Letters For Indie

~Chapter 11~

My heart was racing at a thousand miles a second.

I felt like it was ripping out of my chest to fly up and smack me in the face.

I should've known better than to wander around desolate streets in a completely new town, during late hours. Stupid, Indie, stupid stupid.

I ran as fast as my feet could carry me. I willed my body to push me further, holding back the salty tears that were brimming against my eyes.

I whirled my head around to check if they were still behind me.

Four small, blurred figures were approaching from behind.

Oh, god no. What did I do to deserve this?

The tears spilled out of my eyes, and I forced my legs to carry me away.

Slam.

Two sturdy arms wrapped around my body, and I was sent flying to the ground.

My eyes fluttered open and I gasped loudly. 

It was the beautiful boy from "The Peach Pit," the one who tried apologizing to me at the beginning of this week. 

He stared at me with amused eyes, and his mouth spread into that gorgeous, crooked smile that I loved so much.

"Why do we keep meeting like this?" he chuckled.

I turned around and spotted Darius and his friends standing about twenty feet away, with dishelved looks plastered onto their faces. 

Without thinking, I flung my hands around the boy's shoulders and sobbed heavily into his chest.

I felt him tense up, and relax a quick second later.

He didn't push me away, and just stayed fixed on the ground in front of me. He smelled like fresh pinewood.

Wait, what am I doing?

I pushed him away roughly and got up to brush myself off. I can't believe I just cried in front of this boy who I barely knew-- who was basically a stranger.

"What are you playing at? Why'd you hug me?" I said stubbornly.

He had a confused look on his face, and got up too. He loomed over me, and looked down with a calm face.

"Why were you crying?" he simply asked.

I turned back to make sure Darrius was gone. They were leaning against an Icecream stall, smoking and belting down bottles of liquor. 

He grabbed my elbow softly and turn me back around.

"Answer me." He looked at me with concerned eyes.

I shoved him off and stepped back. 

"Don't touch me! You have no right to be asking me questions."

"Woah, hold on. You're the one who was just sobbing on my shoulder!" he shouted back.

"No, I wasn't."

"Yes, you were!"

"Don't get your hopes up," I spat.

"You know, I could press charges against you for sexual harrasment. File a restraining order or something."

He smirked and crossed his arms.

I took a second to observe him better, my eyes settling in the dark. He was wearing khaki shorts and a dark green tank top, which really highlighted his toned arms. His hair was unkempt and messy as always. A mysterious glint reflected off his eyes.

"Stop checking me out," he chuckled.

"What!? I am not!" I shouted, throwing him an irritated look.

"Oh, you so are!"

"No I'm not! Are you always this annoying?"

"Yes. Are you always this stubborn?" he shot back.

"Only on occasion," I smiled sarcastically.

He uncrossed his arms and shoved them into his pockets. 

"What's your name?"

"Why do you care? For all I know, you could be a kidnapper, or a rapist."

"It's a simple question. Or did you forget that too?" he laughed.

"Shut up!" I clenched my teeth.

"Well, I'm Ethan."

"Good for you."

He looked at me raising his eyebrows. 

"Must be that time of the month," he whispered to himself turning around.

"Excuse me?" I whirled him back around and glared.

"Nothing."

"I can't believe you right now," I said frustrated.

"Well it was nice meeting you. See ya around," he stepped around me and started walking towards the parking lot.

"Wait!" I shouted, my voice shaky.

He stopped and looked at me again.

"You can't just leave me here!" There was uncertainty and fear trailing in my voice.

"Why not?" 

"You.....you....you have to take me home!" I said more confidently, putting my hands on my hips.

"What?" he was genuinely confused.

"You've....uh...you've bumped into me and now....now my eyesight is blurry. Yeah, that's it. My eyesight is blurry and I can barely see..... and you have to take me home."

"How did me bumping into you affect your eyesight?" he asked, smirking.

"It did, okay!? This is all your fault," I yelled, throwing my hands into the air.

"What the--"

"You...you are so careless, and now look what you did!" I squinted.

"Hold on--"

"Take me home right now, or I----I'll...."

He looked down at me, his face on the brink of laughing.

"Or what, exactly?"

"Just take me home!"

"Okay okay, calm down." Ethan waited for me to catch up with him.

Together, we made our way to the parking lot. He pulled his car keys out of his pocket, and unlocked the scratched up, turquoise hatchback parked on the curb.

He got into the driver's seat and started the car. I stood on the sidewalk, gaping at the vehicle. Who did he get it from, Nanny Mcphee? 

"Well are you coming or not, Cinderella?" he asked, sarcastically, "your chariot awaits."

What the hell was I doing, getting into a car with a boy that I had never associated with before in my life?

I shouldn't be trusting someone like him. So why did I do it? 

A little sense of rebellion.

Eat this, Martin.

I opened the passenger side and got inside.