I stayed still in the same place, looking around; that howl sounded close. Damn it. Only this happens to me. I'm alone, in the middle of nowhere, with wolves around. I looked back towards the car; maybe I can drive home, but is it dangerous? I checked my phone to see if I could call mom but... just what I needed! No signal.
I heard footsteps to my left and immediately turned to look. It's dark. I can't see anything. My chest rises and falls rapidly. I tried to calm down.
"You shouldn't be here."
I turned to see Kayler and put a hand to my chest.
"Damn! You scared me," I blurted out.
This guy is going to give me a heart attack one of these days.
He smiled sideways. "I like seeing you angry." He walked towards my car and sat on one side.
I followed him. "I'm glad," I responded sarcastically. "What are you doing here?"
"I was passing by and saw a girl in the middle of nowhere, looking desperately to both sides." He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, along with a lighter. He lit it and started to blow out smoke.
I coughed. I hate the smell of cigarettes.
"Is that necessary?" I questioned, waving the smoke away with my hand.
He looked at me. "As I said, you shouldn't be here. Especially not at night," he repeated.
I crossed my arms. "Do you think I want to be here?" I pointed at myself. "It's not my fault. I went to drop off Anne and then, on the way back, the damn tire exploded."
He raised his eyebrows. "You sure have bad luck."
I laughed without humor. "Very funny." I sat down next to him.
We were silent. You could hear a few crickets. The picture of Scott and Kayler came to my mind. What if I ask him what really happened? Will he get angry?
"Hey, today I found something in my attic," I commented.
"What?" he questioned.
"A photograph," I said. "Of a guy named Scott."
I looked at him. He had a distant look in his eyes.
"And he was with you," I finished.
He clenched his fists and dropped the cigarette. His expression hardened.
"I didn't know you were friends," I whispered.
"You don't know anything." He stood up and ran his hands through his hair. "You don't know anything," he repeated.
I frowned. Why is he acting like this? There's nothing wrong with wanting to know about Scott and how he died... or is there?
"Well, if you don't tell me, obviously I won't know," I attacked.
He put his hands on his waist, looked at me, and then started laughing. Is he serious? He was super angry a moment ago, and now he's laughing. I definitely don't understand this bipolar guy.
"Okay, Mr. Bipolar, can you tell me what's so funny?" I stood up.
"That's what I hate the most: not being able to stay mad at you for even a damn minute," he said. He came up to me and took my cheeks in his hands, making me look at him. "But it's better if you leave things as they are. Please."
I frowned; I don't like his mysterious way. I want to know more, but no one tells me anything. No one. I feel so powerless not knowing, but it's obvious Kayler won't tell me. Damn it.
"As you wish."
I pulled away from his grasp and started walking towards my house. Kayler followed until he was walking beside me. He didn't say a word the whole way, and neither did I. I was a bit angry with him; he doesn't want to tell me anything. Is it wrong to want to know about his friend Scott? I don't think what he has to say is that bad. Kayler is strange. All his friends are.
After half an hour of silence and walking, we arrived home. Before opening the door, I looked at him.
"Thanks for walking me," I murmured. I turned around, opened the door, gave him one last look, and closed it.
He didn't even say anything. I rolled my eyes to myself. I was about to go up the stairs when a voice stopped me.
"And the car?" asked mom, coming out of the kitchen, drying her hands with a towel.
"That piece of junk had a tire explode and left me halfway," I replied and kept going up.
"Don't insult it," she said. I laughed. "Sleep well."
"You too."
Honestly, I'm very tired. It's been a long day, and tomorrow I have school. I hate having to get up early, but oh well. I opened my bedroom door and immediately put my hand to my chest when I saw Kayler sitting on the edge of my bed.
"Kayler, what are you doing here?" I asked, locking the door to prevent mom from entering.
"I think you should already know," he replied. He walked towards me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I immediately tensed; I'm still not used to being like this with Kayler, and I hate that I like his touch and having him close.
"No... I don't know," I stammered. "You won't sleep with me again, will you?"
His hand reached my chin, holding it, looking at my lips and then my eyes.
"You're mine, Carolina," he whispered before leaning towards me and kissing me. His lips moved softly with mine; I raised my hands and wrapped them around his neck. I tasted his lips; he sucked my lower lip and pulled away from my mouth to bury himself in my neck. He left wet kisses on my shoulder. A moan escaped me.
