Chapter 9: Chapter Nine

Skylar's POV:

"How did you get your hand cut this deep, honey?" The nurse questioned, passing me a worried glance.

I've never really been in the nurse's office except for that one time, when that kid in my gym class threw one of those heavy basketballs right at my face. And it wasn't a nice memory.

But it hadn't hurt like it was hurting now.

I looked away from her and gazed down at my legs, dangling them from the small recovery couch I was sitting on, which was situated at one corner of the nurse's office.

I hesitated a little before telling her the first thing that came in my head, "I was slicing some onions and I accidentally cut my hand."

That was nowhere near the truth. It was a total lie since I didn't even know how to cook in the first place. But the nurse didn't know that. She just nodded sympathetically at me, totally believing the excuse I just came up with.

I was kind of relieved for that, but I was also aware of the look Caden was giving me, a look of absolute disbelief. I just ignored it, even though this room was way too small for me to avoid his piercing gaze.

"Well, be careful next time. It wasn't that deep to get stitches but you shouldn't wrap it up in a bandage either." She said. "All right?"

I nodded in response.

"I'll make you a late pass. Then you're ready to go." She got up from beside me, passing me a warm smile before leaving the room to go to her desk.

Exhaling a small sigh, I looked back at my hand and realized how better it looked now that the nurse had cleaned the wound. It looked less red and it was hurting lesser than before too.

"How did it happen?" Caden repeated the nurse's question, making me look up at him. He was leaning back against the nearest wall, eyeing me with a frown on his face. Seeing him frown felt so usual these days, I'd be so surprised if he smiled for once.

"I just told you. I was slicing the onions...and cut my hand too." I repeated the same answer, hesitating again. Would he even believe me if I told him the truth?

I needed to tell someone, though. I couldn't afford another break in.

I gulped before opening my mouth once again, but before I could tell him anything else, the nurse came in the room with a school pass in her hand. It confused me that she didn't bring one for Caden too, but I didn't ask her about it. The pass wouldn't have been an issue anyway since it was almost off time by now.

Still, I took it from her when she passed it to me. Thanking her once again, I stood up from the bed and made sure that the cool cloth she had handed me was still wrapped lightly around my hand.

I was almost out of the office when I heard her murmuring something over to Caden, who for some reason hadn't followed behind me. "It was really nice of you to bring her here, dear."

I turned around and eyed him, furrowing my brows.

"No problem." He replied in a strangely blank tone before walking out himself.

Once he noticed me looking at him, he raised a brow arrogantly in my direction. Even though i wanted to thank him as well, I turned around abruptly before he could say anything and left the office, heading towards my locker.

Just like I had expected, the school was almost empty now. Which probably meant that Alex had left too. I couldn't exactly blame him since I didn't even have my phone with me. He must be wondering where I had disappeared off to.

Who would drop me back home now?

I went over towards my locker to take out my bag when I saw a small note stuck onto it.

What the hell Sky? You skipped the whole lesson! What's going on? I won't let this one go Sky. Give me a call when you decide to actually go back home.

- Alex.

"Shit." I mumbled, tearing off the paper from my locker door.

He was going to be mad if I tell him about Caden. And if I tell him about last night, he was going to fuss badly over it. He got extremely protective if such things ever happened, and I couldn't think of a better way to explain it to him.

I hadn't even told him about the whole letter thing. How would I explain this to him? He would ask so many questions, questions I didn't know the answers of.

He doesn't really need to know the entire truth. It's better if I didn't tell him everything.

I started walking towards the parking lot once I had slung my bag over my shoulder, holding the late pass in one hand and my phone in the other. I was aware of the missed calls, all by Alex, and I promised myself that I'd text him once I reached my house. The whole parking lot was empty except for a sleek black car around one corner, which I'm sure belonged to the only other person who was here in the school besides me.

Caden.

I weighed my options. Maybe he would still be a bit kind enough to give me a ride back home? Or maybe not. Spending this much time around him wasn't healthy for me, and he probably felt the same.

I decided then that even though it'll take time to reach my house, walking sounded better. It wasn't that hot out here anyway, and maybe that way I could come up with what I was actually going to say to Alex.

Heaving a sigh, I started walking towards the opened school gates, murmuring random excuses under my breath. I was trying to come up with a lie which wouldn't exactly be a total lie. I wanted to lie to him as less as possible.

And when I'm done with Alex, maybe then I'll give a call to dad and tell him about...last night.

I couldn't exactly lie to Alex about that whole slicing the onions thing. He knew better than anybody else that I never cooked by myself.

"You're really planning to walk?" I heard Aden's voice from somewhere behind me, breaking me out of my thoughts. I stopped and turned around, looking at him standing by his car.

"Yeah." I replied, squinting my eyes at the bright sunlight shining right on him. I could only make out his black jacket.

When I actually managed to look at his face, I saw him mutter something lowly under his breath. The frown on his face told me that he wasn't happy about whatever he was going to say. "Come on. I'll drop you to your house."

I eyed him in surprise. Was this normal; him offering rides to just anyone? I didn't think it was. He was barely seen talking to anybody in school.

I felt incredibly lucky right now. I was certainly the first, and maybe the only person to ever face kindness coming from Caden Miller.

"It's all right. I'll be fine." I replied slowly.

It wasn't all right, though. Who even liked walking under the sun? Also, who would want to reject such kind of offer?

Caden stared back at me for the next few seconds.

Wasn't he going to be the nice guy and ask me again?

