Belonging to the Bad Boy

Chapter 14

Back to school, and back to reality. It isn't like it was the other night, alone with Ranger. We aren't in our own bubble, and since I hadn't answered him properly we hadn't spoken much since then. I found myself and Damon hanging with Flynn and his group of friend more and more.

I saw the looks he gave us, saw the frustration and anger in Ranger's eyes. I told him I needed time to think, whether not knowing who we were right now was a good enough position to commit to someone else. He drove me home in silence afterwards and we hadn't spoke since.

Flynn continued to show interest, and it was nice knowing it wasn't just for a drunken fling. As much as I couldn't take Ranger out of my mind I found myself warming to Flynn, and more so when Ranger was around to provoke him. I felt comfort in knowing that Flynn's attention riled Ranger up, evoked ranger and, I hoped, jealousy.

Thankfully it was the end of the day, and Flynn, Damon, Chris, one of Flynn's friends, and I had just left my locker and began walking towards the parking lot. I had not bought my bike today as Damon had given me a ride, but I began to regret that when he told me he had to go and visit his dad straight after school, going in the opposite direction to where I lived.

"See you tomorrow," Damon hums as he gives me a quick hug then leaves. I watch him drive away, waving at him as he left.

I walk over to Flynn's Jeep where he and Chris are standing. "I'm off, but I'll see you both tomorrow," Chris says, fist bumping us both before we were left alone. I shuffle slightly, still getting used to hanging out with anyone other than Damon, and Ranger on the rare occasion.

"Hey, where's you're ride?" Flynn asks, looking around.

"Oh, he drove away about two minutes ago," I shrug, pulling my backpack straps forward. I look around and notice only a couple of cars left in the lot.

"Want a ride?" He offers, gesturing to his car although he was leaning on it and I had been inside of this before.

I chuckle and nod, saying thankfully, "please, I really don't want to walk home." He lets out a small chuckle in response, nodding and heading to the passenger door.

He opens it and smiles widely at me. "Here you go," he offers, holding the door open for me to climb in. My lips form an 'o', only just realising what he says. I stumble into the truck, still a little embarrassed at my obvious obliviousness. He jogs around to his side after closing the door, jumping in and starting it up. "Where are we headed?"

I tell him the address and he punches it into his phone's maps, setting it up on a holder on the dash before driving along. It wasn't a long drive, but would have been a walk of over thirty minutes. He pulls into my drive way, only two songs having played on the radio before the car was shut off. "I have a question," Flynn says, turning to face me.

"Yeah, shoot," I reply, mimicking him and turning my body to face him.

"Could I, like, pick you up at 8 tonight for dinner?" He asked sheepishly, and it reminded me of how relaxed he was at the party with me, how he wasn't someone he was expected to be.

I grin a little, a light blush covering my cheeks. "Uh, yeah, sure, sounds cool," I reply, realising just how un-cool I sounded afterwards. I shut my eyes, an awkward grimace on my face as I hear him chuckling.

"Awesome. Were something nice," he winks, jumping out of the car and opening my door for me once again. I laugh quietly, thanking him before going into my house.

"I'm home!" I call, throwing my keys on the table beside the door before walking into the living room. I sniff, my eyes furrowing in confusion. "What is that smell?"