THE THINGS THAT HOLD US DOWN

- C H A P T E R 5 -

The dress rehearsal had mostly been fun. Most of the free time we had in between dances was spent with an impromptu disco because one of the girls had brought a light-up-speaker. The actual dances that I had participated in had all gone well. Everybody had been in time and there were no costume malfunctions. The only problems were minor, like facial expressions. Apparently, some people found it hard to smile.

After helping to tidy up the backstage rooms and reordering costume, I finally managed to escape and start my walk home. The sky was already darkening so I quickened my pace, not really wanting to walk home in the dark. While I knew self-defence I didn't actually want to test my skills on someone creeping up on me in the night.

I had only managed to walk down the hill from school, it hadn't even been five whole minutes before I heard the engine of a car slowly approaching from behind me. I panicked and ever so slightly increased my walking speed. I shook my head trying to clear the internal screaming and focus on the situation at hand. Racking my brain for a plan, I figured that my phone would be the most helpful. I slide my hand to the side pocket on my bag trying to be discrete. It was the most logical location for it to be and I prayed that I was right. I might not have enough time to go rummaging around in my bag, by the time I managed to find it I would probably already be trussed up in the trunk.

Just as my fingers wrapped around the slim metal of my phone the car speed up, driving right past me. I let out a sigh of relief as I concluded that tonight would not be the night I get kidnapped. The breath was soon sucked back in as I saw it parked up ahead of me. I faltered trying to decide on a course of action. Nothing came to mind. Tension filled my body, legs staggering to a stop. Should I turn around? Walk back to school maybe or crossed to the other side of the road. I pulled my feet from where they had been figuratively stuck to the ground and made to cross the road. A voice called out before my foot could even touch the surface of the road.

"Hey," My head shot towards the origin of the voice. The car door of the driver's side had opened, spilling light out into the dim. A figure stood with a hand outstretched in the top of the door. His features were shadowed since the light was coming from behind.

"Do you want a ride to somewhere?" I placed my foot back down on the tarmac pavement and turned, cautiously, towards the stranger.

"Uh no?" I trailed off awkwardly. I wasn't about to get into some random's car, "Thanks." I added after some hesitation. The last thing I wanted was for this guy to murder me for not being polite.

"Sure?" He asked. His voice sounded vaguely familiar but then it could have been a distant memory from overhearing a conversation on the street.

"Wouldn't want.." He had carried on talking while I briefly tried to recall if I had actually known or talked to this person, "kidnapped or in a ditch dead." I took a slight step back when I heard the last part of the sentence. I felt chills creep up on me and I peered through the dark, trying to make out his face well enough to see his expression. I couldn't tell whether he was smiling maliciously at the thought of his wicked plans or staring- at what little he could see of me in the dark, with the concern of a worried stranger.

"Mm." I made a noncommital noise in response to the slightly scary idea. It was all I could say, or not say. I was too busy trying to figure out an escape plan. A few seconds later, it turned out that paying attention to the stranger would have been better than my elaborate plan because in that very short span of time, he had managed to move from being a whole ten metres away to only one. Unconsciously, I slid one foot back, bringing my weight to the rest on the other one in front. My arms fell loose at my sides but we're still ready to swing. I think my defence teacher would have been proud. Maybe if I got out alive then I could tell him myself.

"Hey." I looked up at him properly for the first time since he had moved closer. Dark hair, it looked black in the dark, slicked back. Grey eyes framed by long lashes that I immediately became jealous of. He looked tanned, even in this lighting. My mind then, finally, caught up with my eyes which had been to busy scanning this guys face. It was him. I still didn't have a name to go with but I recognised his face, very well.

"You? Again?" I exclaim in utter disbelief. "I can't believe it. There's no way this is a coincidence."

"I was just driving by and saw a damsel in distress." He crossed his arms and looked down at me, a smirk gracing his lips.

"Just happened to be driving by? At this time?" I crossed my arms too, monitoring his stance. Although I had to look up at him. I then remembered the rest of his sentence and jerked my head back, "Damsel in distress? I think not." I glare at him but he all seems to find is humour.

"Yeah doll, you seem like you're in distress right now." The smirk appears to be a permanent feature.

"The only thing causing me distress is you, don't call me doll." A gust of wind blew past, sending icy pinpricks across the uncovered areas. Chiefly my hands and face. I rubbed my cheeks first, trying to instill some warmth back into my face and then tucked my hands into my arms. The actions didn't go unnoticed.

"Cone on doll, let me take you home." He gestured to my hands while he spoke. "Stop being so stubborn, you're only getting colder." I rolled my eyes and made to walk past him but he grabbed my arm, halting any more movement.

"Unless you are heading to my car, you're not going anywhere." I sighed and reluctantly tugged my arm from his firm grip. With him right behind me, I walked to his car. I was about to pull the passenger door open but he pushed his arm in front of me, tugging me back into his front, while his other hand reached toward the handle. Once I had gotten in the door closed. He jogged around to the other side, slide inside and started driving.