The Way Back To You

Chapter 6

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I hold my breath and stand there, pressed against the locker, looking up into a pair of intense eyes that don't seem to have any intention of moving away. He seems to be waiting for some type of response from me.

I stare at him, trying to find an inkling of the guy I tended to at urgent care, but he seems to be lost and this new personality has overtaken the boy in front of me.

Mason steps forward and pulls on Alex's shoulder, shoving him away from me. Alex barely stumbles before righting himself and raising an eyebrow at the pair of us.

"Lay off, man."

Mason narrows his eyes and Charity quickly comes to my aid.

"We're very sorry about that, we'll just...Be on our way."

Mason stares Alex down and then follows us down the hallway. I can feel a pair of eyes on the back of my head.

You know who.

No, not Volde-Gosh...I can't even say it in the privacy of my own mind...

I mean Alex.

I make it a point not to look back at him, however tempting it may be. But it'll ruin the exit, and I think we have a pretty dramatic scene going on now...Until Quinn runs over to us from the other side of the hallway and starts gushing about how creepy Alex is.

She's so loud, I bet the entire student body can hear her.

When we're a good distance away, Charity bursts out laughing and slings an arm over my shoulders.

"Oh man...I had no idea he was listening in on our conversation!"

Mason shrugs, even as a small smile spreads across his face. "I mean...He was sitting behind us. We should have really made more of an effort to keep our voices down."

Quinn giggles and squeezes Mason's hand. "That was hilarious. I mean, I knew he was a violent guy. His track records showed us that much, but...Pushing you against a locker and-Wait, what was it that he told you?"

"Nothing," I say, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Really?"

Charity stops walking, forcing all of us to a halt. "I heard something about a game of some sort?"

"Oh, you know, being a tough guy. Telling me all about the matches he's won in wrestling and how I should watch out."

I wave a hand in the air to look more convincing.

Mason mimics me, crossing his eyes and making us all laugh. A blossom of color spreads across my cheeks and I nod.

"You get it. I'm just going to steer clear of him, and everything will be fine."

My little act has managed to convince them, and we switch the subject, making our way over to the next wing for our next set of classes.

                                 ...

Pretty soon, the bell rings relieving us of our dissecting duties. It takes about five minutes to go empty out my locker and get the hell out of that school building.

Mason and Charity catch up to me next to my car. Quinn trails behind them, sliding her hands up and down her skirt.

"I just can't seem to get the feel of frog slime out of my hands and in between my fingers. Like, honestly, that sucked."

I shrug. "It's either that or a lamb's brain, pick your poison."

"I actually didn't think it was that bad,"

We all turn around at the unfamiliar voice to find Alex leaning against a hefty Volkswagen. I assume it's his ride, and, man....That's one nice ride...

I purse my lips and step back a little. "Of course you didn't."

Alex takes in a long breath and ignores me. "You should see some of the things I experience in the ring. You know...Blood, bones and mushed up pieces of-"

"Okay, stop."

Charity holds up a hand, making a gag gesture. "We get it. You're a big, bad athlete and you've seen some shit. Don't harp it all over us."

The corner of Alex's lip tilts upward, hiding the scar that will always remind me of that day.

"It's not harping if it's true."

Mason lifts a shoulder. "So? Boxing is a knock-up sport. It takes commitment."

Alex thrusts back his shoulders. "What, you don't think I have commitment?"

Quinn straightens up next to Mason and grabs his arm. "I think, actually, that you have a prioritizing problem."

"What?"

Alex chuckles, stepping away to open the door to his undeniably sweet ride.

"I set my priorities straight. What's wrong with that?"

Quinn opens her mouth and lets out a small squeak. "Your priorities seem to consist of no one but yourself. You hurt people, you know. You've hurt girls all because of your agenda. What did you think, nothing was on file?"

Alex's face goes paper pale and he lowers his head. When he picks it up again to look at us, his eyes have a tortured, angry look to them.

"Don't talk about things you know nothing about. Don't talk about those girls, me, or my boxing streak. Don't tell me to set my priorities or fix my agenda's. Don't be so quick to judge, blondie."

I wet my lips and cross my arms, deciding to speak up. "This is the real world. Everyone's a judge."

Alex scoffs. "We are not in some crappy re-run of law and order. Welcome to the hypothetical hunger games, sweetheart."

"I thought you said you weren't a player in the games?"

"None of us are. We're all pawns, contending for ourselves and self-survival."

Alex rolls his eyes and starts his ignition. We all watch numbly as he drives away.

We're all pawns, contending for ourselves and self-survival.

But then...Why Alex? Why did you help Ethan that day at the park?

I'm having a hard time believing you're such a bad person. That you're this big bad rebel cliché. The type that makes me want to roll my eyes, because it's so ridiculous.

Even the cruelest gang leaders have a bit of heart deep inside of them. Everyone has a heart...Okay, maybe not Trump...But everyone else....Okay, maybe not Hitler, but the rest of us....Okay, maybe not-Well, you get it.

Most everyone has a heart, and I have seen first hand how big Alex's can be.

(To be clear, we are talking about his HEART.)