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Chapter 4: Twisted Games
The following day was like any other day, school prolonged and she couldn't wait to get out and she nearly did until Eli came running through the exit doors, the loud slam where his hands pushed against the metal that opened the doors, he darted through the other students swarming out and kept running until he found the brunette girl. "Running away from me, are you?"
"I've been walking this whole time, you're the one who was running."
He gave her a look, his breath not even slightly labored. Eli still looked perfectly handsome without a single bead of sweat implicating the physical activity he'd done. "Either way, date tonight. I'll pick you up at eight."
"You found my address?" Aspen's honey brown eyes peeked over at him, her brows furrowed at the proud expression on his features. "How the hell did you manage that?"
"Told the office I needed to find my emergency card, found yours, wrote the address down and viola."
By now teenage girls and boys were staring over at the duo in suspicion, very obviously talking about them and most likely trying to figure out why one of the most popular guys in school was paying any attention to her. "One date and if I don't like it you leave me alone."
"No promises, if you don't like the date—which it'll be very hard not to, just saying, then it'll only make me want to take you on more until you like it."
"What game are you playing at, Eli?" Aspen finally cut to the chase, his constant flirting and persistence making her wary of the relationship he was trying to form. "You're you and I'm as far off your radar as can be, why me?"
Eli felt his heart jump at the question, her words held so much weight and Aspen hadn't the slightest clue what game he was really playing and for a moment he felt remorse but he also wanted to keep going. She was different, she didn't throw herself on him and tell the whole school she was hanging out with him, her business didn't flow around the school and Eli enjoyed that. "There's something about you that I like and I want to figure out what."
"And what if you don't like what you find."
That grin pulled up on his face and it made Aspen angry at how gorgeous this boy before her was. Everything about him physically—and from what she could tell so far mentally too—was intoxicating. "That's doubtful, but I guess we'll start finding out tonight. Dress pretty, nothing too fancy though."
Aspen nodded at him, a smile of her own tugging across her face and it didn't come off until she'd gotten home, the front door shutting behind her. "Aspen, that you?" Her mother called out, her messy brown hair piled atop her head with some chopsticks. "What's with the grin?"
