𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐅𝐔𝐋 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐚 𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭

2. 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐭

It has been a week.

A week of the same routine. The same breakfast and route to school, the same words exchanged between my mother and i, same looks given to Natalie by Axel.

I don't know if he actually had something to do at seven am, but it's like he learned our routine and showed up at the garage every day at the exact time Natalie and I left. Call me paranoid, but the guy gave me creep vibes, i didn't want to see him at any time of the day, let alone the time my sister is next to me.

Shutting the car door harder than usual, i turn to Natalie with furrowed eyebrows, "Talia, did this guy ever try talking to you?"

She looked up from her phone and turned towards me just as i was putting the keys into the ignition. I didn't look back at her, just turned the keys and focused on the engine roaring to life, "You mean Axel?" Her hand formed a fist and pointed with a thumb over her shoulder, in the direction Axel had walked off into. "Yeah - he's nice, i think. He invited my friends and i over to his apartment once, but we never went."

I blinked as my hand froze around the keys.

This twenty-something guy invited my sister, and her fifteen year old friends, to his apartment. A chill ran down my spine as thousands of unwanted scenarios ran through my brain when i turned towards Natalie, finally unfreezing.

"What did he say to you?"

My voice was rough, serious in a way Natalie heard it only be once, that one time we wanted to forget happened. Noticing that i wasn't just asking because i was curious, and despite the confusion swimming in her eyes Natalie answered quickly.

"He just said that we were pretty for our age and that we should hang out at his place."

Exhaling harshly through my nose, I distracted myself by putting on my seat belt to gather my thoughts before answering, "Don't ever talk to him again, okay? That guy is a major creep."

Natalie gave me a look, somewhere between confused and curious, "Why? You never cared who i talked to before."

I sighed as i backed the car up, the unsettling feeling stayed in my chest as we drove out of the garage, just in time to see Axel coming downstairs in my rear view mirror, "Just - trust me, avoid him. Do you know how weird it is for a guy my age to say that to you guys?"

Natalie nodded her head as she looked out of the window, her eyebrows furrowed. I tightened my hold on the steering wheel before deciding that it was the best idea to drop the conversation. Not wanting to upset Natalie even more and ruin her day that barely even begun, i turned the car down the street and towards Starbucks to get Natalie a coffee.

The rest of the car ride was silent, not that we usually talked much, but even Natalie's smile because of the coffee didn't ease the tension.

"You're picking me up, right?" She questioned with her hand on the door handle, backpack tightly held in her other hand.