Saving Death

Chapter 5

My body ached with spent nervous energy as we reappeared on the street, hugging our jackets around us to keep warm. It was past eleven and the street was alive with people as they wandered around carelessly, buzzing with alcohol. Sam was nowhere to be seen, but the others didn't seem perturbed, so I tried to push it from my thoughts.

I couldn't just ignore what had just happened though. Had Sam just freaked out because I'd touched his hand? Did he hate me that much? I tried not to feel too hurt by his reaction. Only I already did and I couldn't get my head around why he would dislike me so much; or was Louisa right? There had been something alight in his eyes when we were in the cinema. Even those times he'd told me I should avoid him or to leave him alone, it always appeared that there was a part of him that enjoyed talking to me. I'd noticed that much, even if I hadn't noticed what Louisa had.

The gentle thud of music filled the chilly air as we passed the doorways of various bars and clubs and I wondered if he'd slinked away into one of these somewhere. He seemed old enough and was definitely safe from me, if that's who he was avoiding. Each was flanked by two or three burly men dressed in black jackets with yellow or orange identity bands on their upper arms. I watched as one of them grasped a younger man's arm and pulled him to the side to talk to him in a low voice. The younger man clearly wasn't listening and I thought it was a wonder he was even standing up. Maybe Sam's plan was to get as wasted as him.

"I can't wait until I'm eighteen," Louisa piped up excitedly, hugging Blake's arm for warmth. Blake made no comment, and instead leant over and muttered something to Jules, he smirked and look over at me. I felt my face go red. They probably knew why Sam had bolted.

Pushing my hands in my pockets, I walked ahead of them, but pain shot through my shoulder as a drunk guy rammed into me. The collision sent me stumbling off the curb and into the path of an oncoming car. Just as suddenly, a strong hand grasped my upper arm and pulled me back with a jolt.

"You could at least make my job a bit harder," grumbled Sam, dropping my arm and striding ahead of me towards the others. What did that mean? What job? I watched as he fell into step beside Franco, and I wondered if they were talking about me. Feeling dizzy with nerves, I decided it would be best to leave as soon as possible. Louisa was too polite to say so, but she probably wanted to spend some time with Blake anyway, and now that Sam had returned, there was another reason to leave. He clearly didn't want to talk to me. Maybe my leaving would improve his mood, and my own for that matter.

Fumbling in my pocket for my phone, I searched for bus times as I wandered behind the others. It was as much to make me look busy so I didn't have to make small talk with anyone. I was just thankful that I hadn't had a complete breakdown in the cinema. In fact, tonight, I'd seemed like the sane one.

When I looked up, everyone had come to a stop next to a black motorbike, where Blake was fumbling with the ignition.

"You coming, babe?" he drawled to Louisa as he slid a hand around her waist.

She looked at me. "Ava—do you have to be back home soon?"

I shrugged self-consciously. Obviously, nobody else had a curfew set by their parents, and as I hesitated, I was sure Blake was hoping I'd leave. On the other hand, Dad would kill me if he knew I'd got a bus back on my own this late at night. I was torn, but before I could come to a reasonable conclusion, Blake's voice barked out impatiently.

"Ava! My house?" Blake was staring at me with cold, dark eyes.

"Sure," I heard myself say, more out of reflex than anything else. I watched Blake pass Louisa a helmet and wondered how on earth I was supposed to get to Blake's house. As if he knew exactly what I was thinking, he paused half way onto the motorcycle and looked past me.