Her Rock

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Ella's POV:

On the drive home, I couldn't get what just happened out of my head. I also can't stop thinking about what he said, "Today was only the start." What does that mean? Does he want to hang out with me again?

Still, I can't believe I just hung out with a boy all by myself without having an anxiety attack. I also lied to my mom about where I was going. Well, technically, it was only a partial lie I did hang out with a friend, well, if I can call him that. That was my first time skipping school without having an appointment or anything. Hopefully, my mom doesn't find out because I don't want to have to explain why I skipped.

I pull into the driveway, grab my bag, and head into the house. When I open the door, my mom is sitting at the dining room table, having a cup of coffee. I swear she drinks coffee like it's water.

She looks at me when I step into the house. My clothes are still a little bit damp from swimming, hopefully not too noticeable.

"Where have you been? I texted you like a hundred times. I know you don't like to hang out after school, Ella." She eyes me suspiciously.

Of course, my mom knows I don't like to hang out, but does she have to make it such a big deal. She acts like I have no friends at all.

I haven't been on my phone since I last texted her. I should have told her I had to finish a school project, but it didn't cross my mind at the time.

"I know I haven't been on my phone. I texted you and told you I was going to a friend's house. We had to finish a project because it's due tomorrow. I didn't go because I wanted to. I went because I had to." I say, hoping she will believe the lie. Thank goodness, my voice came out clear.

She looks me over and assesses what I said, then after about five seconds, she nods her head. Good, she believes me. I'm glad she only looked at my face, watching my expressions. If she studied my clothes too, she would catch my lie in a heartbeat.

Setting my bag down, I head upstairs, wanting to take a shower and get out of these wet clothes. The faster I'm out of her sight, the less chance she has of noticing the wrinkles in my clothes.

I walk into the bathroom and start the shower, so it heats up while I get some pajamas. In the shower, I wash my hair and body. After I'm done cleaning myself, I stand under the warm water and think about Declan and that place. How does he know about it?

This isn't me. I don't usually think about boys. I don't want to get close to someone than lose them. Sometimes I wish I could just go back and fix things. My mom thinks I need to talk to someone. She says I'm too hard on myself even though I can see the pain in her eyes.

I need to stop thinking those thoughts. I hate thinking about it. So I keep them buried and try my best to block them out.

Okay, no more thinking about Declan. Hanging out with him was probably only a one-time thing. Tomorrow he'll most likely be sick of me. Either way alone is better, alone is safe.

I step out of the shower after about thirty minutes. It's like a sauna here. The mirror is all fogged up along with the rest of the bathroom. I'm surprised my mom didn't come knocking on the door, yelling at me to get out.

I braid my hair so I can have a decent hair day tomorrow and brush my teeth. Now it's time for Netflix.

*

On my way to school, I decided to stop and get a coffee. I didn't get much sleep last night. I couldn't stop thinking about Declan's forest green eyes, and his perfect soft curls. How can a person be so beautiful?