Eerie
1781 Words
When the last bell rang, I sucked in an audible breath. Finally, the day had ended. I wanted nothing more than to go home, get into my pajamas, crawl into my warm bed, and forget this day ever existed.
First, I needed to stop by the hardware store and see about reactivating my cell phone. I wasn’t hopeful. Apart from having to go to a feed store to activate my phone gave me pause. I lived in gator county. At this point, I’d take whatever phone I could get, providing it was cheap.
Every penny had to be accounted for, which reminded me, I needed to get the landlord’s number. Sara sucked at paying rent. I needed to make sure she didn’t go half-c****d like last time, losing our money to a stupid psychic. They were all cons. Every last one!
I pushed through the metal doors at the school’s main entrance and stepped out under the awning. I stopped. From zero to sixty, my heart sank to an all-time low. It was as if the heavens had rained down its wrath upon us miserable souls. Rain poured like a monsoon, and the temperature shifted into a frosty bite since lunch.
I shrugged on my dried-out hoodie, eyeballing my tied bike taking a beating. I could suck it up and go home or wait out the rain. I kept rocking on my heels, chewing my bottom lip. “Screw it!” In a fury, I shouldered my book bag, flipping the hoodie over my head, darting for my bike.
I was straddling my bike when I caught a dark shadow in the corner of my eye. I looked up, and a black Corvette was encroaching. Rain fell in my face and hindered my vision. Still, I knew that Corvette from anywhere. I eyed the sports car as it came to a slow halt beside me. A slew of worries rushed over me. Did the driver realize who I was? He should remember me. After all, he left me for the buzzards.
Slowly the tinted window slid down, revealing the mysterious driver, and when my eyes met his, my breath seized. It was the new boy… Aidan Bane!
Aidan Bane!“Jump in!” he shouted over the pounding rain, leaning halfway on the passenger’s side. “I’ll give you a ride.”
I stood there, biting my bottom lip, indecisive. I did value my toes.
“C’mon!” Bane bellowed. “It’s miserable.”
“My bike, I can’t leave it,” I yelled back.
“No problem! I’ll put it in the trunk.” Before I could protest, he’d slid out of his car and reached my side before I batted my eyes. Geez, he moved fast.
“My bike won’t fit,” I argued, spitting out the water that gushed over my face.
A hint of humor hid behind his glint. “I got it!” He placed his hands on the handlebars. I hesitated, unsure if I should trust him, but my fingers were getting numb by the second. So, I folded. “Alright, I don’t live far from here.”
He tossed his hoodie to me, shouting, “Get in! It’s warm.” He reached over and opened the door. I nodded, awkwardly jumping inside. As soon as I settled in the seat, a blast of heat smothered my face. “Ah,” I moaned. I held my fingers to the warm air, letting it work its magic. I wiggled my fingers, thinking this was heaven.
A few seconds later, Bane slipped into the driver’s side, rain dripping off his dark curls. Once his door closed, the cab filled with that same woodsy aroma that seemed to follow him. I became aware of how tight we were inside the two-seater Corvette. His massive shoulders filled the small space. Pushed against his arm, I stiffened, unsure of what to do. Whenever I was in the proximity of a boy, I suddenly became a staggering fool, stumbling over my two left feet. It sucked being socially inept. Bane raked his fingers through his dark curls and tossed a pearly smile at me. I averted my eyes to the side window, biting my bottom lip. Talk about igniting a spark. I’d never felt this way with Logan. Of course, I’d never been up in his grill either. This was unfamiliar territory for me.
I slipped a glance at him, and a rush of chills came over me. The five o’clock shade lining his jaw made him appear older. I rolled my eyes to myself as I continued to peer out my side window. I was wasting my time ogling the boy. It was like looking at candy behind glass. What was the point? Rich boys and poor girls never meshed well together. Judging by the fancy car, a blind, deaf-mute could see the silver spoon in his mouth. No high school kid drove a brand-new Corvette working at McDonald’s unless his daddy owned the franchise. Hands down, this guy’s parents were loaded.
I was the poor girl on the wrong side of the bayou. Girls like me go unseen by the popular boys. So, why was he offering me a ride? Did he think I was one of those girls that hung on his tailored shirttail? I rolled my eyes. I bet this dude broke hearts for kicks.
