Star-Crossed

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

SKY

The days in Santa Barbara had gotten much colder. It was now almost November and the sun set much earlier. It wasn't New York cold, but a little cold.

Monday mornings were my favourite as I would be going back to school. Fridays were the most awful for me because I wouldn't see Alexander for the following two days. He had become a source of my happiness apart from sketching and reading, it was hard for me to believe it too.

Houndstooth was my mother's favourite pattern, and as a way to please her after she found out of my skipping, I decided to wear a houndstooth dress, black thigh high socks to keep warm and black boots.

I had spent last night straightening my hair, and it now reached the middle of my back. I simply parted it to the side.

When I walked out of my house, I noticed that familiar truck parked on the other side on the street near the bushes. I gasped to myself, squinting to see if it really was Alexander. He honked and waved at me and that was when I realized that it was really him.

Alexander and I didn't hang out other than when we skipped a class. At school, he hung out with his "friends" and the days we skipped a class was the only time we got to hang out together. It was probably because of this embarrassment he had towards me. I might've just been a distraction from his normal life or his helping hand whenever he got angry. So it surprised me to see him picking me up.

My lips suddenly raised into a smile and I walked over to his truck. He had a pair of dark shades on his eyes, but I could still see his eyes following me through the darkness.

"Hey." He greeted me as soon as I opened the truck.

"You're picking me up today." I stated, buckling up.

"I'm picking you up." He repeated, with a smile.

"Why?" I questioned, taking out my chapstick to put it on.

"Did you not want me to?" He chuckled.

"No, it's just you've never picked me up. But thank you." I smiled.

When we reached the red light, Alexander's eyes shifted to me. I saw him staring down at my legs, unaware that I was looking at him. His two index fingers tapped the steering wheel a few times before he looked away and back on the road.

"Your hair." He pointed out, looking at my face.

Heat rose to my cheeks, and I looked out of the window so he would not notice my embarrassment.

"Yeah. . . I straightened it."

I smiled at him but did not get the smile back. I sensed a small shift in his behaviour, he seemed a little stand-offish. Alexander was avoiding my eyes a little, breathing out a little heavier through his nose and tapping his steering wheel whenever he got the chance, like he was trying to control himself of something.

Thankfully, we reached the school so I would not have to endure this awkward situation any longer. When we reached got out of the truck, I was expecting us to go our separate ways but he surprised me for the second time today when he walked by my side and wrapped his arm on my shoulders.

"What are you doing?" I asked him, looking up at him.

"What?" He appeared confused.