A small smirk tugged on his lips and I got the answer to my question. There were nice guys and then there was Caden Miller, totally different.

"All right." He shrugged shortly then turned back towards his car, ready to leave without me.

Why was he such a freaking gentleman?

I glared at his back, trying to drill holes in it. He was the biggest meanie I had ever encountered.

"Fine! I'm coming!" I shouted before running towards him.

••••••

When Caden stopped his car in front of my house, I'd like to say that I wasn't surprised since he had come here before, but I was surprised. Because it was still creepy. How had he found out where my house was? I was so darn curious.

"Can I ask you a question?" I asked him, turning my head away from the window and looking at him. Before he could reject my polite request, I asked him anyway, "How did you find out where my house is?"

He turned his gaze towards me and once again, my breath hitched a bit. I don't know why that happened every single time. Maybe because I wasn't used to looking at people straight in the eye?

"Let's get this straight, Anderson." He spoke up. I cringed inwardly at that name, and realized that I really preferred when he called me by my first name. It was as if he was gaining some sort of inner satisfaction by calling me that. "You answer me the question I ask you, and I'll answer the one that you just asked."

I forced myself to look away from the beautiful green hue of his eyes, narrowing mine at my lap.

"Sure." I replied.

He wasted no time in asking the question I knew he was going to ask. "How did that happen?" He questioned, jerking his chin ever so slightly towards my injured hand.

I pulled my hand against my chest as if that could somehow make him take back that question.

"I told you already." I murmured.

He let out a sigh in response and leaned his head back against the seat. "Stop lying, Anderson."

"How do you know I'm lying?" I narrowed my eyes at him. Was he implying that I was not a good liar?

He looked at me sideways and raised his brows. "You hesitated every time before answering that question."

I opened my mouth in surprise. Was he really observing me that much? "That still doesn't mean that I'm fly—"

"Look, I don't have time for this." He cut me off, scrunching his nose a bit—something that made it harder for me to not stare at him. "Cut out the lying part and tell me the truth."

I shook my head in disbelief before looking out of the rolled-up window. My house was right there and I was still sitting in his car.

"Somebody broke in my house yesterday." I spoke out the truth, still not looking at him. But when he didn't say anything in response, I did look at him.

He was staring at me with a frown. "What?"

Leaning my head back against the seat, just like him, I repeated. "Somebody broke in my house last night." Even saying it out loud seemed to creep me out. I was still scared like shit.

"What do you mean somebody broke in?" This time, he turned towards me, looking almost angry. "Didn't you lock the doors?"

I licked my lips and cleared my throat awkwardly. "I kind of...forgot to lock the back door."

He just gave me his signature look of disbelief, something that I was starting to get used to. I couldn't even name one time when I saw him these past few days and he didn't give me that look.

"Where were your parents?" He asked me, still frowning. The expression on his face told me that he was angry, and I really didn't want to stay here in this car just to face that anger.

Didn't he like, punch people when he got angry?

"They're out for their work." I spoke up cautiously, eyeing him at the same time. Speaking it out loud, I realized that it did hurt a bit. Only if my parents had been there last night, none of this would've happened.

But then again, it wasn't exactly their fault. They both always told me to lock the doors, dad especially. And it was all my fault that the break in had happened in the first place. I would've made sure to lock the back door.

"Why the hell would they leave you all alone?" He asked, running a hand through his hair.

Because they thought I was responsible enough.

"They do that almost every day so it's not much of a big deal." I sighed, waving off the topic.

His eyes drifted away from me, almost looking unfocused as he frowned. "You're telling me that somebody broke in your house and you were all alone?"

Yeah, if not before then he definitely looked angry now.

"Yes, Caden." I looked at him funnily. "I was alone like every other freaking day." After saying it, I realized that I shouldn't have told him that. Who even goes around telling strangers that they live alone in an unguarded house?

That's it! I should ask mom and dad to add some sort of security to our house.

"Who was the person?" He asked, and even though it was usual, I was starting to get bothered by his frown. Couldn't he just smile?

"He was wearing a black ski mask." I leaned my shoulder against the window, still looking at him. This car strangely smelled like him. Not that I knew what he smelled like. "I'm sure he was a guy."

Caden seemed to think for a while before cursing under his breath, some words which I rather not say out loud in front of my mother. "Why didn't you tell me before?" He asked out loud.

"Because..." I trailed off in confusion. "I didn't know if I would've told you?"

He shook his head slightly at my answer. "If something like this happens, you are supposed to tell me, all right?"

That may have been the most genuine response out of all the responses he had ever given me. It slightly made me happy, but terrified at the same time. If he was being serious all of a sudden, then this thing must mean something more. Something terrifying.

Something related to that East gang of his.

I couldn't have found any right words to respond him with, so I stuck with nodding my head. I mean, if he really wanted me to tell him about things like such, then I'd tell him. Though I was actually hoping that nothing like that ever happen again.

"Do you know who it could’ve been?" I asked him after few seconds. He looked like he knew.

"I don't know." He looked unsure, his gaze flickering away from mine.

"Well, I'm fine." I announced, trying to lighten up the mood. "It's not like he killed me or something."

That guy did say he'd kill me next time, though.

I was hoping there would be no next time.

He looked at me like he couldn't believe I just said that. "Just do me a favor, will you?"

I actually felt honored.

"Yeah?"

"Don't forget to close that freaking back door of yours." He muttered.

I breathed out a small, nervous laugh. I was truly sure of myself that I would never forget to do that.

Not after last night.