Sweetened Facade

Chapter Nine

Dylan texted me a time and place to meet him. I agreed to hang out, but I was starting to regret my decision. My heart started to beat a little faster as I reflected on the events of yesterday. Technically speaking I was setting myself up for heartbreak once again. He wouldn't care about me, he hasn't until now, so what changed?

I changed into a sloppy pair of ripped jeans and Dad's oversized tee before fluffing up my hair a little. That won't do. I tied my hair back into a loose ponytail. This wasn't a date, we were just hanging out.

It was seven o'clock when I left the house. We agreed to meet up in front of the school and then we'd decide where to go. I took my longboard instead of driving, seen as it was only a little while away.

***
When I arrived in front of the school gates, Dylan was sitting in his dusty Nissan. He noticed me approaching, flashing his lights and smiling. He motioned for me to come over. I walked up to him, casually letting my hair down. He leaned over the chair to slightly open the door for me. I hopped in.

His car smelled like vanilla and there were clear traces of crumbs scattered about.
"You skate?" He scrunched his nose at my longboard.
"A little."
"You can put it in the back," he took the board from me and twisted around to lay it on the back seat. His neck was long and smooth, tan, honey skin. I couldn't help but notice his incredibly sharp jawline as he sat back down and looked at me. My heart skipped a beat as his eyes floated down to my lips.

This wasn't right. He probably believed all the rumours and probably just wanted to know if they were true. I looked away disgusted.

"Do you like ice cream?" He asked sheepishly. I nearly snickered.

"Are you taking me out to ice cream?" I retorted.

"Is that a no?"

"Who doesn't like ice cream!" He looked confused at my response. Judging by the way this was going, maybe I took things too seriously with him.

He started driving off, fiddling with the CD player until he reached a chilled beat. I didn't know what to do. The last time I was in someone else's car was the second worst night of my life. Silence exploded in the car as the song came to a close. We awkwardly awaited the next tune, neither of us willing to speak.

"Why the sudden interest in me?" I broke the silence.
My words must have taken him aback. He shot me a weird look in confusion.

"I've actually been curious about you since the day you arrived, but you never spoke to me. I was having an awful day yesterday and you kept me company."

Pfft. I kept him company? He wouldn't leave me.

"So what do you wanna do now?" I asked confidently.

He skipped ahead on the CD player until another trap beat rung out in the car. "Well, we're getting ice cream. Hope you like the arcade." We pulled up in the local shopping centre parking lot, swiftly rotating the wheel to park perfectly within the lines. "And we are here." He flashed me a toothy smile before jumping out of the car, running all the way around and attempting to open my door. Unfortunately, I was a fraction of a second ahead, the door colliding with his head. I burst out laughing as he covered his face up.

"I'm so sorry!" I continued laughing remorselessly. "Oh my gosh are you bleeding??" Two drops trickled from his nose and a sudden pang of guilt washed over me.

"Aaaah. Owww! This hurts. Dammit Tate you've broken my nose!" Overly dramatic boi. Two can play this game.

"Crap. Cmon." I grabbed his hand and pulled him all the way to the girls' bathrooms. The panic in his eyes as he realised what I was doing.

"I'm not going in there Tate," he snapped at me. I pulled my puppy eyes face on him (God forbid I ever saw what that looked like)

"Cmon baby, how am I meant to clean you up?" I fluttered my eyelashes at him. People were coming in and out of the public bathrooms, looking strangely at us two.

He yanked his arm loose. "I'm fine, really." Irritation was written all over his face. Score.
"Okay. Wait here." I'd gotten what I wanted out of this. I grabbed a couple of tissues from the bathroom and reemerge to find him sitting patiently outside. He looked a bit like a lost puppy waiting for his abandoned owner.

"Here," I sat beside him and Positioned myself so I could reach his face. One hand under his chin, I pressed the tissue to his nose. My fingers were cold against the warmth of his skin, sending little bolts of electricity through my hands. I wiped the blood away until I noticed how Dylan was looking at me. It was the same look he had in the car, only his face was softer.

"Baby," he smirked at me. Well that backfired. He stood up and took my hand.

"Let's go." He clutched my hand until I finally jolted free. I did not want anyone to see me with him, let alone holding hands. But a part of me wanted to feel the warmth of his skin against my own cold hands. We walked side by side, shoulders slightly brushing off one another every now and then. I could have sworn that for the first time in years, I felt a thousand butterflies taking flight in my stomach.