“You look all nice and toasty.” He measured me with a cool appraising glint.
“Thank you.” I tossed him a sugarcane smile. “My address is…”
He cut me off. “I know your address, Princess.” His Nordic blue eyes churned with amusement.
“No, you don’t.”
“Tangi’s a small town. Everyone knows everyone.”
“Yeah, but you’re new too, right?”
“Your point?”
“I’m just saying it’s strange that you know where I live when you don’t even know my name.”
“Like I said, the town is small.” Humor radiated in his blues.
“Being a peeping Tom can be a hazardous hobby.”
“Whoa, Princess! I don’t sneak around. I’m always invited.” There went the self-entitled prick’s words of wisdom.
“I like your car.” I smiled sweetly, changing the subject. “Not too many folks in these parts drive a brand-new Corvette.”
“You don’t say?” One dark brow perked.
“Yeah, actually, I do. A car just like this one nearly ended my life a few weeks ago. I was practically the bug splattered across the windshield.”
“Sorry to hear about your misfortune.”
“You should be!” I twisted in my seat, aiming green shards at his face.
“Come again?”
“You were the driver who left me stranded and injured!”
He barked a curt laugh. “I’d remember if I was in an accident.”
Liar! I thought.
Liar!“Maybe you have selective amnesia!”
“My memory is excellent. Perhaps you have mistaken me for someone else.”
“Deny all you want, but there ain’t many Corvettes with a license tag reading, Dropout!” I crossed my arms, driving home a very incriminating fact. I planned to make an excellent attorney someday.
Dropout!His blues shifted as if a light went off in his head. “Oh! That was you? The girl on the rusty bike,” he snorted.
“Yes, that was me. Rusty-bike, girl.” I could feel the angry fumes curdling inside me.
“Those are your words, not mine.”
“Really? Did you not say…”
He interrupted. “Are you always so miserable? At lunch today, if I hadn’t jumped in, you would’ve ripped that poor girl a new one. Why the anger?”
“Why the arrogance,” I scoffed. “Oh! Just shut up!” I slammed back in my seat, my back to him, staring out the window. All at once, it hit me. I remembered why I wanted to fight Gina. How could I have forgotten?
Bane’s brows pulled into an affronted frown. “I’ve been nothing but nice to you. Can’t you return the favor?”
“Why? Because you left me on the side of the road for dead?”
“You didn’t die,” he chuckled.
My mouth morphed into an O. “Tell you what, you donkey rappin’ poop eater, let’s end this beautiful friendship right now.” Why explain myself to a stranger who pegged me for a troublemaker. “Stop the car,” I demanded. “I’d rather walk in a damn blizzard!”
“I thought we were having a lovely chat!”
“Oh, I love our little tête-à-tête so much that I want to kick rocks at your precious car.” I went to open my door and stopped. We were sitting in my drive. I turned to him, wide-eyed, “How did we get to my house so fast?”
“I haven’t a clue to what you mean, Princess.” His blues had a sheen of mischief.
“It’s only been a hot minute, and here we are. Did we fly?” I might"ve been rude, but the sardonic twitch to the corners of his lips fueled my mistrust.
“Perhaps you got your wings. You are an angel, after all.”
“An angel? That’s rich.” I flung the door open and jumped out, murmuring, “Douche bag.” I slammed the car door in his face. I was done. I sprinted for the porch, taking two steps at a time, and all the while, I sensed his eyes fixated on my rump. Whatta dipstick!
I rushed inside, closing the door behind me. I leaned on the door wiping the tears with the back of my hand. All I wanted was to go home, back to Texas. I felt like my heart was shattering. Then I realized I’d forgotten my bike. I fled out the door to catch him but stopped. I blinked, startled. There stood my bike on its kickstand directly in front of the door. My mouth hung open. “How did he get my bike out so fast? There was no pitter-patter of footfalls on the porch. Only a minute had passed. I spotted a folded piece of paper in the basket. A note? I flipped it open and read, Looking forward to our next tête-à-tête, Aidan Bane. The audacity of this guy blew my mind. He was wrong about me. I was not miserable. I was pissed off. Big-freaking difference!
Looking forward to our next tête-à-tête, Aidan Bane. Big-freaking difference!
- Writer
