The Dragon's Scale [COMPLETE]

3.3 || Explosive Rage

Josh's heartbeat drummed in his ears. It would be so much better—so much saner, even—to believe she was checking him out. He wasn't the most attractive guy, but he at least had to be above average. Seven, maybe seven and a half. But no, he couldn't hope that a hot girl was appreciating him. Not when all he could think about was that shadowed guy across from his porch, watching him. Had he been mistaken? No, this girl's figure was nothing like his imagined watcher's had been.

The girl hadn't torn her gaze away. There was something almost curious there, and as he continued to look back, her smile grew.

"Are you still playing around? Because if so, you're really bad at it. Hey, Josh, answer me!"

A harsh poke to Josh's ribs yanked his attention, and he snapped his gaze over to the offender: Eli. His younger brother glared up at him, and Josh blinked back. Now that he was no longer staring at the girl, it felt like he was coming out of a trance. He breathed more easily, and the building panic ebbed away. He gave his head a slight shake, ridding himself of the final cobwebs lodged there.

"What?" He went back over what Eli had said. "Uh, yeah, just playing around still. Sorry about that. Oh, hey, we probably shouldn't stop in the middle of the store."

Eli threw his hands in the air before sticking his tongue out at Josh. "We only did because of you, you weirdo."

Josh forced a smile and nudged Eli along. With a few grumbles giving Josh the blame, Eli continued to move. When his brother's back was turned, Josh glanced toward the blue-eyed girl.

An empty aisle greeted him.

Josh straightened to his full height and craned his neck to peer around. Nothing. The girl was gone.

Gulping past the tightness in his throat, Josh hurried to catch up with Eli.

"You're being really weird today," he pointed out.

Burying his anxiety over the odd staring, Josh shrugged. He needed to focus on the here and now, not get caught up in something that was likely just paranoia. "Maybe you're not being weird enough."

They had arrived at the toy section, so instead of retaliating, Eli darted into one of the aisles to examine the toy options. Josh tried to pay attention to what Eli muttered about each selection, but after a moment, his mind wandered back to the girl.

No. It was nothing unless he kept giving it attention. Then he'd just drive himself crazy. He was shaken by the Darren stuff, and it was making him grow paranoid and imagine things. Paranoia. Imagination. His stomach twisted into a knot. How many times could those be the reasons before it was clear he'd gone insane? This needed to stop, or the next thing he knew, he'd be in a white padded room.

Josh sighed as a pressure built at his temples. These had just been some rough days. Hopefully. For now, he shoved the thoughts down and scrutinized the newest toy Eli had picked up.

"Don't forget, it has to be less than twenty dollars."

"Oh yeah." Eli frowned at the three, pristine ninja figures. "Tyler says he really likes Shinobi Showdown." He stared at them for a moment longer before putting the box back.

"What about this one?" Josh grabbed a smaller box. "Only two of them, but it's still pretty cool."

Eli took the offered box and studied it. While he did, Josh started looking for another option in case Eli didn't want it. The quicker they finished this, the sooner he could—

"Hey, Josh. What a surprise to see you here."

Josh tensed at the familiar, mocking drawl. The voice was much calmer than when he had heard it hours before. He twisted around in a way that put Eli out of sight, and sure enough, Darren stood at the other end of the aisle.