Pathways

Chapter 3

The darkness of the store is the first thing I notice when I step in for the fart spray. I decided after school that the best way to get Delilah back is to prank her with a bad-smelling spray. Hopefully, she'll admit to sending the letters. As I'm in the corner grabbing the spray I feel my hairs stand up like spikes. It feels like someone is watching me. I turn around and almost bump straight into William Ray's chest. His dark figure stands there examining me. I swallow as he frowns. Intimidating is an understatement. The man scares me. He's tall, broody, and mysterious. He doesn't talk much, at least not to me. Nobody seems to know what the kid's problem is. At school all he does is sit alone in the back of every classroom with his headphones in, not interacting with a single kid. I haven't seen one of his friends this year.

"What are you five?" he grabs the fart spray out of my hands and places it back on the shelf in disgust. I look down as he castigates me.

"I-I was buying it for my sister. She wanted me to get it." I lie.

He raises an eyebrow and slowly saunters away to the cashier without another word. What's his fricken problem? I walk out of the store shaking for some reason. It could be because I forgot a jacket and it's the middle of November. I slide into my mother's car that I drove without her permission and turn on the heat. I'm not allowed to use her car but I do it anyway. She's too drunk to notice. I bathe in the warmth of the heaters in the car and just sit not quite wanting to go home yet. I reach into the glove department where I brought the letter and read it.

Dear Anna,

How have you been? Well, I already know. I've been watching you for a while now. My Anna, you have no idea how precious you are to me. I love watching you, seeing you grow, and seeing you interact with your friends. But not Jake. you don't need him. Trust me I know what's best for you and it's not Jake. It's me.

Yours truly-?

I shiver as I put down the letter. I look out the window both ways but see nobody watching me. So my stalker is at school. How long have they been watching me? My mind scrambles with pieces of a puzzle that I can't put together. I rub my eyes in frustration. Should I go to the police? I doubt they would take it seriously. I curse Delilah for driving me crazy and step on the gas.

When I get home I quickly change into a short sleeve shirt and sweatpants and shove the letter into my pocket. I need to go on a jog to clear my mind from all this.

The cold air stabs at my lungs as I make my way down the block. Piles of snow paint the houses as I whizz by. I take in the icy view as I appreciate the winter wonderland. I stop when I hear a loud thud in the distance. Someone must have dropped something. I turn around to see the tall dark figure of William cursing loudly as spilled contents of the box pour out on his driveway. I rush across the street to help him. He frowns when he sees me jog toward him but doesn't say anything. What spilled out of the box were China dishes, some were covered in bubble wrap but others weren't so lucky and shattered due to the fall. William watches me as I pick up the shattered glass and place it in my hands.

" Are you crazy?" He barks.

I ignore him and walk toward the garbage can in front of his house. I dump the glass into the can and walk over to pick up more pieces of glass. I notice William is barefoot with the box he's holding and tell him not to move. He doesn't listen and takes a step back still watching me in disbelief... or disgust. I can't really tell. Once I've picked up all the big pieces I take the safe china from the ground and carry it. The box is heavier than I expected but I don't show William I'm struggling.

"Where do we take these?" I grunt.

"Follow me." He sighs.

He goes into his garage and places his box down. I bend over to put the box next to his but he shakes his head.

"That one goes inside." He states.

He leads me inside and I take in his big house. There are pictures of him and his family everywhere and the smooth wood floors are immaculate. Modern furniture decorate the room and beautiful paintings hang from the walls. I almost bump into a small table holding some sort of green plant while following William. He takes me to what I assume is the dining room and I place the box on the table.

"Thanks for your help." He mutters running his fingers through his ink-colored hair.

"Yeah, no problem I was just going for a run and you looked like you needed help." I stammer. Shifting my weight I avoid making eye contact with him.

"You must be cold wearing short sleeves." He takes off the jacket he's wearing and wraps it over my shoulders. It smells so good. I wasn't cold before but when his hand touches my shoulder I shiver.

" I'll go make you some tea." He suggests walking off but I grab him by the arm.

" No need. I'll go-" I start.

"What's that?" He asks bending down to pick up a piece of paper. The letter. It must have fallen out of my pocket.

"It's nothing," I begin reaching for the letter but he turns around and unfolds it. He starts reading it and I'm forced to do nothing but watch.

"My Anna? Does Jake know?" William smirks.

"You know my boyfriend?" I ask.

"No, not personally. But I know you two are together. Everyone knows." He rolls his eyes and I frown.

" Bitter much?" I glare.

" Not interested." William fires back.

Ouch. It's not like I was interested in him in the first place but the way he just dismisses me kind of stings. I frown again and his expression softens as he takes a step toward me. I back up but I land against the counter. He towers over me several inches taller than me. I start breathing heavily wondering why he's so close.

"Uh, Personal space dude-" I whisper.

His green eyes pierce my soul as he stares at me for what seems like an eternity. He abruptly backs away and I heave out a sigh. This guy is weird.

"So you have a stalker?" he questions.

I nod rubbing my hands on the jacket to warm them up. He notices and his eyebrows furrow. "Are you cold?" he asks.

" A bit," I admit.

I really shouldn't have ran in just a tee shirt. I curse myself for being so stupid as William takes a step closer. He's so close now I can smell him. Hello, Jake. Would he approve? I don't think so. I'm about to push him away from me when he reaches behind me and I notice he only got close so he could get a tea bag. My cheeks turn pink as I realize my mistake. He wasn't trying to hit on you, Anna. He's just getting a tea bag.

"You like green tea?" He walks to the cupboards and takes out a plain, bright, yellow mug. I nod as he saunters to the sink and starts slowly filling the cup with water.

"You're not going to have any? I'm sure you must be cold too." I question.

He shakes his head putting the tea bag into the microwave, " I'm fine."

We sit there in silence both watching the microwave spin around. When it stops he slowly reaches for the cup and places it on the table. He gets a spoon from the drawer and places it on the table. I slowly take the spoon and stir the tea bag around in the cup awkwardly. I feel his eyes on me so I look up.

"You want honey?" He finally asks.

I nod and he brings over a jar. I take spoonfuls into my cup as he shakes his head.

"You'll get sick with that much sugar, lord."

I sip my tea ignoring him. He sits there watching me drink tea as I watch him watch me drink the tea.

"I should probably go," I say taking my finished glass over to the sink. William nods and doesn't make a move to walk me out so I slowly just walk myself out. Before I reach the door I feel a hand on my shoulder.

"You forgot your letter. Tell me if you find out who your stalker is." He whispers. I nod and head out.