The library was were I had been spending my time during lunch and my free period. It was the only calm and underwhelming place in the whole school, which was what I needed without any aid from my pills. I was still pissed at Roxie for what she had done. I mean maybe it had been an accident like she claimed it was but I didn't believe that for a minute. She was too much of an instigator and manipulator. Roxie was always contriving something in her head. She wasn't the first person I had met like that, and I doubted she would be the last.
We were in high school it's not like I expected my friends to be mature people, but I wanted a certain level of respect. I pulled a book off the shelf looking over the worn leather, before I glanced up to see a familiar set of blue eyes peering through the gap. I stared back, unblinking for a moment. There was something about those eyes that help me captive and it wasn't in the melodramatic teenage crush way. It was like there were invisible ropes and strings that wrapped around me, pulling me towards him.
I narrowed my eyes, "Are you following me?"
I had felt a strange sensation over the past couple of days around the hallways of the school. It was reminiscent of the night I had found my parents. It made me feel paranoid but I had done my best to ignore it, knowing it would only feed the anxiety.
I watched his eyebrows lifted up and he turned his face toward the other people in the library, a whopping three people including the half deaf librarian, Mrs. Bryant. I could only imagine what he must have been thinking, afraid that someone he might know would see him chatting it up with the new girl. He met my gaze again, "This must be a shock but you're not the only who likes to read a book every now and then."
I stared back at him blankly for a moment. He was a terrible liar. I rolled my eyes, "Whatever you say, jockstrap." I turned away from him and headed down the row of dusty book toward one of the nearest tables. I pulled out the chair and sat myself down in it. I didn't care what Alec was or wasn't doing in the library. I didn't care one bit.
I had only read the first sentence of the book before Alec came to stand in front of my table, "What is your problem with me?"
I kept my eyes focused on my book, not wanting to seemed interested in the conversation. Part of me hoped he would catch the hint and leave me alone like everyone else. When he didn't go away I decided to humor him, "I don't know what gave you the impression I had a problem with you. I don't even know you." He was silent in response to my question. I let out a small sigh as I looked up from my book to get another look at him.
I looked to the book in his hand, reading the title, "Tolstoy?"
He gave me a puzzled look, "What?"
I smirked as I closed my own book, pointing a finger toward the one in he was currently holding, "War and Peace? Didn't really take you for the type." I knew I was giving him a hard time purposefully but he made it too easy. He was obviously out of his element being in the library instead of out on the field running laps or whatever it was that he did.
He glanced down at the book in his hand, "Oh. I just grabbed this cause I wanted a reason to be in here and talk to you."
I snorted at his honesty. It was hard to hold it against him as much as I wanted to. There was something about Alec that made it hard for me to keep him at bay like the others, "Cause you couldn't just talk to me like a normal person without a reason?"
"Would you have talked me without a reason?"
I found my lips twisting upward into a smile, "Probably not."
The left side of his mouth pulled up into a smirk, "Do you think you're better than everyone else? Is that it?" I couldn't blame him for thinking that I was some kind of stuck up asshole. I certainly treated most people like I didn't give a damn about them. It was only a preemptive strategy on my part. It was easier to avoid the pain of loss if you weren't worried about losing people.
"Only people who've never heard of Tolstoy." He lost his smirk as if he believed I was being serious, "I'm kidding."
"Oh..." I enjoyed the way his face kept him honest. I had a feeling that Alec had no idea how to lie, and if he did he had to be terrible at it. His face was an open book to how he was feeling, every expression washing across it.
"Why do you want to talk to me?" I asked with curiosity.
"Isn't that what people normally do when they want to get to know someone?"
I rolled my eyes, leaning forward and resting my chin in my hand, "Why do you want to get to know me, hmm? Think it might be cool to bag the new girl before anyone else?" I didn't think that was true about Alec. He didn't seem like the other high school boys I had met. There was something different about him that drew me towards him, though I was wary about what I might find. I knew better than to trust strangers, who knew what was lurking beneath the surface.
"Are you always this--" He looked like he was struggling to find the right word.
