Capture 18+

Chapter 2

"Dad!" I called out, my voice echoing through the empty house. I rushed down the stairs, searching for any sign of him. Finding no trace of him in the living room, I entered the kitchen, and there, on the counter, lay a note.

I picked it up, my eyes scanning the familiar handwriting. "I will be coming home late tonight. Good luck on your first day of school. I love you, kid." A sigh escaped my lips as a wave of solitude crashed over me, ever since mom died dad has been awol, it's times like these that I wish I have a sibling or other family members to share this with but it has always been just us. A tear trickled down my cheek, followed swiftly by another, just as the doorbell chimed pulling me out of my misery. I huffed, hastily wiping away any evidence of my vulnerability.

With a heavy heart, I swung open the door, only to find myself staring into a wall of sculpted muscle. My gaze trailed upward, taking in broad shoulders and a chiselled jawline, until our eyes locked—those mesmerizing greenish-blue eyes that had been haunting my thoughts.

"Quit ogling, Bella," he teased, his full lips curling into a smirk. I rolled my eyes, acknowledging that his arrogance matched his undeniable attractiveness. "It's Isabella. And what if I was?" I retorted, folding my arms across my ample chest. His eyes widened with shock at my choice of rebuttal, but that smirk remained firmly in place. Leaning against the door frame, he inched closer, trapping me between his presence and the door. "I can do this," he whispered, his face mere inches from mine.

My heart skipped a beat or two, yet my pride swelled with each twitch of his lips. "And I can do this," I replied, slamming the door in his face. Laughter bubbled up within me as I heard his deep groan. I step back into the house to grab my school bag, a pounding knock sounded from the doorway I shook my head at his antics continuing to gather my things.

After several minutes of continuous pounding I opened the door only to come centimetres away from a flying fist "Wow" I yell out from the shock of almost getting punched, "Fuck Bella I'm sorry" he spoke stepping back, I nodded trying to avert back to why he's standing on my doorstep "What are you doing here?" I spoke hiking my bag further up my shoulder.

"My mom sent me to give you a ride to school," he stated, jerking his head towards his car. "I'm fine, thanks," I replied, closing the door behind me. "I'm not going to let you walk to school, Bella," he called out from behind me, I turned back to face him.

"Who said I'm walking?" I spoke nodding towards the bike that was parked right next to his car "That's not yours," he exclaimed in disbelief, I swung my leg over my own black beauty. Ignoring his comment, I secured the helmet on my head "See you later, Franco," I spoke zooming right past him.

Raising my gaze, I counted the seconds until the red light turns green. The rumble of an engine jolted me back to reality, Zach's black Camaro pulled up alongside me. He revved his engine without a single glance my way, his eyes locked on the traffic lights, signalling an unspoken street race. I revived my own engine, embracing the challenge. The world blurred into a whirlwind of speed. The familiar sensation of velocity brought me solace. Smirking, I entered the school parking lot, removed my helmet, and leaned against my bike, patiently waiting.

"Over here, Bella!" a voice called out.

I turned, squinting against the glare of the sun. "What on earth?" I muttered under my breath, catching sight of Franco leaning against his own car, surrounded by his entourage of adoring girls. I made my way toward him, utterly bewildered. "How the hell did you beat me?" I inquired, perplexed. He remained silent, twirling a toothpick in his mouth.

"Don't you know he's the fastest racer in our school?" a girl interjected, her gaze set on me as if I were insignificant. "And you are?" I inquired, hoisting my school bag higher on my shoulder and fixing her with an expectant look. "His girlfriend," she replied, giggling while toying with his necklace. "Ah, I see. I thought I spotted him with a blonde last night. I must be wrong though since I saw a red head crawl out his window this morning" I swiftly lied, dismissing her as I turned away. Laughter erupted from his friends as she began to berate him.