his face for any clue to his thoughts. "Is something wrong?"

He looked at her, but Carter found there was nothing to read. Every thought and emotion were closed off from her, blocked by an impassive mask. Carter reflexively tightened her grip, as she felt another wall being built against her.

"No," he said, his voice flat.

He moved out of her hold and stepped over to Link and Maddy. With a kiss and a promise of seeing each other soon, the couple split. Carter joined, a smiling Link and Donovan as they walked into their classroom. When they took their seats, she leaned on the table and look at Link.

"Is Donovan alright?" she asked.

Link gave her a puzzled look. "Yeah, why wouldn't he be?"

Carter ignored the question and studied Link. His face was an open book. His unconcern was easy to read.

"He didn't say anything about how it went with his brother?" she asked.

Link pulled a notebook from his bag and shrugged. "No. He doesn't really tell me stuff like that. Why?" He glanced at Donovan then focused back on Carter. "What's going on?"

Sitting up, she shook her head. "I don't know. But something is."

Link looked back again. Donovan was starting on the homework, his expression devoid of any emotion. Link met Carter's gaze, his thoughts untroubled.

"He looks fine to me," he said. "Did he say something to you?"

"Not in words, no."

He chuckled. "You might just be reading in to it too much. He's quiet at times. We know this."

Carter nodded, but she didn't agree. The second bell rang and Mr. Miller called for attention, cutting off anymore of Carter and Link's conversation. As he went into the lesson, she found her mind replaying Donovan's action and manner. The longer she thought about it the more she knew something was wrong.

********************

Carter closed her locker door, the clang of the metal on metal drowned out in the tumult of voices as girls filled the locker room. They tossed words out at each other as they changed, eager to get out of their gym clothes. Carter shouldered her bag and walked out. The hallways were still empty, the final bell minutes from ringing.

She moved to the opposite side and leaned against the wall, by the boys locker room. From behind the door she heard the muffled shouts of laughter and yells as they joked around. Down the hallway, two built workers walk passed. Bulky tool belts hung from their waists. Too far to hear their words, their voices sounded like the distant thunder.

Carter crossed her arms, her features pensive. The look had slowly taken over her face through out the day. Through out every interaction with Donovan, his responses were single syllables and his lies were repetitive. She waited, curiosity gnawing at her.

The bell rang. Doors banged open as students streamed out, their chatter absorbing the silence of moments before. Carter barely noticed the tide of people. Her focus was on the single door that had yet to open. She straightened when it did. A group of guys stumbled out, falling into the chaos of the halls. She waited.

When the door opened again, Link walked out, sliding his jacket on. She reached for him. He let out a surprised yelp as she hooked his arm and pulled him into the closest bathroom. Donovan was faster this time. He made it inside as Carter closed the door and flipped the lock.

"What is with you and bathrooms?" Link asked, doing a sweep of the stalls.

"They have locks," she said, without missing a beat. She slid her hands into her pockets and focused on Donovan. "You want to tell me what's going on?"

He flexed his jaw as he realized the ambush was for him. He crossed his arms.

"Carter," he said, his voice the same flat, emotionless voice it had been all day. "I told you, nothing is going on."

She cocked her head studying him, watching as he worked to keep his face neutral. In his blue eyes, she could see flashes of frustration. She took a step forward.

"I know something's up, just talk to me," she said. "Or at least don't lie to me."

Link looked between Donovan and Carter, frowning.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Carter didn't looked at Link, her gaze locked on Donovan's.

"I don't know," she said. "That's what I want to know."

A flicker of annoyance darted through Donovan's face before his control came back.

"Carter, why do you feel the need to drag guys into bathrooms to confront them?" he asked, his tone patronizing.

"Why aren't you answering my question?"

He stared at her, his mask cracking a fraction to reveal irritation. The look disappeared and in its place was a calculated impassive expression.

"Was my silence bothering you?" he asked. Before he could control them, the words slipped out of his mouth. "Maybe I didn't feel like playing therapist to you. You should find someone else to annoy with your problems."

The words hung in the air, stunning Link and stinging Carter. Donovan stared at her, making no sign that he regretted it. Without looking away, she took off her blazer.

"Look, I never asked you to care. You pushed me to tell you," she said, rolling up one sleeve of her shirt. "You didn't have to give me advice so don't throw that back at in my face."

