Caramel, Ginger.

Get it together

"Oh good. You're alive. I was half expecting a phone call from your school to inform me that my child had been reduced to mince meat on her first day."

I glare at my Mom. "Very funny. I did almost die you know. Those two dweebs who almost killed us yesterday cornered me as soon as you drove off."

She smiles. "Do I need to ask how that particular conversation went?"

It's not that I'm violent. Not really. After my Dad left I went through a dark phase. The smallest things set me off. At some point, I got expelled from school after I dislocated someone's arm and that's the only time my Dad got involved and ended up paying for the boy's hospital bills. Which is kind of what I had wanted. Some sort of reaction from him, anything really. But it was short lived, because soon after he'd cleaned up the mess like he always does, he went  back to his little bubble with his perfect life and his perfect job, and once again Mom was left with numerous counselling session bookings for me and of course, we had to move again.

She knows I can take of myself. Sometimes not in the best of ways, but she knows. My temporary shrink would be disappointed to know how my first day went. But it couldn't be helped, really. And it kind of sucks that Mom guessed I would snap. I honestly thought I was making progress with my temper episodes. Clearly not.

"How was work?"

Mom sighs. "It was okay. New environment and all. But everything here is a bit more organized and smooth, so I definitely cannot complain."

I know it's going to sound weird, but if a gun was held to my head and I was asked to explain what exactly my Mom does, I would probably have my brains all over the floor in minutes. I have no clear idea what exactly her job description is, it has to be top secret because of the nature of data that she handles. But I do know she's a software expert. And she works for a very high tech company doing God knows what. That's where my description ends, because that is all I am allowed to tell people. The constant relocating is also a mystery to me, but I guess she knows best, so I just let her be.

Dad is in the same profession, that's how they met, but now he's higher up on the food chain. He broke away years ago and started his own company called Blue Light Suites Software, so his job is no longer "top secret." He's his own boss.

I take a short nap, and when I finally go downstairs, Mom asks if I want to watch something with her on TV. If it was any other night, I would have agreed. But it isn't.

Today was a weird day in so many ways. Nothing could have prepared me for how it ended, though.
Dominic. That's his name. The guy I kicked yesterday. After I came out of Becky's office asking for a job, he cornered me at the counter and apologized. An actual apology and explanation about how he'd been having a bad week and he took it out on everyone including me, that he's not usually like that. Then he teased me about being tough and how I handled him like a pro anyway and I got so confused because why was he suddenly being nice? Was it a trap? He wanted to trick me into letting my guard down then lure me to my death? I didn't understand what was happening so I abruptly pushed my chair back, said goodbye to my new café acquaintances and hightailed my behind out of there. I didn't say a word to Dominic.
It's been bothering me ever since. In my mind, he's already a villain. Him and his friend. So this sudden turnaround is not sitting well with me. To make things worse, I can't stop thinking about that encounter. So to stop myself from accidentally starting to believe him, I jumped at the chance to not be alone with my thoughts when Dana and Steve invited me to hang out with them at the bowling alley.
And yes, part of me hopes Hunter will also be there.

                                ***

"Hunter won't be coming."
Dana delivers the blow less than five minutes after I've joined them at the benches to change into my size seven bowling shoes. She scrunches her nose in a guilty looking expression and continues whispering. "I knew he wasn't, but I realized if I told you earlier you would have made some flimsy excuse and then bailed too."
She's right. I don't think I would have bothered.
Steve comes over and joins in the conversation as if he's already in on it too. "But worry not, my damsel in distress, Steve and his bowling skills will be here to help you forget about him and focus on trying to at least score a few points and save face." He squats down to tie my shoelace before I can and I can't help but smile. 

"Guys. I barely know the guy. My decision to hang out with you had nothing to do with him."

Dana and Steve exchange a look and I groan. I need to stop being so obvious.

Steve does prove to be a tough opponent as promised, but Dana and I are tougher. Lenah couldn't make it, so we take turns sending her selfies and short boomerang videos to annoy her because she's stuck at a family get together and wishes she was here. She keeps sending us crying emojis over text, sometimes photos of the dinner they've had, which looks fancy. Seeing food is the cue my stomach needs to remember that I left the house without eating anything, so after an hour of laughter and goofiness, I offer to dash across the street to the small pizza place I saw opposite the bowling alley to grab a bite for everyone. Steve insists on giving me his credit card to pay for the food on the basis that they invited me here, and I comply after a short back and forth. This town has expensive everything and I didn't bring that much cash with me. So I stop putting up a fight and accept the card.

The weather outside seems to have gotten chillier than when we came in, and I hunch my shoulders and quicken my stride to try and keep the cold out. I changed into ripped jeans, a cropped Tee and an oversized flannel shirt before I left for the bowling alley, but I still feel the breeze even as I do up the buttons on my flannel. I'm so involved in the task, when a voice quietly comes somewhere from my left, I barely stop myself from screaming. I do jump about a foot off the ground, though.
"Black looks good on you."
Hunter comes out of the shadows, and that's when I notice the outline of a car in the darkness behind him, where he seems to have been leaning on when I came out of the bowling alley.
My heart is beating so loudly in my ears. I can't help it. He isn't helping either, because he stands so close to me, his scent envelopes me. It's woody with a mysterious sharpness I can't seem to put a finger on.
He is studying me and I can't tell what he's thinking, so I also study him.
He's changed clothes, and is now sporting black sweatpants and a black hooded jacket. His hair looks messier than it was in the afternoon, and a tattoo I didn't notice before peeks out from the side of his neck. I can't make out what it is, so I decide to let it go, for now. When I look up at him, his eyes are already on mine, and my breath stutters.
Get it together, Azalea.
I clear my throat to break the spell, but he doesn't look away. I need to get out of here before I say something stupid.

Black looks good on you.

"I'll see you around. Dana and Steve must be wondering where I am."

I turn on my heel, about to run away.

"Do I make you uncomfortable?"

I stop short, my shoulders rigid. Right on the money.

I slowly turn around to look at him, grateful for the momentary distance. "Not exactly. I just can't figure you out."

His eyebrows lift in surprise. He looks amused. "I could say the same for you, Azalea."

"I don't know what you mean."

He takes a step towards me. "You dropped someone from a chair just this morning. Scared off literally half the class, but still ended up hanging out with Dana and Steve, the most social people I know. But for some reason, you haven't said more than ten words to me. You seem to withdraw whenever I'm in the same space with you. Why?"

His little speech is so sudden, it takes me aback for a second. He wasn't even in the class, how does he know? "This is the largest amount of words I've heard coming from you."

He gives me a small smile and I inwardly celebrate my little victory. "Cute. Trying to change the subject. Answer."

A gust of wind blows by and I shiver. "I really need to get back inside."

"I'll be waiting for you."

Which reminds me. "Why exactly are you here? Dana said you weren't coming."

He shrugs. "I was in the area. She told me you'd probably need a ride home. Oh, my bad." He starts removing his jacket, but I stop him.

"Don't worry about it."

"The jacket or the ride home?"

"Both. See you around."

This time I turn around and don't look back.