Bad Boy Religion

Chapter 6 - Dalia

Chapter 6

Dalia

I look up at him in shock. Did he just ask me to kiss him?

"Dalia," he speaks softly and I can't help but feel my heart tighten. I stare at him with complete and utter shock. He asked me to kiss him. And now he's saying my name. His eyes are empty and his face expressionless.

My name. He just said my name. He didn't call me Stutter. He called me Dalia.

"You should go," he says pushing off of me.

He asked me to kiss him. He demanded it. Did he feel what I felt?

And of course I ruined the moment by saying that I was leaving.

He was so confusing! He just asked me to kiss him. Kiss me, he said.

Him. Kiss him. But the moment was gone, he was already backing up away from me. His eyes showed fear. Fear of what? Me? What did I do?

He looked away and picked up my book and handed it to me.
I took it from him and grabbed my bag, I was leaving once again.

"Bye," I say softly looking back at him before shutting the door.

I make my way through his house, the once beautiful modern house I saw now looked empty and gloomy.

It looked abandoned.

I started running down the stairs and I felt the sound of his booming footsteps chase after me.

He was following me. Why? I wasn't planning on coming back, ever.

I slammed the front door shut and run towards my car with tears in my eyes.

I could no longer hear him following me.

________________________

Monday morning, I took my seat next to Michael and listened to him explain how he was going to California over the weekend with his mom to visit his dad who worked there. Or something like that...was it actually Florida? 

I couldn't focus on the words. I dazed out a few times before he called my name.

"Dalia...Dalia, are you listening?"

"Yeah sorry, a lot going on right now,"

In the past, no matter what was going on in my life I could listen to Michael for hours. Not anymore.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know just confused about a lot of things, I guess."

"Let me take you somewhere."

I snapped my eyes toward him. Never, in our two years of friendship has he ever asked to do more than just sit in class and talk or be lab partners and work.

"Are you sure?"

"What do you mean 'am I sure' let's go somewhere, Dalia."

"Okay."

"After school, meet me at the student parking lot."

"Okay," I respond and tune back to what the teacher is saying.

The bell rings after a while and I rush out of the classroom. My excitement was building up. I was going to be hanging out with Michael. 

Michael, the boy I could spend countless hours talking to.

Michael, the boy with messy blonde hair that hung slightly over his eyes. Hair that I wanted to brush off with my own fingers so badly. 

Michael, whose green eyes shown more brightly when he finally understood a stupid physics equation after me spending countless hours explaining to him in the library. 

Michael, who talked about girls with so much realness and care, something so rare in boys these days. 

Michael, who's hand would brush mine when he let me borrow his pencil.

Michael and Dalia.

I loved the sound of that.

Fuck Ashton Sayeh. 

_____________________

As I made my way through the hall at the end of the day after finishing my last block, I was suddenly pushed against lockers by two strong hands on my shoulders.

"You're going to hang with Michael?" The person snarls into my face. Ashton.

Who else could suddenly make my heart pound ten times faster and make me scared but feel fearless at the same time?

"Y-Yes, how'd you find out?"

"He told me,"

"Oh,"

"Stutter, he's just using you as his rebound,"

"No, he's taking me out because I've had a rough weekend,"

"Why what happened?"
You, you happened, I wanted to say.

"Since when did you care?" I manage and push him away. 

His hand brushes my waist and I let out a breath. 

As I walk far from him, I hear him shout, "I don't!"

Of course, he doesn't.