Dare to Fall

Chapter XIX

I stood in front of my house, squinting against the morning sun, and stared at Cayden, who was leaning casually against his car, a bright smile plastered across his face. I furrowed my eyebrows, silently questioning his sudden presence. Did he really think he could just show up out of nowhere?

"What are you doing here?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady, though curiosity slipped through.

"What do you mean? Get in," he replied, not answering my question. I rolled my eyes. Did he really not get it?

"Oh, you mean both of us?" Amelia piped up from behind me, and I shot her a look, willing her to be quiet. Instead, she smiled brightly and continued, "I mean, you guys go ahead." Her tone was teasing, and I shot her another glare, this one more pleading.

"You know what," she said, stepping closer, "I'll see you in school later." With that, she waved goodbye and walked away, leaving me alone with Cayden.

I turned back to him, who was still smiling, oblivious to my irritation. "You do know we'll be late if we stand here all day," he pointed out.

"Yeah, well, I didn't even ask you to pick me up," I countered, crossing my arms.

"And a thank you would be nice," he replied, still grinning. "But if you don't want to, I'll just leave you here to wait for the school bus."

"Fine, whatever," I said, rolling my eyes again. I reluctantly opened the passenger door and climbed into the car. As I buckled my seatbelt, I glanced over at Cayden, who was still standing outside, an amused look on his face.

"What are you still doing there? Come on!" I called out, feeling a mix of annoyance and inexplicable excitement.

He climbed in, and I caught a whiff of his cologne as he leaned over to start the engine. The car vibrated to life, and as he pulled out of my driveway, I couldn't shake off the weird feeling swirling in my stomach. It was a mixture of nerves and something I couldn't quite place.

"Okay, woah there. Hi, mister trouble," I said, suddenly realizing how close he was, our noses nearly touching. "Aren't you familiar with the word 'space'?"

"I certainly am," he replied, his tone teasing.

"M'kay then, drive," I told him, trying to sound nonchalant as I adjusted my seat. He flashed me another smile before turning his attention back to the road.

As we sped through my neighborhood, I felt the rush of the wind through the open window, the trees blurring past. I missed the comfort of my bed already.

***

We arrived at school in less than ten minutes. The quiet ride was surprisingly nice; I wouldn't trade it for anything. Stepping out of the car, I saw Amelia approaching, a playful smirk on her face.

"Feels nice to finally get to ride in his car, huh?" she teased.

"What does that even mean?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I rode in his car once. No, actually, a bunch of times with this exact same car," she said, her gaze lingering on Cayden, who was now being swarmed by a group of girls.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "What are you getting at?"

Amelia opened her mouth to respond, but before she could say anything, I cut her off. "Look, can we just get to class?"

She grabbed my wrist, pulling me toward the school entrance. "We're going to be late," she insisted, and I followed her, wondering if I'd ever understand this new version of her.

As we walked in, I felt an unsettling sensation wash over me, and before I could shake it off, I turned and faced Levi, the last person I wanted to see this morning.