3

Chapter 3

After spending the evening with Darius I realized how much more I like him, I realized how sweet and funny he actually is. However, I won't let him learn this though. He will have a line of girls waiting for him on hand and foot come tomorrow morning. He returned me home safely and didn't even try to pull a move on me. Which further cemented the notion of me actually having a boy I like. Never in my 18 years have I had a real crush. Ya, I would be infatuated with guys from my school, I mean who wouldn't with the hot jocks that roam these halls. But that all it was, a shallow likeness of their bodies and nothing more.

Sitting at my desk in my room looking up at the moon I can't help but wonder if the sweetness of Darius is nothing but a ruse, but to what end? He is a new student, perhaps he just wants me to help with getting to know the others, but I'm not popular so I don't know many people really. What if he genuinely wants to get to know me? I run my hands through my hair and sigh aloud "Ugh, stop being dumb. It was just an afternoon, he doesn't even know anyone, it was just him being nice to give a good impression."

There's a knock at my door, not wanting to get up choosing to sit and wallow I answer from my chair at my desk. " Yes?" walks in is my mom with a bag of food, and a small smile on her face. " I brought your favorite back as an apology for this afternoon." She tells me as she enters my room and sits on my bed. I get up from my desk and grab my food and return to my seat. "Thanks, mom, I'll eat in a little while. I'm not hungry right now. So were you able to get the parts and get the car fixed?" She nods her head as she takes a pull off of her drink. "So I was told that you were driving around town with some random guy, you want to tell me about this?"

All I give her is a shrug letting her understand it wasn't a big deal. "His name is Darius, he and his family just moved here, and he and I have been getting along and he offered to give me a ride this afternoon since you and my uncle left town." My mom gets up from the bed and starts for the door. "Well, that's well and good just be careful and let me know the next time you get into cars with people I don't know. Or with Darius again." With that, she leaves me to my solitude and thoughts.

Darius, I just met him this morning and I cannot stop thinking about him. His big bright white smile, with dimples on each cheek emphasizing the heart-melting part of his smile. Every time he looked at me with that smile I kind of felt as if I was starting to fall. It felt like I was on a ride and my stomach was just flipping every time I saw him. Darius actually had me smiling and laughing more than I think I have this entire year. I shake my head at myself. "No, we have to get it together. You will just end up hurt in the long run." I notice it's 9 p.m and decide it's time to get some sleep before I try to call him or something.

The Next Day.

Bradley and I walk into our homeroom together and sit down together as usual, as we would have, had he not ditched. My uncle made sure he walked into the building today. I give him a smirk as he groans about being here. "Ooh, cheer up Brad! It's our last year and you'll be able to sleep in all you want!" He shakes his head "It's not that I want to sleep in, I want to be at the shop. I got a new car I'm working on for a client and it has a due date that's approaching faster than I expected. The guy I'm working on it for is a real Dick, so I'm not trying to make him wait later than what we agreed on." Bradley has been working at my Uncles restoration and automotive shop since he could hold a wrench. At 18 years old he's got as much knowledge about running a shop and fixing cars up like his dad. Come graduation the shop will be his and my Uncle and Momma will be heading out of Crest Hill leaving us behind to run it. I get to be the office manager while he works on the cars.

"Whose car is it?" I ask as I finish up my homework I didn't do last night not bothering to look at my cousin.

"The guy's name is Andrew Deville, he came by a few months ago for a quote and finally dropped the car off a couple of weeks after that. It was basically a completely new build." He says as his voice trails off. And I can't help but look at him to see what's wrong. His attention however is on two guys; Darius and Dominic. Their attention is on me and my cousin, and for some reason, they're not happy looks. I notice that Bradleys' face isn't too friendly either.

"What's wrong? Do you know them?" I can't help but ask.

I hear a slight growl from my cousin and startle at, "No I don't, but I will soon enough. He gets up and as he does 3 guys in my class get up with him and walk out. He bumps into Dominic on his way out and the brothers walk over to me and sit in the same seats as yesterday. "So that was weird. What was that about?" I decided to rip the bandaid off. It's actually Dominic who answers me and by answering I mean a brush off. "Nothing." then nothing is what I got the rest of the day. Dominic and Darius stayed away the remainder of the day.

