The next day, it was after school and as I headed out the front doors of AGHS, Nolina and Caren were already rushing to the student parking lot. All my other messages were silent. The only buzz I wanted right now was the one telling me that Tara's car was leaving the lot.
Tomorrow, I'd have my counseling.
But today, I'd have my answers.
I walked calmly off campus, for the first time ever, waiting eagerly for that feeling of being watched.
And then I felt it.
I glanced back slightly and it was the car. But I hadn't gotten a message from Nolina and Caren. I frowned, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. Should I go back and make sure they're okay? What if this wasn't Tara, but something bigger than us high school kids. What if they had been kidnapped?
I text Caren frantically, noticing the car parking slightly a few feet away. Most of the kids walking from school were gone now. I was a little bit past the apartments. Then her text sent through.
'Sorry, bad connection', I read in my head, 'it's Tara, I saw her pull off'.
I glanced back and the car started to take off.
I made a split second decision and jumped in front of it. If they really didn't care about me and they planned on killing me, they'd run me over. If it was Tara...depending on the mood she was in, she might do the same.
I caught the hood of the car in my hands as it stopped right at my feet. I huffed, breathing quickly as I stared through the windshield and Tara hopped out. "Gialla, what the fuck? You could've died!"
"Why the hell have you been following me?" I demanded, coming around to the driver's side where she stood and blocking off the entrance back into the car. Nope, she wouldn't drive away from me this time. Now she couldn't get back into her car.
"I," she sighed, apparently tired of fumbling for a lie. "I can't get enough of you, Gialla. Seeing you at school wasn't ever enough and..."
"So you've been doing this longer than a few days?"
"Since before you were in jail," she admitted.
"Years?" I prodded more.
Tara pressed her lips together, guilt in her eyes as she stared at the ground. Somebody shouted for us to get out of the road, and we stood closer to her car that was parked alongside the sidewalk.
"I was also making sure you got home safely," she added in, like that made things better.
"You were fucking stalking me, Tara. What the hell," I went off.
"I'm sorry. I never thought I'd get caught," she said.
"That's your apology? You never thought you'd get caught," I demanded.
"I'm sorry for following you," she elaborated, stepping closer to me. "I didn't mean to come off as creepy. It's just...you've changed since you've become a calmer Gialla. I miss arguing with you. When you got mad, that used to turn me on, even though it stressed me out as much as it made me horny."
Huh, so everyone was right about her only wanting me for the old me.
"That doesn't make what you were doing right," I stated. "I wasn't mad when you were following me, sometimes I was low key scared."
"I'm sorry that I scared you then," she said softly.
"There she is!" Caren exclaimed.
Both of them ran down the sidewalk, coming to stand in front of Tara's car as me and her stood by the driver's side.
