Loving Kinnick (Rewritten)

What Makes A Monster A Monster?

After getting me back home safely as promised, Kinnick kept me on my porch to examine the bruises forming on my arm. I watched his jaw clench at the sight of my injury as the color where Luke's fingers once were began to darken more as the time passed. The boxer promised me all I had to do was say the word, and he would snap his fingers. Although I giggled, the look in his eye told me he wasn't joking.

I assured him everything was okay, but when I stepped inside the empty house and was left alone with my thoughts, I started asking myself questions. What would mom do if she was here? Would she have called Luke's mom or scolded Luke herself? And what would she think about Kinnick? Would she trust him and adore him as much as I did?

And why hadn't Chrissy texted me? Over the weekend, I didn't hear anything from any of my friends. I wasn't sure if Miles was my friend, but he texted me to see how I felt. My tired eyes burned in the morning from how long we had texted into the night. Now I am walking through the halls, trying to find my way to class as I hold tightly to my bag straps.

I searched for Chrissy on my way to class, failing to understand why she didn't text me this morning. After waiting for her to pick me up, I realized she wasn't coming to get me. When I tried calling her, it went straight to voicemail.

"Are you going inside?" Miles's voice filled the halls.

My head snapped to the side to see him peering down at me with a smile on his face. "I didn't know you went here."

"Call it destiny," he winked.

I giggled, making him raise his eyebrows in amusement. "Does this mean we are going to get in a lot of trouble?"

He brought his lip ring between his teeth before giving me a large grin. "Absolutely."

"Want to sit by me?" I shrugged my shoulders.

He slid an arm around my shoulder as he pulled open the door. "How about you sit by me?"

I looked up at him with adoration as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Sure."

My eyes searched for Chrissy, but I never found her. When I thought about it, I failed to see her and Luke's car in the parking lot. Miles pulled a seat from the table, allowing me to sit before him. I pushed out a small thank you as I pulled my backpack away from my shoulders.

"Look who finally showed up," Miles teased, looking up from the table.

My eyes lifted, and my stomach immediately swarmed with warmth. Whenever I saw him, I felt calm. The storms in my head stopped raging, and the voices fell silent. As he walked toward us in his black long sleeve shirt, adjusting the straps on his joggers, I felt the day starting to get better. The corner of my lips tugged upward as he glared at Professor Evans on the way to our desk.

"Get out of my seat," he grumbled to Miles.

I felt the weight on my eyes as my brows furrowed together. The scar under Kinnick's eye was slightly purple. When he stepped into the room, I could see it. My eyes darted down to his hands as they folded on the table. As I stared at the burns on his hands, scarred over and pink, I found myself growing with curiosity. What happened?

"What happened to your eye?" I leaned into his side to whisper. "I didn't think you got hit."

The muscles in his cheeks clenched as he bowed his head. "I got into another fight - that's all."

As he answered, my phone started to buzz in my pocket. I dipped my fingers into my jeans to see who was texting me when I saw Luke's name flashing across the screen. Confusion filled my mind as I watched the answer button flash. It kept telling me to swipe to answer, but I didn't want to answer.