Claire's Desperate Idea Pt. 04

Hi guys! Sorry about the delay, there's been a lot going on in my life. I hope you enjoy this one; I know they are both really self conscious and awkward. They will grow.

And remember no stealing!

Bea

It was a catastrophic conversation. Fred knew what his goal was but he hadn't wanted things to go that way. He had, like the honorable gentleman that his mother would want him to be, gone to Kat's dorm to break up with her honestly.

He hadn't expected to see her making out with what he assumed was one of the school gym rats. She'd attempted to give an 'it's not what it looks like' speech, which he walked away from and then when she caught him at the door, she had the audacity to be angry when he told her that he had come to break it off because they were wrong for each other. Not that he and Kat has ever been an ideal match.

"She'd never be interested in a weak loser like you. She always chased the popular dick." And with that Kat had flounced away leaving his heart bleeding.

There was no point. She was right about the first part of her sentence; he was a loser. Average. Depressed. Claire has always been a shining light that he had padded after. He needed to face that nothing would happen.

He remembered his thoughts when they had run into each other and cringed in self disgust.

Fred started back. He was startled when he saw the blue light of a police car flashing ominously by the gate and Jake being hauled in to the police car by two exhausted looking officers. He frantically looked around and caught sight of a campus security officer.

"Sorry to bother you, but what happened here?" He gasped out. A tendril of fear grabbed his heart.

"He attacked and threatened a fellow student. It's not looking good for him because of the witnesses and recordings. Victim was a sweet girl too, kept asking for someone named Fred," the guard mused.

His heart stopped for a moment. "Where is she?"

"She gave her testimony and went off with a friend to the Dapper Cat I think," he paused and grabbed Fred's arm. "You take care of her alright?"

Take care of her. He could barely care of himself. But for her sake he would do it.

"I will. Don't worry."

***

"You should have told me." Claire looked up at him and nearly gasped. He looked nearly as bad as she did, deathly pale with tear streaks still visible and his hair rumpled. He was not the pulled together person she had seen earlier. It was the heartbreaking look of disappointment on his face that cinched it.

For a moment, a pang went through her. He'd always been a bit of a sidekick and she the hero. While she was brilliant in school he was decent, while she forced herself to be popular he stayed in the background. She was always attempting and often succeeded in moving things forward. Internally she was a mess but no one knew that really. Except for Fred.

She'd been a horrible friend perhaps. But it was him who suddenly withdrew.

"I didn't want to bother you," she said. He just felt guilty or something. It was all pointless. She'd lost him full stop and didn't know how.

Don't let that tear slip, don't let it fall...

"Of course I want you to bother me! I care about you!" He was angry a little, but he seemed more in pain.

"Umm, do you want me to go?" Her friend Rachel cut in, making her turn crimson. She'd forgotten her.

"Yeah, that's fine." She wasn't sure if it was the shock fading but it hurt to talk. "Thank you for taking care of me."

"No problem. Call me alright?"

"Of course." She felt his stare on her as Rachel walked away.

"Do you care about me?" The question startled her and sent her mind back into its whirlpool. He sat down next to her and continued.

"Because I feel I fell out of your life. That you don't trust me like you did. We were closer then close and then our lives diverged. You can't even tell me you were almost killed! I care about you. I was always looking out for you and still will."

She noticed a change in his expression. She wasn't sure what to call it though; a sort of steely, determined quality unfamiliar to her. What was up with Fred?

He let out a sigh.

"But Claire, if you no longer want men your life, say so and I'll go. You probably want to be free of my hopeless self." He tried to smile.

"You're not hopeless," she blurted out. "Seems more like you've been avoiding me and didn't want me in your life. I know I've been a crappy friend but-"

"Don't say that about yourself," he gently laid his hand on hers.

"Wait, what happened with Kat? Where is she? She's usually glued to you-" Claire babbled anxiously. Something felt different and for the life of her she couldn't deduce what. Though that could be due to the massive bruise on her head and the shock from earlier.

"I broke it off. Not that there really was much to break off," Fred spat angrily.

"What? Why? Why didn't you say something?" So he hadn't been crazy about her? What had she missed?

"I didn't love her anymore, I went to tell her, and without saying anything she told me," his hand tightened on hers a moment.

"What do you mean? You're doing that evasive poetry thing," Claire said.

"I love someone else but haven't done anything, I went to tell her because that's the right thing to do, and found her cheating," Her heart fell.

Of course it was a pipe dream. He thought of her only as a friend.

"Well you should go enjoy her company then," she spat out. Her inner shields appeared and she drew away. She could probably make it back to her room just fine.

"I am right now and don't you dare walk to your room alone with a possible concussion, love."

She turned around and stared into his eyes. He was dead serious.