The rest of the week continues much like the second day, I thought the following day might be different, kind of like a reset but nope. And every time he comes into class my heart races and when our eyes connect my heart skips a beat, but when he breaks the connection and heads to the opposite side of the class a sadness I've never felt before consumes me, and I have no idea why after spending one day together has my emotions so haywire. Instead, I notice a lot of hostility between my cousin and his friends against Darius and his brother. I'm not the only one either, the whole school is on edge. Waiting for something to pop off, to see who will snap first. And on Friday before a pep rally for our first football game of the season it happens.

Bradley was coming down the bleachers and Dominic was going up and as usual, their shoulder bumped but Brad bumped harder than before and caused Dominic to lose balance and crash into someone next to him. Which causes a big ass fight. Girls are screaming and running away from the guys and all the while the guys don't even pay attention and have an all-out brawl on the bleachers in front of all the teachers.

Surprisingly the teachers snap out of the shock of seeing them all fighting like something out of a movie and start separating the guys. All the while I continue sitting in my seat at the top of the bleachers, watching. I notice Bradley sneaking through a side door and I hurry after him. Just as he's about to round a corner I snatch his arm. "Bradly! What the hell is wrong with you?! Why would you start a fight like that? What has the new guys done to you that you need to act like a douchebag all the damn time to them?"

"You need to take your ass home and stay away from the new guys and worry about yourself. Stay out of my business." He sneers before walking away from me. My cousin isn't always the nicest, but he has never been so openly mean to me like that. Which further has me worried about him. But as he says it's not my business so I'll leave it to him. And when he gets arrested for his stupidity I won't bail him out this time. I walk out of the school and head home on foot. I'm walking along the road when someone pulls up next to me. I see it's Darius but I continue walking. He hasn't spoken to me since Monday and has intentionally gone out of his way to avoid me. "Claire! Can we please talk?" He asks from his driver's side door. " I don't grant him a reply, I continue walking instead. I had been experiencing sadness since he's been ignoring me, and now that I'm doing it to him it devastates me. I thought the sadness of being ignored by him was hard, but this, me doing the hurting isn't hurting him. No, it's hurting me.

I look up at the beautiful blue sky and decide to cut through the woods to my house, leaving Darius on the road in his car. I breathe in deeply and run my fingers along with the leaves and wood bark. I hear a twig snap and I look off into the direction it came from and see a bunny hopping along. Once I know I'm close to my house I sit down, with my back against a tree. The quietness of being here, the tranquility of the forest is something I can't get anywhere else. Sitting at the base of a tree and looking up and seeing these old tall trees makes me realize how small I am. How they will always outlive us all if people and mother nature allow. Even in their ancient age they still have someone in control over whether they live or die.

I don't want to be controlled. I don't want someone or nature in control of whether I am allowed to live an old age or not. I want full control over me and my life, but sadly no one has that ability. Sadly the almighty god has deemed it that humans should only grow up to be gray, old, and wrinkly and then die.

"Such a beautiful girl, why are you here alone?" I hear someone say from directly next to my ear. I smell a horrid stench that I can't help but gag at. I jump to my feet quickly, frightened by the sudden arrival of this stranger. "What do you want?" I ask, although my heart is racing almost out of my chest I don't allow him to know that.

"My my little girl, I don't want anything too much. See your cousin stole from me, and I want what was in my car back. He's been avoiding me, and I'm here to send a little message." still confused about what is going on I ask "what do you mean my cousin stole from you? Who are you Bradley isn't a thief, I'm sure there is a mix-up." but I got no reply. The man is pacing back and forth, his eye slightly larger. In the next second, a huge wolf is in front of me.

I'm so terrified I pee myself and become a statue, no flight or fight instincts here, just pure fear. "I-I-I" I can't even speak, but in the next moment the huge brown wolf lunges at me and that causes a blood-curdling scream to come out me. I'm bitten and clawed at. I'm not sure how long it lasts, but at some point, I passed out. Fading in and out of conscientiousness I see Darius over me freaking out, "SHE'S DYING! DO SOMETHING!!" He bellows at the top of his lungs at someone.

I'm now being rushed down a hallway on the gurney feeling my life slipping away with each step they don't take fast enough. my mom and Darius rushing beside me "QUICKLY! We must get her into the OR she's losing too much blood!" says a doctor. I see Brad and Darius with looks of both devastation and anger. But then I'm out again.