Write on me

Chapter 3

Growing up I always felt invisible because I was the shy and quiet twin that never approached people or thrived in crowds. Any friend group I was in was merely because Melissa had formed a bond with them and as her twin I was brought along to parties and playdates.

Even in school, it felt like I was hanging on her coat tails, so once we got to high school I did us both a favour and stopped trying to fit in with her people.

It would have been futile for me, just sitting there beside her with a small smile; forever trying to act like I cared about what they were concerned about.

So, I joined the soccer team and read my books in the library or did my homework because it was what brought me happiness. The things that brought me joy never lined up with the rest of the kids, it didn’t make sense to me that I was the only one. But what I quickly realized was that maybe they were just good at keeping their quirks a secret, so they could appear to be what everyone accepted.

The soccer team was the one place where I didn’t feel like the loner or the sidekick to my sister, but I felt important and I didn’t hate the attention when I was on the field dribbling a ball. I was actually a part of something there and people respected me even if it was only for a couple hours.

“Go Meredith!”

“You got this, Blake”

“Come on, Meredith!”

I could hear my parents, along with my sister, being the loudest on the bleachers as I had managed to pass two fellow players before scoring the winning goal just in the nick of time. I felt myself being lifted by my teammates and smiled brightly as they cheered with me, my elevation allowed me to see something else though.

In the distance I saw someone appearing from beneath the bleaches, a cigarette on his lips before he took one last drag and let it fall to the ground and killed it. He felt my eyes on him somehow and looked up, he wasn’t wearing a hoodie but instead a leather jacket with black jeans and a grey t-shirt. He just couldn’t have been seventeen…

He winked at me before he turned to walk off, away from the bleachers. I was set down which led to him being out of sight for me.

I hadn’t seen him since our interaction in the library a couple days ago and while I was slightly disappointed, I knew it was for the best. I had made a promise to my sister and we always kept our promises to each other.

“That was amazing, Meredith” My mom pulled me into a warm hug as I reached them, their faces were decorated in proud smiles; they were my biggest fans.

“Thank you, the first game being a win is a good sign” I couldn’t contain the hope and excitement from my voice as I liked to believe it was.

We had improved quite a bit since the last season where we lost our first two games and were pretty much demotivated for the rest of it.

I made my way to the changing rooms with my team which was always the best part after any game because we were all just sweaty messes. A cool shower after a game had to be the most relieving experience ever, getting rid of all the tension and grime from a well-played game.

About twenty minutes later, I made my way down the empty halls of the school having decided not to join the team for pizza. The last time we had a victory I had joined and reluctantly ended up at a house party afterwards that left me with a major hangover. It tends to happen when you are seated by yourself in the corner with alcohol in red solo cups as your best friend, and I didn’t even like the stuff.

I heard my phone go off in my bag and frowned as I saw a text from Mel when I would be seeing her outside the school in just a minute.

Mel: Sorry. I couldn’t wait, Adam had an emergency. Please get a lift with one of the other girls

I rolled my eyes as while I loved Adam because he was basically like a brother at this point, I always felt that he was jealous of the bond my sister and I had at times and the fact that he had to share her with me. I understood his side because I felt the same, it felt like he was pulling her away from me every chance he could get. Like now, my sister had said she would go out for milkshakes with me since I didn’t feel like the pizza thing but of course she completely forgot about that.

I made my way down the steps and heard a revving sound in the distance and glanced towards the parking lot. I wasn’t even sure he noticed me until he stopped right below the steps, had this been a regular day he would have gotten in major trouble for stopping where he had.

He took off his helmet and his hair fell into his face again and he did the thing with his fingers that caused his hair to fall back before his eyes were set on me. I wasn’t sure if I had breath since I saw him making his way towards me on his motorcycle and with his eyes fixed on me.

I took a deep breath that I hoped wasn’t visible to him before I managed to form a sentence.

“Were you waiting for me?” I was barely audible as I slowly walked down the remaining steps to reach him.

