Book 1: Energy

3. Invasion

  Two days. For two days he's been following me around constantly. It wasn't even like he was trying to be lowkey about it, he was blatantly watching over his shoulder like a maniac! He followed me to the store when my dad sent me out for groceries, he followed me to my grandma's apartment, and he waited outside the bathroom door while I was in there! How obvious can a person get?

  That was just over a weekend, I couldn't bare the thought of him following me around school. Everyone would have even more of a field day with the sarcastic remarks and snide comments. That dreaded day had come too soon.

  I woke up at my normal time, and as soon as I heard that dreaded knock at the door, I was ready to bang my head against the wall. The pit of my stomach stirred wrenchingly just at the thought of him being near me.

  My mom greeted him at the door, I could hear her voice down the hall. Not even moments later, she called for me. I threw my school uniform on as quick as possible, and slung my backpack over my shoulders. Placing my earphones over my ears, I began to blast my music on full volume as I stomped right past both of them.

  It made me want to laugh every time I saw his stupid face. He always had on the weirdest disguises. Today, he was wearing a school uniform, of course. Even though he looked out of place with it given how rigidly straight he was walking. I didn't wait to hear my mom say goodbye as I started out the door, slamming it behind me without a second glance.

  I refused to look back at him, yet I could practically feel him on my heel.

    As I got to the pavement outside my building, a wall of stone blocked my path, though not in time for me to run directly into it!

  I smashed my nose right into the wall, and I could feel my face instantly burn red as I tore my earphones off and spun on my heel to look directly in his blue eyes. "What is your deal?" I shouted.

  His expression remained rigid and stone like, "It's my duty to stand by your side as--" I scoffed and walked away from him and around that stupid wall.

  Throwing my earphones back on, I stomped away toward the bus stop up the road to wait for the public transit. Of course, Xan stood right at my side the entirety of the wait. It felt like he was breathing down my neck, and I was ready to knock him into next week!

  As we boarded the bus, I tried to squeeze into the farthest corner near the back without having to be near him. However, I wound up next to a man that smells like a mixture of wet tiger-bear and onions, but I'd take that over having Xan practically jumping my boots.

  He wasn't too far away, forced to stand in the aisle as he shot me a glare.

  Ha ha, victory!

  Though the universe just loved proving me wrong! The very next stop, the man who'd been beside me got up and left the bus. Guess who shot into the seat next to me? You guessed it! The world's favorite earthbender.

  I sulked in my seat, turning up my disc-player so I didn't have to hear him talk or even breathe in the same direction as me. I crowded myself as far into the bus wall as I could. My skin pressed right up against the cold window of the bus, causing a chill to run down my spine. I'd rather face hypothermia than touch him. EUGH!

  As I slowly started to relax, he pulled my earphones off my ears, glaring hard at me. "Could you at least try and cooperate with me?" He frowned, but I scowled right back in his face.

  "Could you maybe not breathe down my neck!" I scoffed.

  "You're being childish!"

  "You're popping my bubble!"