CHAPTER THREE
999 Words
CHLOE
The leather seat felt like a barrier between us as we drove to school the next morning. It had been nearly twenty-four hours since he’d walked into my room, yet the silence in the car was so heavy I could barely breathe. Edward kept his eyes locked on the road, his knuckles white against the steering wheel. No 'good morning,' no acknowledgement of the heat that had flared between us—just the hum of the engine and the suffocating tension of things left unsaid.
I stared out the window, the passing trees a green blur. My mind was a mess of "what-ifs.": What if i had allowed him to stay? What if I had answered the question he asked me? Would I have actually let him? Part of me hated him for it—he was an egotistical asshole who seemed to enjoy keeping me off-balance. But another part of me couldn't stop thinking about the way his voice had rumbled through the room or the ghost of his touch that still felt branded into my skin.
When we pulled into the school lot, the usual weight of being "Edward Hawthorne’s step-sister" settled over me. I could see the groups of girls whispering as we parked, their eyes tracking the car like hawks. They didn't want to be my friend; they wanted a ticket to Edward.
The moment the engine died, Edward checked out. He didn't look at me as I gathered my bag. He was back to being a ghost, the mysterious guy who drove me to school but wouldn't spare me a glance once we hit the pavement. It stung, though I’d never admit it. To him, I was just a human obligation.
I stepped out into the morning air, but before I could even shut the door, the space in front of me disappeared.
"Hey, cutie." A voice interrupted my action
Evans. The captain of the basketball team was suddenly inches from me, his presence loud and demanding. I tried to sidestep him, but he shifted with me, pinning me against the warm metal of Edward’s car.
"Evans, it’s Monday morning. Please, don't ruin it. Just leave me alone," I said, locking my arms across my chest to create some kind of shield. Usually, I’d just walk away, but with the car at my back and Evans looming over me, I was trapped.
"I'm not trying to ruin anything, darling," he said, his voice dropping into that fake-smooth tone he used when he wanted something. "Just say yes to me, and we’ll both go enjoy the day."
If I'm to tell you about the series of events between me and Evans, it would be a whole novel on it own, because it all started when I started my academic journey in this school. He has been infatuated with me since then. A stupid, foolish yet extravagant love.
Evans reached out, his fingers moving toward my cheek. I flinched, my eyes darting to the car window, but before he could touch me, his hand stopped. It didn't just stop—it was jerked back.
I looked up to see Edward standing there. His hand was clamped around Evans’ wrist like a steel cuff. A sound I’d never heard before came from Edward’s chest—a low, vibrating growl that made the hair on my arms stand up. It didn't sound human.
"Let go of me," Evans hissed, his face turning a blotchy red as he tried to yank his arm away. Edward didn't move an inch.
"Don't you dare touch her," Edward muttered. His voice was a low, dangerous rasp, his teeth clenched so tight I could see the muscles in his jaw ticking. He looked at Evans with an intensity that felt like a physical weight, a cold fire in his eyes that seemed ready to consume the bully where he stood.
"And why do you care?" Evans shot back, his voice cracking as a crowd began to circle us. "Aren't you two just step-siblings? Or is there more to the story?"
My heart hammered against my ribs. Why did he care? We weren't close. We weren't even friends. My mind raced back to yesterday—the way he’d looked at me in my bedroom. Was this protection, or was he just marking territory just like Evans?
I was so lost in the confusion that I barely saw Edward release him. Evans stumbled back, his ego clearly bruised as he looked at the growing audience of students.
"You can't run away from me, Chloe!" he shouted, trying to save face as he scurried toward the gym.
I stood there, my face burning with a heat that had nothing to do with the sun. I felt caught, my secrets written all over my bright red cheeks.
Edward turned his gaze on me, his eyes searching mine. "What makes you so red?"
"Hmm?" I blinked, the world coming back into sharp focus. "He's gone," I managed to say, nodding toward the retreating basketball team. I took a breath, my pulse still thrumming in my throat. "But why did you do that?"
Edward didn't answer immediately. He looked away, a shadow of something that looked almost like guilt crossing his face before he masked it with a scowl.
"Do you perhaps like me?" The words were out before I could stop them. I felt the weight of the question hang in the air between us. "I mean, with yesterday... and now... I have every reason to think that, right?"
"I don't like you," Edward said. The words were flat, cold, and final. "And even if I did, you're not the one meant for me."
He turned on his heel and walked away without looking back, leaving me standing alone by the car, the sting of his words sharper than anything Evans could have said.
- Writer
