golden eyes | irwin [HIATUS]

three - party time

Ariel

Yeah, this is definitely real and happening.

"You gonna go to that party, sweets?"

I close my eyes tightly. I hear him drop down from the ledge of my window. He's almost directly behind me. I feel like meek prey as he circles around me with soft and careful steps, like a predator. He doesn't want to scare me off. I feel my muscles tense with uncertainty. My eyes are still closed; I can't open them.

I start to wonder how he knows about the party. He can probably sneak into any place he wants and steal information.

"Well?" He asks, mocking impatience. "Are you gonna tell me or not?"

I grit my teeth and turn the opposite way of his voice, willing my eyes to open. I don't know why, but I physically cannot look at him. I want to, but I just can't. It's like he has some kind of control over my movements.

"How do you even know there's a party?" I ask instead.

"I already told you," he replies, sighing. "I know a lot about you."

I shiver. "But...this is recent information."

He chuckles and I hear him sit down on my squeaky mattress. I flinch a little. "I have my ways, Ariel."

I bite my lip and continue to stare at the wall ahead of me. I try to turn around, but my legs won't move. I'm scared and I know it. He knows it too. I can feel his eyes watching me intensely. It's like I'm being hunted and it increases the uneasy feeling in my stomach.

"I'm going," I say to him after a moment of regaining some of my lost composure. "Are you, um, going?" I'm not exactly sure why I decided to ask that, but my brain thought it was a good idea. Does he even go to the same school? I wouldn't know yet since I haven't seen his face. He sure sounds young enough to, but maybe I didn't guess his age right.

I inhale slowly and listen for his response.

He gets up from the bed and moves closer to me. My arms tense and my hands clench into fists. His steps stop at my left side, just behind me. I'm too nervous to think about his proximity to me and why he needs to be this close.

"Maybe," he breathes out, retreating farther behind me again. "It depends."

"Depends on what?" My eyebrows furrow together.

"I can't tell you, I'm sorry," he says honestly, and his hand touching my side makes me jump. He doesn't comment on it, and neither do I, but I'm this close to screaming. Does he have to touch me now? "I just may or may not be there."

I won't be able to tell who he is.

"Don't bother looking for me," he says.

Did he just read my mind? I'm seriously thinking he can read my mind. At this moment, I swear he laughs a little. I didn't say anything and neither did he, so what is he finding funny that I'm not? Not that I would openly laugh in a situation like this...

"Can you leave now? I have to get ready," I tell him. I find it only slightly humorous that I'm able to ask that of him. I feel as though he won't give me any trouble, just like last night. He didn't stick around that long yesterday. I think he could tell I was too tired to deal with his shit.

Wait, why do I have to deal with his shit?

"Good night, Ariel," he repeats from last night, his footsteps trailing to my window. "I won't hurt you. I just want you to know that."

And then he's gone. I turn around fast enough to see the end of his pitch black hoodie disappearing out of my sight. I suddenly feel free to move. I hurry to my windowsill and look out to the street, straining my neck and eyes to see any kind of movement.