“No.” He simply said before he stared ahead, and I nodded as it was a stupid thing to ask but I was proven wrong as he added another word. “Maybe”

“Why?” I blurted out quite easily which surprised me, but my curiosity would always override my awkwardness.

“You’re not average. Especially not out on that field, it’s like you’re a different person out there and…” He shook his head as if hating himself for saying all that he had.

“I am. I love it, it’s where I feel like I belong…Uhm I need to go” I moved away from him as I remembered my promise to my sister.

“Are you walking?” I heard him from behind as I managed to move a few feet past him before I turned back to look at him.

“Yeah, it’s not that far” It would be a half hour walk but I didn’t really mind it even though my legs were pretty tired after the game, so a ride home would have been perfect but I made a promise.

And we kept our promises…

“I am guessing your parents wouldn’t be too keen on you making your way home on this thing huh?” He smirked as he gently pat onto his black motorcycle that seemed to match everything else he was wearing.

“And my sister…” I added while his eyes briefly observed my legs that were on display because of the denim shorts I had chosen to accompany my baggy t-shirt.

“It’s not polite to stare” I blurted out in the same tone he had days before.

“Hard not to, Princess” He chuckled as if connecting the dots along with me.

“You sound like my dad when you call me that” I scrunched up my nose as I didn’t like it at all.

“What? You prefer Meredith?” He c****d his eyebrow and I took one step towards him.

“How do you… the game.” I sighed as if they hadn’t called my name out for scoring I was sure he heard my mom’s incessant yelling from beneath the bleachers where he had probably been for the entire game. I guess it was a good thing I had only seen him afterwards because I knew his piercing grey eyes on me would possibly make me forget my aim.

I quickly shook away my annoying thoughts as I wasn’t sure why he would have any effect on me, I didn’t care what anyone thought about me especially out on the field. “Did you actually watch or were you busy killing your lungs for most of it?”

He seemed taken aback by my question and I was as well but playing soccer helped with my confidence. I was still riding that high because if I weren’t, I wouldn’t be able to just let the words flow like I was without second-guessing which wasn’t like me.

“I watched. I hate these things, but my dad made sure I came. He’s a freaking pain.” He rolled his eyes and I couldn’t help but find amusement in his annoyance.

“Maybe you’re the pain?” I narrowed my eyes.

“You know your words sting more than the stitches did for these scars on my face”

“I’m sorry.” My eyes widened, while I briefly stared at his scars wondering where he had gotten them before I felt bad for doing so and chose to focus on the strap of my bag instead.

He laughed, and I slowly allowed myself to look at him again and I couldn’t help but smile. I saw another side of him apart from the cocky attitude I had been exposed to before he caught himself and stopped, “I’m kidding. Come on”

He extended his arm and handed me his helmet, but I didn’t take it and immediately shook my head, “My family will kill me”

“You would think your argument would be that you barely know me” He tutted.

“That too.” I glanced around even though I knew we were the only ones still on the school grounds; I just needed to tear my eyes away from his for a bit.

“I’m Dane. And I don’t plan on taking you home, I figured we could go somewhere, wherever you want” He shrugged.

“Why?” I questioned and knew I would possibly be breaking my first promise to my sister.

“Because I’m bored” He sighed heavily.

“Only if I get to ask you questions” I raised my eyebrow as I took the helmet from his hand.

“One question” He stated as he shifted forward.

“Two?” I pushed.

“Fine.”

●●●

The feeling of the wind hitting my face was always something I enjoyed, it had started when I was younger and sadly got car sick quite a lot. I had an urgent need for the window to always be open and the faster the car went, the bigger my smile would be. Its like you could feel the earth awakening your senses, like when the sun’s rays hit your skin, it was refreshing or maybe I just liked weird things.

“I have never been this far out before” I breath as he helped me off his motorcycle.

We had driven for a good amount of time and I was afraid I would have fallen asleep and fell off at one point. I had allowed him to choose our destination because I didn’t have any favourite places that didn’t involve books. And he had made it clear he wasn’t a fan of the fictional romance scene.

