Hearts in the Skull's

Chapter 2: Undeniable Attraction

By the time the school day ended I was beyond exhausted, I don't know if it was from exhaustion or not but I still felt on edge. I walked up to the cross walk waiting to be able to cross when I suddenly heard the loud rumbling of what sounded like motorcycles, she turned around just in time to see what was about 10 motorcycles driving up to light next to me.  I glanced at each individual rider until I got to the one in the front, they all wore matching leather jackets with the skull on the back but I knew who the man in the front was just by the chills traveling down my back as he looked at me through the visor on his helmet.

As Mia stood frozen at the crosswalk, her heart pounding in her chest, she locked eyes with the leader of the motorcycle pack. His helmet concealed most of his face, but she could feel his gaze piercing through her, sending shivers down her spine. The man's dark eyes held a fierce intensity, and Mia couldn't tear her own gaze away.

Without a word spoken, the man raised a gloved hand and motioned for Mia to approach. Her instincts screamed at her to stay put, to not get involved with whoever these mysterious bikers were. But curiosity and a strange sense of foreboding drew her closer.

The other riders revved their engines impatiently, creating a cacophony of sound that echoed through the street. Mia found herself stepping hesitantly towards the man on the front bike, her feet moving almost of their own accord.

As she drew closer, the leader of the motorcycle pack removed his helmet, revealing his blue eyes and ruggedly handsome face. Mia's breath caught in her throat, recognizing him instantly.

"Why are you following me?" jake asked as i approached. His voice was low and gravelly, sending a chill down Mia's spine. She swallowed nervously, mustering up the courage to reply.

"I'm not following you," she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. "I was just crossing the street."

Asher raised an eyebrow in amusement, a ghost of a smirk playing on his lips. "Is that so? Because it looks to me like fate has brought us back together, Mia."

Mia's heart pounded against her ribcage as Jake flashed a sinister smirk and slammed his visor back down. With a deafening roar, he led the pack of bikers in a death-defying race, narrowly missing Mia as they careened around her in a frenzy of speed and danger. Her body trembled with fear as she watched them disappear into the distance, leaving her shaken and alone in the middle of the street.

After my encounter with Jake, I rushed back to our new house. It was a quaint little place with baby blue shingles and a charming porch with white pillars. As I walked through the front door, I was greeted by my parents joking and unpacking in the living room. Seeing them so happy and in love made me long for it even more, causing me to think of Jake Hawthorne again. I quickly pushed those thoughts away and closed the door behind me, which caught my parents' attention. They rushed over to hug me and bombard me with questions about my first day at school. I decided not to mention my run-in with Jake, but I did tell them about Jessica. Jessica gave me a tour and invited me to join her and her friends for lunch tomorrow. I'm really happy with my schedule so far. Today at school was pretty low-key, nothing particularly exciting happened, but I'm still grateful to be home. What do we have planned for dinner?

Mom told me we were having mashed potatoes and meatloaf, my favorite! With a grin, I excused myself, declaring that I was going to take a quick shower before dinner. My footsteps echoed through the hallway as I ascended the stairs to my room, the anticipation of the delicious meal filling me with warmth and comfort.

The sound of the shower running drowned out any other noise, enveloping me in a cocoon of steam and solitude. The hot water cascaded over me, washing away the remnants of the day's events. However, no amount of water could rinse away the image of Jake Hawthorne from my mind.

As I stood beneath the stream, lost in my thoughts, flashes of his intense gaze and the roar of the motorcycles replayed in my mind like a haunting melody. The dangerous allure of Jake mixed with a sense of fear that both intrigued and terrified me.

After what felt like an eternity, I reluctantly turned off the shower and wrapped myself in a fluffy towel.

My skin tingled with the remnants of warmth from the shower as I stepped out into the cool air of my bathroom. Droplets of water clung to my body, a stark contrast to the gentle caress of steam that had surrounded me moments before. I dried myself off slowly, each motion deliberate as if trying to stall the inevitable return to reality.

As I tied the towel securely around me, a knock on the bathroom door startled me. "Mia, dinner's ready," Mom's voice called out, muffled by the wooden barrier between us. Her caring tone was a balm to my restless thoughts, momentarily easing the lingering unease from my encounter with Jake.

With a deep breath to steady myself, I opened the door and crossed the hallway to my room. The scent of warm mashed potatoes and savory meatloaf wafted from downstairs, coaxing a rumble from my stomach.

While my parents and I were having dinner, the TV was tuned to the news. My dad must have had it on earlier, as I could faintly hear the news anchor discussing a bar brawl that resulted in one man being hospitalized. The perpetrators are still at large, but there is speculation that members of the local motorcycle gang known as "the skulls" may be involved.

Clearly my dad overheard the tv cause he muttered under his breath "hasn't even been a full 24 hours of us being here and there's already trouble in this town" i kept quiet and quickly finished my food to head upstairs.

The night hung heavy around me, the darkness outside seeping into my room like a shroud. Despite the late hour, my mind raced with thoughts of Jake Hawthorne. The way his intense gaze seemed to pierce through my very soul, the aura of danger that clung to him like a second skin. I tossed and turned, the weight of his presence lingering in the stillness of my room.

Images flitted through my mind like ghosts in the night - Jake's electric blue eyes ablaze with intensity, the tattoos that adorned his muscular frame like intricate whispers of a past I could barely fathom. Why did he haunt my thoughts so? I hardly knew him, yet his enigmatic nature drew me in like a moth to a flame.

Exasperated, I let out a long sigh and buried my face in the softness of my pillow, hoping sleep would come and end the constant stream of thoughts running through my mind. Eventually, exhaustion weighed heavy on my eyelids and I drifted off, dreading what awaited me at school tomorrow.