Page 4 of Fight or Flight

My eyes widen at him, and I check behind me like an idiot, wanting to be sure it’s actually me that he’s addressing, and he chuckles.

“Um-uh, yeah... is that okay?” I have no idea why I feel the need to ask him for permission and want to facepalm immediately after the question leaves my mouth. If he hadn’t heard about the school freak already, I’m sure now he’s going to be able to figure out on his own who he’s dealing with here.

One of his eyebrows lifts, but to my surprise, he doesn’t mock me, just smirks slightly, trying to look conspicuous before he replies in a low voice, “I won’t tell if you won’t. I’m actually on the same mission right now.”

“Really?” I question and eye the school entrance door with interest. “I wonder what you’ll be doing after you get out of here,” I voice my thoughts out loud, and then my eyes snap to his. Shit, Claire, stop asking strangers things that aren’t any of your business.

Yet, the guy surprises me again when he just shrugs like it’s normal, and we’ve been hanging out before. We start walking through the corridor. “Have to deal with some bullshit with my brother. Honestly, I would rather stay here, even though the chemistry class with Mrs. Berry is boring as shit, rather than deal with him. But what can you do, right? That’s family for you.”

He sounds a little bitter, but when I glance at him, his face appears relaxed.

“I’m Aidan, by the way,” he says and opens the door for me.

“Claire,” I reply as I move past him and tuck a strand of hair behind my ear self-consciously.

Just as we reach the last step outside, a truck pulls up in the school parking lot, and someone waves through the open window. Aidan lifts his hand in response and then peers down at me.

“Gotta go. Nice to meet you, Claire.” There’s nothing special about the way he’s saying my name, but it still manages to make my heart beat faster somehow.

“Um, yeah. You too,” I respond shyly and curse the blush that must be clear on my face with how hot my face feels.

I’m graced with a toothy smile before he starts walking away. Halfway to the truck, he stops and turns toward me as he continues retreating backwards.

“Hey, are you going to the Mill today, by any chance?”

“The Mill?” I repeat, completely stumped. No — is what I want to say immediately, but somehow, my head starts nodding before I know what’s happening.

“Cool. See you there,” he says and then jumps into the passenger seat of the waiting vehicle before it drives off with a squeal of tires.

Cool? No, not cool. What the hell?

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WHAT AM I EVEN DOING here? I keep asking myself as I squeeze through the loud crowd of teenagers gathered around the huge bonfire. A heavy cloud of marijuana-scented smoke hits my nose, and I have to wave it away to see where I'm going.

I’m a little surprised that so much has changed in my life in the course of last month or last year even, but this place appears to be the same. Even some of the faces I recognize from the time Jenny, the group, and I hung around here every Friday night.

I’ve been changing my mind about coming ever since I agreed to meet Aidan here. Maybe I read too much into the whole situation? Was I actually invited? Is my mind playing tricks again? After all, he didn’t say anything about going together. The entire interaction with him could be just in my head. I mean, I know it happened, but was there really interest in his eyes that I saw? Was his smile genuine, or did he mock me like all the other guys before him?

The problem is, I never know. But coming here even to be stood up felt like a better idea to spend the evening than sitting in my room alone and climbing the walls.

It’s starting to get dark fast, but it’s not hard for me to distinguish faces gathered around in small circles. After making two rounds around the place, I have to admit that there’s no sign of Aidan anywhere, and it makes me feel like such an idiot. My shoulders hunch when disappointment clouds my mind. I whirl around, set on coming back to town since it’s not too late yet to walk on my own, only to come face to face with Jenny’s evil ex, Marcus.

“Hey, I know you,” he slurs, his posture unstable. “Didn’t think Freaky Claire would ever grace this place without her Master Slut coming along. What is it, puppet, got lost on your own?”

I don’t let him see how much his words anger me and just smile before walking around him. Then I recall what the girls in the bathroom said back at school and change my mind. Maybe he actually knows something of use.

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you?” I step back in front of him and throw him a daring look.

“Talking is not exactly up my alley when it comes to you,” he laughs and then eyes me up and down in a predatory way. It makes me uncomfortable, but I try with everything I got to keep my brave face intact. He’s drunk, and we’re in a public place. There won’t be a better moment to ask him about what happened.

“Come on,” I grab his hand, trying not to wince at how clammy his skin is, and move a little further from the crowd, where it’s a bit quieter, and we’re hidden in a half-shadow.

“Well, well, I did not see that coming,” he laughs and steps closer to me. I drop his hand as if it burned me and make a beeline when he tries to reach me, which isn’t hard with how much alcohol he must have running through his veins right now.

“Playing hard to get?” Marcus asks angrily when I step away once again.

“Stop it. That’s not why we’re here, and you know it. I want to know what happened that day. With the cops? And... And with Jenny,” my tone turns pleading at the end.

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