"I want to eat you," he whispered very close to my ear.
A shiver ran through my entire body at what he said. But I let it pass. His lips met mine again. We kissed. He guided me to the bed, making me fall, while he was on top of me. I took off my shoes without pulling away from his lips, then brought my hands to his hair and gently pulled.
God! It feels so good to be like this. Damn good. But this can't go beyond kissing; if we continue, we won't be able to stop.
"Kayler..." I murmured.
"Don't say it," he separated and looked at me. "I already know."
He lay down next to me and pulled me towards him, hugging me.
"Good night, Kayler," I said.
"Rest," he kissed my temple. I smiled.
After a while, I fell asleep.
----
The next morning, I felt empty. I patted the spot where Kayler was supposed to be, but he wasn't there. Well... maybe he left very early. I got up with all the laziness in the world and headed to the bathroom. I took off my clothes, turned on the shower, and let the water wake me up. I washed my hair, soaped my body, and finally rinsed off.
I came out of the bathroom with the towel on. I looked for clothes, chose black pants, a white shirt, and put on my Converse. I dried my hair with the towel, as I don't have a hairdryer, and then combed it. I left it loose; grabbed my backpack and went downstairs. I wasn't hungry at all, so I just poured myself some coffee and sat down.
"Carolina, I'm running late," mom murmured, entering the kitchen. She poured herself a small cup of coffee and drank it in one gulp. She put the cup in the sink and came over to give me a kiss on the forehead. "See you tonight, say hi to Kayler for me," she said. She left but then came back.
I kept drinking my coffee calmly. I guess she forgot that her junk car broke down in the middle of nowhere.
"I forgot the car had a tire blowout!" she squealed. "What am I going to do now?" She looked thoughtful. "I'll call Mike," she said, taking out her cell phone and dialing his number.
I left my coffee cup in the sink and quickly went upstairs to brush my teeth. I heard a horn honking. I knew it was Kayler. I came downstairs immediately and went out. Mom called Mike, so she'll be in good hands. I think. I opened the passenger door and got in.
"Just this once, I'll accept going to school with you. The car is damaged," I said, crossing my arms.
I heard him laugh. We started the drive to school.
"Even if you complain, I told you I would take you to school and bring you back. That's not up for discussion."
I stayed quiet, thinking. Kayler is a handsome guy; he's the most respected at school and could have the prettiest girl. Why me? I'm not that pretty. I'm just a normal girl.
"I want you to be at the lake at seven this evening," he said.
I frowned and looked at him. "Why?" I inquired.
He took a deep breath. "Just make sure you're there. It won't be a problem for you; you're in front of it." He sped up. "You just need to be at the dock at seven."
I nodded silently. What does he want to tell me? I hope it's something good. The rest of the way, no one said anything; each of us was lost in our own thoughts. He parked the car when we arrived at school, and we got out. I tried to hurry my pace; I still wasn't used to arriving with Kayler. All eyes were on me. I felt uncomfortable.
I got to my classroom and sat in my place. Anne entered, along with all the other students, because the bell had rung. She sat next to me.
"How did it go last night?" she asked.
"It was... so-so," I whispered. I said that because the car tire exploded, and I was stranded in the middle of nowhere, but on the other hand, I was with Kayler and... we kissed. She frowned. "I'll tell you later."
The teacher, Mrs. Carmen, came in. "Good morning."
"Good morning," we all said in unison.
My gaze fell on the parking lot. There was Kayler and his group, and that guy Apollo was there too. Don't they plan to come to class? Then Paige and her friends made an appearance, started chatting, and after that, they got in their cars and left.
I bit my pinky nail. Where are they going? Curiosity is killing me.
"Guys, I have an announcement to make," the teacher said. "On Friday, we will go on a trip. The principal of a neighboring high school has invited the students of 5B and 5A to attend a lecture."
I listened carefully. We are 5B, and 5A is where Kayler is.
"We will leave very early in the school bus; there will be two buses because it's an eight-hour trip," she continued.
"Which high school will it be?" a student asked.
"Jhonson High School."
My whole body tensed. Jhonson High School is my old school. I'll see my former classmates again, who, by the way, haven't called me, and worst of all, I'll see Will, my ex-boyfriend.