The road to nowhere

Chapter ten

Here I go again.

Waking up early because my body is so used to waking up for school. Usually, when this happens, I go out for a jog to get the stress off of my back and forget school for a while. I walk into my bathroom, splash my face with water and throw my hair up in a pony tail. I go downstairs, slip my shoes on and take off, placing my earphones into my ears.

It has been ages since I went for a jog. A-levels take a huge toll on me and I just have absolutely no time left for myself, let alone exercise. It's chilly outside but it's the best weather to take the opportunity to go outside. I would have asked Brennen to come with me but he has 'other plans' which include him, his girlfriend and his bed in the dark... Oh, did i forget to mention... no clothes? I cringe at the thought of them two because how the fuck did Janette manage to fall for my dumb ass brother? I mean, sure he is decent looking but he is a complete idiot.

Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever be forever alone since what happened with Thomas. I don't understand why he still wants  to know where I am at all times. I sigh and press my earphones deeper into my ears and start running rather than jogging. As I pass a park that's down the street from my house, I get a lingering feeling that I am being followed or watched. I frantically take out my phone and use the reflection of my screen to look behind me. Funnily enough, I catch a glimpse of a white van slowly but surely approaching me. Shoving my phone back into my pocket, I sprint down the street, taking a right into a small alleyway. I usually run through this area so I knew it was a good place to hide to escape the van, I settle myself behind a dumpster. I try to slow down my breathing. In an attempt to keep the noise to a minimum, I cover my mouth with my right hand. I close my eyes and sob terrified.

Then...

"Ann?"

Who?

What?

How?

I still don't dare open my eyes. Fear is overpowering me and there's no more energy left for me to fight it anymore. My legs are giving way. I let them, sliding down the wall carefully sitting on the ground. My breaths become increasingly frequent as I struggle to control myself. I bury my hands deep into my hair and desperately tug at it hoping my head stops spinning.

I feel a warm hand on mine.

Then another.

"It's okay, Anna. I'm here."

I can't figure out who the voice belongs to.

"Breathe."

Breathe...

"Breathe."

I can't.

"Breathe."

Breathe.

Those same hands reach for my burning cheeks.

Tears.

A lot of tears.

"Look at me."

I try.

I can't.

"Ann, please, for me."

That voice. It's becoming more familiar by the minute. Forcing myself, I try to open my eyes again, I somehow manage to do so. One quick glare was enough for everything to come back into focus.

"C-Colby?" I struggle

"Shh... It's alright." he says quietly, wiping the tears off my face. I look away because it's all too much at this point. I look at my hands and they slowly stop shaking. Taking a slow, deep breath, I find the energy to pull myself to my feet, with Cole as a support. When I regain my balance, I throw myself on him, resulting in a tight hug. I'm shattering. I have to admit, I can't stay quiet anymore.

"Dimples..."

"Don't. Say. A. Word." And i notice a small grin creeping its way onto his face. Holding his gaze, I stare with a blank expression, completely clueless. For a moment, I think that he has seen the van, maybe it's coming for us. I don't get much more time to overthink because I notice his eyes slowly shift to my lips.

Our

lips

collide.

So soft, so powerful. Just like in our performance but with more intimacy. Then, a realisation hits me. He has been trying to tell me all along that he likes me. Wants me. All this time, I was blind. I was so blind and oblivious to all the signs. As we pull apart, without thinking I blurt out.

"I love you."

A huge grin spreads across his face as he brings his forehead to mine. "I love you too, Annie." He then kisses the tip of my nose and gives me a welcoming hug.

"Don't scare me like that again. Let's get you home."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My house feels so much happier now that Cole is here. I am yet to tell my mother and Brennen that I'm with him, not going to lie, I am kind of shitting myself. My mother has been telling me, almost desperately, that she wants us to be together. My response would always be, "Me too, mamma."

Now here we are. The day I've been desperately waiting for is right here. In front of me, staring me in the face, waiting.

"So, Annabelle has something to say." he announces nudging me. "Don't you, Ann?"

I nod and take a deep breath. But before I manage to speak she exclaims. "Oh my God! Are you together?"

"I was going to say it but, yeah." Cole and I share a look. "We certainly are." He squeezes my hand tightly, reassuring me.

My mother, ecstatic, jumps up on me giving me a bear hug. "I told you, didn't I!? I told you, I TOLD YOU!" she shouts with an insane smile on her face. I laugh lightly at her happily as she sets herself in front of us.

"Tell me everything."

And so I did, leaving out the part about the white van.

Well, my side of the story.

"My turn." I hear Cole's voice, all the while my mother not knowing how to react to the state he found me in.

"Wait-

I never asked you. What happened?"

"Well.." he begins, taking a deep breath. "I was out  for a morning walk. When I saw a white van I decided to follow it since the license plate was the same as Thomas' brother's. Then, I saw you and realised that whoever was in that van followed you but when I went to call out to you... I guess you noticed the van, you took off running into the ally way. So I flipped the person driving off, then I realised that it's actually Thomas. When I saw him I instantly sprinted after you. I found you on the ground, panicking." he sighs and looks down slowly placing his head into the palms of his hands.

After a moment or two, he looks up.

Indescribable rage in his eyes seems to be filling every single inch of his face. He stares at me for a moment too long, dropping his head before letting out a low chuckle. The kind that makes your skin go cold. He looks back up at me.

"I am going to kill him."

Six words and he has won my heart all over again. I shouldn't be supportive of this, I think. But there is a strange type of comfort hugging me and making every part of me come back to life. A strange type of adrenaline rush floods me, I suddenly feel like he might be right;

Maybe Thomas should die.

The thought startles me, makes me want to punch a wall and scream my lungs dry until I collapse of exhaustion. It is so strange yet somehow comforting.

That Cole is ready to kill for me.