DUSK TILL DAWN

4

move forward so that when they come back,
you will no longer be where they left you

Neve sat on the school bus, ignoring the faint smell of sweat and the sounds of the chatter of the loud students around her. She looked out the window, her mind running with thoughts on how to escape and which would be the quickest way if she needed to.

"Well if it isn't the newbie who seems to actually be interested in the history of Halloway." A familiar voice spoke, bringing the girl out of her thoughts.

She looked over to see the same boy she'd seen earlier that day, the one she chased after at the beginning of the school day. He sat down next to her without bothering to ask, leaning his back against the brown seat of the bus. "First day not so bad?" He then asked, sparking a conversation.

"Uh, I guess so." She awkwardly told him, glancing between him and the window beside her.

This meant if she needed to escape easily - from whatever may be the harm - she'd have to either climb over him or the seat. Unless she went through the window, that would be an option but that's also taking into consideration that she'd have to fit through the thing.

"Not much of a talker, are you?" He then questioned, his eyes moving around the bus as it filled with students. "I must say, that wasn't my first impression of you."

Neve looked over, a brow raised at his statement. "Your first impression?"

She'd already had enough interaction with other people for the day, far more than she was used to. However, she knew she was intrigued by the boy since she'd bothered chasing after him that morning. She didn't know why, but she was, and this was enough for her to engage in conversation with him.

"You know," The boy smiled a small smile, motioning his hand in her direction. "The cliche new girl. The one who acts interested in the school, talks to everyone, tries too hard to fit in-" He stopped as he glanced at someone nearby, one Neve could only assume had been new before she was. "The one who acts like someone she's not."

Neve glanced away, biting the inside of her lip. He was attempting to read her and although part of him was completely wrong, the last part was spot on. He called her out on her bullshit, and this was only the second conversation she'd had with him.

Maybe interacting with him wasn't the best idea.

"Although I was wrong, I must admit." The boy then continued, not catching the guilty look on her face. "I guess that's a lesson learned. Don't judge a book by its cover."

The comment was sarcastic, although she felt he held a little bit of truth in it. She looked at him again, watching as his eyes bounced around the bus. The bus had begun moving a while ago, something Neve hadn't noticed due to her attention being on the boy next to her.

"You're someone who doesn't talk to others," Neve stated, as a matter-of-factly. "You don't like people, you get anxious when too many are around. You have a constant look on your face that gives away that you'd rather be anywhere but here. You speak your mind without any thought of something going wrong - or if you do have those thoughts, you just don't care. You're yourself unapologetically and you like to put on the mysterious bad boy type. But you know deep down nobody cares, and that just makes you not care ten times more."

The boy looked at her as if he were a deer caught in headlights, most likely not expecting Neve to have read him so easily.

It was something Neve picked up on, after having been hidden from herself for so long. She was a people watcher, whether others knew it or not. She liked to watch them - their mannerisms, habits, personality traits. It came in handy and she knew this, so she would do it anywhere she went.