The ride had been enjoyable but also a bit awkward for me because my arms had been wrapped around his waist. It was the closest I had ever gotten to a guy and thankfully he wasn’t able to see my flustered face unless he had eyes on his back.

I never shied away from the attention its just that no one had really taken an interest in me in a serious manner. Sure, there were silly crushes when I was younger and apart from some bullying I had related to boys well but that was short lived. I didn’t question the 'why' too much because when I looked at everyone in relationships I just couldn’t deal with the effort it took. Fantasizing about my Romeo seemed much easier, with less pain too.

“I always make sure I know the ins and outs of every town I am in” He moved towards the pathway surrounded by trees while I didn’t move.

“You make it sound like you move around a lot.”

“Is that leading to a question or just an observation because you know that you are only allowed two.” He turned and stared at me, his eyes were partially hidden due to his hair that fell to the tip of his nose. I wondered why he didn’t just trim it because it would have annoyed me which was why all my hair was one long, dark length.

“Just an observation for now. I am not sure how things are in the other towns you have been to, but I try not to follow strangers down a path in the woods.” I hesitantly spoke and glanced back to the road where not much traffic was.

“Well I’m not a stranger am I, Meredith? I share a class with your sister and you know my name is Dane.” He stated.

I glanced around again as I still felt slightly unsure. He didn’t seem like the serial killer type, but did most serial killers really look like serial killers or were they handsome and charming? I should have probably thought it through when he had made it clear we weren’t going home, it was too late now. If I decided to run in the other direction I possibly would encounter a real serial killer on my journey back.

“You can text your sister and let her know where you are if that will make you feel better?” He offered while I sighed and shook my head as my family was always telling me to live a little, so I guess this would be the one weekend I did something spontaneous and hopefully I would make it out alive.

He turned on his heel once certain I was ready to leave the spot I had become fixed to over the last few minutes and made his way down the path. I followed closely behind in a comfortable silence I wasn’t used to.

I always felt pressured to say something if I was with someone other than Melissa, it usually led to me embarrassing myself because I would end up blurting out something silly.

The trees soon cleared, and I was surprised at the sight that met my eyes as we reached what seemed to almost be the edge of the little forest he had taken me to. There was nothing more than a fallen down tree, some boulders and random rocks so the location didn’t leave me in awe but the view sure did.

From where we stood we were able to see the entire town that extended and it seemed that it collided with the clear blue sky. “Wow”

“You don’t get out much huh?” He teased as he sat down on a boulder and pat the empty space next to him and like a moth I followed as he lit up a cigarette. “I would offer you one, but you don’t seem like the smoking type”

“I just don’t find joy in destroying my lungs” I whispered as I continued admiring the new sight I was exposed to. It really looked like some wallpaper you would see on a desktop background and the only thing that would have made it more magical was if it were a cloudy day.

“Just because it’s not your cup of tea doesn’t mean you have to hate on it” He flicked the cigarette and allowed the ash to fall next to his sneakers.

“Like you did with my book?”

He smirked before he took another drag and then spoke, “How do you survive in this town?”

“You should probably ask the popular kids, we would have different tips to give you.” I was certain that any suggestions I had he would find boring, I knew the things that interested me other kids at school didn’t relate to. Otherwise I would have been able to have better conversations with them and they wouldn’t have found me odd.

“Popular” He scoffed. “It’s all a joke. Wait until they all get into the real world and see how much that popularity gives them.”

I ignored the question lingering in my mind on whether he had a bitter experience due to being popular at his previous school and put it in a folder for the future. “I would say you are already popular; people still can’t stop wondering where you came from”

“And you?” He turned to me as he threw the cigarette to the ground and killed it, before he blew the remaining smoke past me.

“I honestly haven’t given you a second thought” I shrugged while he chuckled.

“I didn’t peg you for the lying type, Princess.”

“It’s not a lie. I tend to be in my own world, so I don’t bother giving my input into whatever their latest obsession is”

Maybe it was a lie, but a white lie.

“I’ll believe you. So, you’re a loner then?” He questioned as his voice dropped and he stared at the view again which I was grateful for because his eyes just felt like they saw into me sometimes.

