Stay

Chapter: Eleven

Alexander

Everyone piles into the limo joking and laughing about what a great night it's going to be, but I'm too focused on a girl that confuses the hell out of me to really pay attention to what they're saying. Scarlett Martinez is one hell of a mysterious girl. There seems to be a lot of things that I don't know about her. She told me the story about her dad and how he died but there seems to be more to the story. She seems to carry around a sense of guilt with her, I can tell because I'm the exact same about how I feel about my brother's death.

There's something off with Scarlett, and it may not be just about the death of her father. Whenever someone touches Scarlett or catches her off guard, she visibly flinches or tenses up; Connor even told me that when he came up behind her and rested his hand on her shoulder she spun around with her fists raised. Something bad has had to have happened to make her seem so reserved and guarded all the time. It seems that every time I've picked her up, it's been from the diner; never her house. She's had to go to the 'diner' several times for emergencies but what if she was lying about an emergency at the diner and it was somewhere else.

I don't even know why I care so much about these things. I guess I just want to get to know her but it seems like getting to know her is going to require a lot of time, effort and the ability to gain her trust. Scarlett seems like a crazy nice girl and I can't help but want to spend more time with her. She brings light to my day, as sad and cheesy as that sounds, but it's true. I'm glad she's reunited with the guys and I'm glad she's finding a friend in Chloe. She needed friends whether she wanted to admit it or not, you could just see it on her face as she walked through the halls of school with the saddest and loneliest expression. I'd be lying if I said it was an accident when I ran into her that one day. I just wanted to get to know her, is that really a crime?

I look over at Scarlett, sitting between Chloe and Matty, to find her staring at her hands. I guess she felt me looking at her because she glances up at me and a small smile creeps onto her lips. I smile back and I see a light pink tint her cheeks. I hold back a laugh at this and tune into the conversation.

"Jesus Matt, are you that much of a player?" Chloe says exasperatedly and he grins at her sending her a wink.

"No, I am not Chlo, it's not like I'm with a different girl each weekend." He says and Scarlett looks over at him with a look of "that's total bullshit" on her face.

"Are you kidding me? That's exactly what you do." Scarlett exclaims and everyone laughs. "I swear to god you can't keep it in your pants." She mutters, rolling her eyes and he grins at her suggestively.

"I can not keep it in my pants around you, if you want." He says winking and she looks up at him with a shocked expression. She shoves him looking at him disgustedly.

"Yeah right, because that's what I've always been hoping for, to get a glimpse of your tiny ass dick." She says grinning and everyone in the car cracks up, howling with laughter. Matt's face goes beat red and he struggles to find a comeback.

"How do you know it's small?" He retorts back finally and she smirks.

"Because you just told me it was." She says with a victorious smile on her face and I grin because someone has finally put Matt in his place. He looks at her defeated before scoffing and turning away. She lets out a laugh and places a hand on his shoulder. "Oh, come on Matty, you know I was just joking." She says in a playful voice and he turns to look at her slightly.

"I'll forgive you if you buy me a donut after this night is over." He says and she sighs before nodding. He grins before pulling her into a side hug. I see her tense but she quickly relaxes to his touch before glancing up at me. Her eyes widen to find me looking at her but I don't look away in awkwardness, instead I watch her until she pulls her gaze away from mine and directs it to the floor. The limo pulls up beside the school and the driver opens the door for us. Everyone piles out onto the sidewalk where Luca and Matt immediately leave to go meet their dates. The rest of us walk into the school together.