Don't Wander

I Wasn't Following You

The following morning, as I looked at my reflection in the mirror before leaving to catch the bus, I made up my mind to follow Eden the next time he left algebra. I’d figure out some way. Maybe I could fake sick or something. I had to learn where he went every week that was so important he could receive a pass. Something told me this little bit of information would be essential in discovering whatever it was that he felt like hiding.

At school, Ben interrupted my daydreaming, “Hey Bek, are you OK? You’ve seemed kinda distracted lately."

“Distracted by completely dazzling hotness. Don’t blame her Ben. He is so fine. It would be impossible for anyone with working eyeballs to not get distracted around him,” Britt reveled, a faraway look in her eyes.

“I am not! I don’t even like him. He is a complete jerk,” I argued.

“Excuse me, but I have no idea who you’re talking about,” Ben said.

“Duh! Ben you are so totally stupid! The new guy.” At Ben’s blank look, she added, “His name is Eden?”

“Oh yeah. I have a class with him, I think. What’s so attractive about him?”

With an unbelieving expression, she replied, “I give up. You’re hopeless. Just take a woman’s word for it.”

“So I’m supposed to think of you as a woman now?” Ben joked. “Ouch!” He yelped as Britt smacked him brutally. Rubbing his arm tenderly, he asked, “So do you really like him?” I thought he was talking to Britt until I saw that he was looking at me.

“What? N-no, of course not,” I stuttered.

“It’s alright, you don’t have to hide it,” Ben said sullenly. He looked rather depressed. I didn’t really understand why it was such a big deal. I would have denied it again, but the bell rang and we all went our separate ways.

While we walked to class, Britt told me, “I dunno why you keep insisting that you have no feelings for Eden. Girl, it’s obvious!” My heart fell into my stomach.

“Really? It’s that noticeable? Oh gosh, I hope Eden doesn’t know,” I worried.

“Yes, you do. It’s pointless if he doesn’t figure it out. Then you would have to say something, and that would be totally weird,” Britt cringed.

When we got to English, I made a point not to look at Eden. He seemed really good at figuring things out, and I hadn’t wanted to risk giving anything away about my plans or my feelings for him. To my dismay, I felt his fingers poking my back lightly. His touch sent shivers down my spine. I turned and snapped, “What?”

He appraised me for a few seconds, and then crossed his arms.

“What are you up to, babe?” I had to suppress a sigh of frustration.

“I’m not up to anything, whatever the heck that means,” I said. Before I could turn back around, Eden grabbed a fist-full of my hair and pulled it a little roughly. I gasped mostly with surprise, but also slightly from pain.

“I like it when you make that noise,” he murmured in my ear. I was nervous at our close proximity, and swallowed hard. He continued, “Whatever you’re thinking about doing, I advise you not to.” Then he released me and leaned back in his chair. I turned away, absently rubbing the back of my head. I glanced around, but no one seemed to notice our little confrontation. I cursed my terrible acting skills and hoped I would still have the guts to go through with my plan later. To my relief, Eden didn’t speak to me for the rest of the period.

When the bell rang, I walked slowly to my next class. I wasn’t so sure that I wanted to follow him anymore. He was capable of anything, I suspected, and I didn’t want to get caught up in something dangerous. I sat down in algebra and started working diligently on my assignment.

About halfway through the hour, Eden rose from his seat and took a pass from the teacher at her desk. I watched him walk from the classroom, but he didn’t so much as glance at me. Curiosity got the best of me and I too went to her desk. I was very lucky. She was only a substitute teacher, so maybe I had a chance. “May I have a bathroom pass?”

She looked engrossed in some romance novel, and mumbled, “Mhm, sure.” I didn’t waste any time getting a pass, and I quickly left the room in search of Eden. I caught a glimpse of his silhouette turning a corner at the far end of the hall. I half ran to catch up, but it was difficult when I was trying to be silent. I turned the corner and stopped in my tracks. The hallway was empty.

As I began to wonder where he went, I felt someone grab me. I involuntarily screamed, but no sound escaped because there was a hand over my mouth. I looked up and saw it was Eden as he yanked me into a supply closet. He quickly shut the door behind him and then shoved me up against the wall and placed his arms on either side of me so I couldn’t get away.

I knew I should be terrified, but I wasn’t. I couldn’t believe how much I enjoyed being trapped by his strong arms. I tried to sound innocent and annoyed when I said, “What do you think you’re doing? Let me go.”

“You must think I’m stupid. I know you were following me,” Eden said.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I was going to the bathroom,” I explained and held up my pass as proof.

He smirked and said, “I guess that’s why you’re so far from class. I forgot how difficult it is to find the bathroom.” He was so obnoxious. Why did I like this guy so much?

“Whatever. I wasn’t following you.”

Eden leaned in and tipped his head to the side, his lips inches from my skin. “If you keep digging around where you shouldn’t be, you won’t like what you find,” he whispered. The hairs on my arms stood up. His breath on my neck felt so seductively good, even though I knew it shouldn’t. My heart raced and I hoped he couldn’t hear it.

I got my breathing under control and said, “Is that supposed to be a threat? The last one didn’t work so well, if you remember.” He leaned away and looked straight into my eyes. His smile was wicked and impossibly sexy.

He said, “It’s not supposed to be anything. It’s a warning, and I don’t give many of those. Keep that in mind babe.” He then dropped his arms and took a step back. I felt disappointment wash over me. Was I out of my mind? It shouldn't have bothered me that he wasn’t all up in my personal space anymore. In fact, any normal human being would have been relieved.

I was careful not to let my disappointment show in my voice when I retorted, “My name isn’t babe,” I filled the word with as much distaste as possible, “so stop calling me that."

He laughed softly and said, “Whatever you say, babe.” I stood there like an i***t, fuming, as he turned out the light and shut the door, leaving me alone in the dark.