Tracking Logan Foster

{16} Harder Than You Know

"He's living with you?" Wyatt incredulously asked at school the next day when Logan and I had shown up together. I gave her a slow nod, stopping once we reached our desks in room 117.

Wyatt flipped her fiery hair over her shoulder before collapsing in the seat with a dramatic huff of annoyance.

I didn't give her a second look as I continued to stride right past my usual seat beside hers, and instead filled the seat at the back of the class no one dared to occupy.

Brown eyes that were just as dark as the clothes hanging loosely over broad shoulders, gave me an apprehensive look as they sought out my empty seat at the front of the class before falling back to my own eyes.

Bewildered looks shot daggers at me as I sat beside Logan Foster at the only desk in the entire class that had never felt the presence of a student.

Taking a deep breath, I turned my head to Logan, allowing my hair to fall forward and block the harsh glare of my classmates. I tried my best to ignore the curious whispers hushed among the gossipers and focused solely on the boy with long, dirty blonde hair in the desk next to mine.

"My mom totally knew something was up this morning at breakfast," I said to him with a playfully shy half-smile.

My heart began rapidly beating in my chest when a faint blush stained his cheeks and reddened the tips of his ears at the memory of last night.

I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing at his expression as the classroom buzz became a mere nuisance in the background.

Coughing into his fist, he forced out, "You're parents are wonderful." A somber look crossed his face as his eyes became distant, undoubtedly reflecting on his late parents.

Class started soon after that, and Mrs. Drew was taken aback when she could not find me at first. I raised my hand and announced, "Here," from the back of the class for attendance. She was just as surprised as everyone else to see my change in seating arrangement, but chose not to comment on it.

School dragged on for the rest of the day until Logan and I went home together. Not a single car was parked in our driveway, giving me the realization that my parents would both be working late today.

I locked the front door behind us, sliding my backpack off my shoulder to drop to the ground as Logan did the same. We collapsed on the floral couch in front of the fire place, immediately shutting our eyes to find peace in the silence we had been strangers from all day long.

I cracked an eye open after a few minutes to find Logan already staring intensely at me. I sat up straight, neither one of us breaking eye contact in our unspoken competition to see who would look away first.

As if our hearts were made of magnets, our bodies drew closer by the strong attraction until our noses brushed together.

His full lower lip grazed mine as he whispered, "I think...you were right."

I froze, snapping my eyes open. "About what?" I breathed.

My breathing hitched when he kept his lip on mine as his dark eyes searched my lighter ones. "You were the missing puzzle piece," he admitted huskily before crushing his lips to mine.

As if it were my parents' goal to utterly humiliate me, they opened the front door at that exact moment with surprised gasps. Logan and I separated, flying to opposite sides of the couch with dark red blotches on our cheeks.

My father cleared his throat, my mother ushered him into the kitchen with a wink over her shoulder, and I gulped uncomfortably, absolutely mortified at being caught making out with a boy by my parents, nonetheless.

"Well, um..." I trailed off at a complete loss for what to say.

Logan abruptly stood up, gruffly muttering, "But I'm the wrong puzzle," and proceeded to shoulder his backpack at the front door before stepping outside. My body had a mind of its own as I was propelled forward, bolting across the room into the shocking frigid air, but I couldn't even feel it as the howling wind whipped icy lashes across my face.

I was only focused on the boy with the dirty blonde hair who was briskly walking down my driveway with a cloud of smoke billowing around his head. I easily caught up with him in time to snatch the cigarette from between his lips that were no longer foreign to me.

I chucked the butt on the ground before pounding my foot against it, pulverizing the cigarette as the ashes stained the ground. Logan stood with his arms crossed over his chest, narrowing his eyebrows on me as I destroyed his instrument of escaping pain.

Accusingly pointing my finger at the coal black ashes, I shouted, demanding, "What are you doing?"

He shrugged, uncrossing his arms to wave a hand in the air. "Trying to have a smoke, but someone won't let me," he said, coldly.

"Why? And where are you going?"

He sighed and hung his head in resignation as he kicked a foot at the ashes, scattering them across the driveway. "I can't do this," he said, looking up at me with sad eyes, "This isn't my life. It's yours, and I'm no good for you."

Then he turned his back on me and hiked down the one-way street as I stood frozen in place, watching as Logan walked out of my life.

I wished I could say that I had chased after him, forcing him to come back and live with me.

But I didn't. I didn't because I actually saw how much pain it caused him to stay. I didn't because I wanted to allow him to do what he wanted. I didn't because I loved him.

I never saw Logan Foster again.

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Sorry for the short update! I haven't updated for a few days since I've been so busy. :(