“I guess but I am just me. I don’t hate interacting with people I just strongly dislike it”

“Yet you haven’t stopped talking since I approached you”

“My team won so I am in a good social mood” I smiled, and he almost did as well before he shook his head. “How old are you?”

“Nineteen.”

I wanted to ask if he was held back or if he dropped out and came back since he seemed to move around but that would have to wait for a possible future meet up because I only had one question left.

“You?”

“I’m seventeen. Turning eighteen in a couple of months” I wasn’t sure why I added the rest but because he was older I felt the need to.

“Why are you hanging out with me? I saw you leave the bleachers while we were still celebrating yet you were still there after everyone left.”

“Is that really your final question?” He frowned while I nodded as it didn’t make any sense to me, one random encounter in a library couldn’t have made him think I was that interesting. I wasn’t interesting to any one…

“There are two answers to that question, but I can only give you one”

“Okay” I rolled my eyes as there always seemed to be a catch.

“You don’t stare at me. Everyone thinks I don’t pay attention but the nice thing about wearing a hoodie and having longer hair is that they can’t tell where I’m looking if my head is down. Everyone whispers and stares all the damn time and then I will pass you and you’ll be buried in a book” He chuckled. “Or walking with your head down like me.”

I didn’t say anything as I wasn’t sure that’s the answer I was looking for, but he had just arrived at school days before so there wouldn’t be some meaningful reason behind it.

“You had two questions to ask and you chose simple ones instead of what’s on everyone’s mind. Even though I have been a minimal thought for you I am sure you have better questions.”

“I have tried with better questions before, but you made it clear that its none of my business, so I figured I would stick within safe boundary questions” I shrugged knowing he had thought I would ask about his scars or the pocket knife.

“I guess that’s where we slowly start to differ, Meredith.” He leaned in and I stared at him, avoiding his grey eyes. “I enjoy pushing boundaries…”

His words threw me off as his voice had lowered almost seductively so I looked into his eyes which had gone from unnerving to hypnotic while he continued, “But only if I know that deep down you want them to be pushed”

“How would you know that?” I murmured as I wanted so badly to break eye contact, but I couldn’t.

I wanted to get lost in his eyes and it was a weird feeling when I usually felt panicked if I stared at someone too long.

“I find that if you stare at someone long enough you notice things: their chest heaving up and down, goosebumps forming on their skin, cheeks reddening, lips slowly parting and suddenly their breathing slows as they freeze due to the intense gaze on them…” Only as his lips grazed over mine did I realize everything he had said was directed at me in this very moment.

My brain was screaming at me to push him away to get up and run, but my heart had stopped briefly as I just stopped functioning and that allowed him to connect his lips to mine. My eyes closed out of their own as his hand cupped my face while he deepened the kiss by slipping his tongue past my lips; it was all a foreign combination of feelings I had never felt before.

I welcomed the heat filling my blood as my skin felt as hot as he was, and I returned as best I could by following his lead as I had never done it before. I had a peck on the lips when I was nine but that was the closest thing I had to a first kiss before this moment and it couldn’t be compared at all.

His hand left my face and I wanted it back, but I felt my body being lifted and quickly realized where his hands had gone to.

My body against his as I sat on his lap…

Our lips touching, our saliva mixing as my body clung to his…

It was all too much!

My body finally listened to all the signals my brain had been frantically sending it for the past few minutes that had gotten overridden due to the intense emotions.

I pushed against his chest and he let go of me as soon as I showed a sign of protest. I moved off his lap while my fingers briefly traced over my lips that were tingling. “What’s wrong?”

“Uhm I should get home.” I said as calmly as I could while I was going through a rush of feelings on the inside.

He frowned but nodded and made his way to the trees while I took one last glance at the view from above the town and followed.

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Author's note:

Hi lovelies!

I hope you are enjoying this book so far!

Please let me know what you think.

What do you think about Dane and Meredith?

Why do you think he carries a pocketknife and has scars?

Thank you for reading!