Link looked over at her, frowning.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice hesitant as if he knew he wasn't going to like the answer.

Carter started rolling up her second sleeve and stared at Donovan. The edge of her lips curled.

"I'm going to kick Donovan's ass."

Donovan looked at her with humorless eyes. "No, you're not."

She waved her hands out, her look mocking. "Does it look like I'm joking?"

She loosened her shoulders and brought her fists up. Link looked between Carter to Donovan, then back.

"Carter," he said, "you can't be serious?"

She ignored him. "Put 'em up Donovan or you won't recognize that pretty face of yours in the morning."

He continued to look her, unfazed.

"You couldn't hit me the last time," he said.

She shrugged carelessly. "I wasn't focused."

"That will change nothing now."

She smirked, then took one step forward and swung at his face. His instincts kicked in and he caught her fist before it hit him. Before he was able to prepare a defense, Carter brought her leg up and kneed him in the side. Wincing, he bent over and she brought her elbow around, clipping him in the jaw.

His gaze snapped to her as he reached up to his jaw. Shock was clear in his blue eyes. Link's eyebrows shot up as he looked between Donovan and Carter. She took a step back, her face indifferent.

"That looked like it hurt," she said. "You alright?"

He straightened and said nothing. Carter held her hands out.

"Either you're going to talk to me or you're going to get punched. It's your decision."

Donovan stared at her, his face hard.

"What do you think you are doing?"

"Taking your brother's advice."

With a step forward, Carter came at him again. This time he was ready for her attack. She swung and he caught her fist. He used his hold to spin her around, pulling her into a lock. His arm was pressed against her, pinning her back to his chest.

"I'm not going to fight you, Carter," he said, his breath brushing her neck.

"Don't worry, I've spent the last four years fighting guys twice your size. You won't hurt me."

She tried to break out of his hold, but he countered her.

"I'm serious," he said. "Stop this."

"You're the one that can make it stop. Just talk to me."

When he said nothing, she elbowed his side and jerked her head back. He avoided the impact of her head but wasn't fast enough to dodge her elbow. She twisted the wrist holding her and broke away. She turned, facing him again. Donovan held his emotions in check, but she could see something sparking in his eyes.

"Come on Donovan, what's it going to be?"

"I'm not doing this with you."

"Fine. It's your face."

She moved in for another attack. He blocked her, but she used his forward momentum to get in a hit to his side. He grimaced but was able to block her next move. She quickened her blows, getting in one for every three he blocked.

"Feel like talking?" she asked, after she landed a hit to his ribs.

"I'm not fighting you, Carter. Now quit it."

"Just talk to me."

His response was silence.

They kept going, Donovan shielding himself from her blows, but not retaliating. At one point his counter move came too quickly and Carter took a punch to her left side. She winced at the shock of pain. Instantly, he took a step back, his hands raised.

"Carter, I'm sorry," he said. "But this is enough."

"Are you ready to talk?"

"I'm serious."

"So am I."

She stared him down, her expression determined. For a moment the passivity was gone from his face and all his hidden emotions were on full display.

"I need to get out of here," he said.

Beneath his calm tone, she heard an undeniable need. She nodded, also reading the frustration in his face. Carter looked to Link, who was leaning against the sink, just staring at them.

"Keys," she said.

He pulled the keys out of Donovan's bag and tossed them to her. She deftly caught them in one hand and looked back at Donovan. She gave a nod to the door.

"Come on, I'm driving."

**********************************************************************

Caramel ice cream!
(Gosh who wants some cause I definitely do!)

Haha so there you have it! Carter beat up Donovan! Awww how romantic! ❤️You agree right?!

Wow I've really made a violent group of readers. Yeah I'm totally fine with that. 😁

Quick question before you rush off to the next chapter! What do we think of the Darter ship??

Best book you've ever read?

(Mine is a three way tie between The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, Fire by Kristin Cashore, and A Long Fatal Love Chase by Louisa May Alcott)

Spørgetid! (Danish) This question is from fancy fantasticrhea: If you were given the chance to make a movie...what would it be based on?

Answer: Honestly, this book or Mr. Write. I see them so clearly in my head that I think they were translate really well to screen. Also my family jokes that I write screen plays in book form. ☺️

Tote, vomit, swallow! 😉

Hot guy!

Haha just kidding! It's an adorable panda! (Gosh I feel like this right now)