"Bitchy?" I lifted my brows as I supplied him with the word I was certain he was thinking of but was set against using. I eased back in my chair, "Only monday through friday. The weekends are when I reserve the right to be an insufferable bitch." I tried not to laugh at way he blanched at my response. He obviously he had never been around many people with a sense of humor or who knew the language of sarcasm, "Alec, relax. I'm just messing with you. I know I can be a bit stand offish--"
He let out a small chuckle as his shoulders lost there tension, "A bit." He said in agreement, cheeks rushing with color when I gave him a look.
I rolled my eyes again, "You really want to get to know me?"
"Yes." He answered with an eagerness that took me by surprise, clearing his throat, "I mean that might be nice."
"Uh-huh." I reached out across the table and took his book from him, opening it and slipping the library card free, "You actually want to get to know then let's hang out sometime...outside of a library." I grabbed a pen from my bag, scribbling my address onto the check out line before I closed it and held it out towards him.
Alec stared down at me with a wide grin as if he couldn't be happier. I cleared my throat, "So you can stalk me outside of school too." I waved the book towards him. He jolted slightly, grabbing the book from me just as the bell for the final period rang out over the speakers. I pushed up from the table, pushing the book I had grabbed to the side, "See you around, jockstrap." I left him behind as I made my way out of the library to the buses.
The ride home was boring, but being at the house was even worse. There wasn't anyway to get TV or internet out where we were living. All I had for company was my sister, who I didn't feel like spending time with and books. I spent most of my evening in the sitting room reading old books that I had found in one of the unused rooms in this haunted mansion. My evening was going as it usually did until I heard the sound of heavy knocking followed by my sister calling out to me.
"Mary-Beth! There's a boy here for you..." Lucinda called from the foyer. I let out a heavy sigh as I closed my book and pushed up off the couch, walking into the room. I found myself freezing up for a moment when I found Alec standing next to my sister. She gave me a look of surprise before eyeing up our surprise guest with suspicion. It was the same look she had given toward Roxie the other day when she had picked me up from the house.
"What are you doing here?" I questioned as I gained full function of my limbs again.
His cheeks rushed with heat, clearing his throat, "Well you said today that you'd be willing to hang out sometime. I was thinking now, if you didn't have any other plans." Alec gave me a hopeful look, eyes drifting over me quickly before meeting my gaze again. I didn't know what to say, he had rendered me speechless. I had told him that earlier but I hadn't actually expected him to take me up on the offer, now I had no idea what to do.
"Don't you have homework?" Lucinda questioned as if she was trying to give me a reason to say no. I looked to her with narrowed eyes. Her behavior recently was suspect. When we had arrived she had been pushing for me to make friends but now that I had some she seemed reluctant about the concept.
"Did it during my free period." I replied shortly, turning my attention back to Alec, "Sure. Let's hang out." I didn't want to seem overly enthusiastic about the concept of being alone with him. I walked to the coat rack and grabbed my coat. I bent over and slipping my feet into my sneakers, fixing my laces.
"I don't know. It's a school night." Lucinda mumbled. I cast a look in her direction to see her worrying her lips between her teeth. She was acting very strange. Well stranger than usual.
"I'll have her back by ten. I have a curfew too." Alec added, smiling kindly in her direction. Lucinda shifted from foot to foot, looking completely uncertain of what to do. I could see that she wanted to say no in her eyes. It was a familiar look I had seen in my dad's eyes whenever he had let me go out with my friends, though he rarely said no.
I rolled my eyes, "I'll have my cellphone on me." I stood up, walking toward Alec and grabbing onto the sleeve of his letterman jacket, "Come on let's go, jockstrap." I pulled him out of the house, casting a look back towards my sister.
"Ten." She added as I closed the front door behind us. I pulled my jacket on as we walked down the stairs to his car. I could feel his eyes on me as I walked silently next to him. It made my stomach tighten and my skin burned everywhere his eyes went.
I cast I look in his direction, "So what did you have in mind?"
"My friends are having a get together. Though you might like to go." He looked unsure of his suggestion, like he thought I was going to trash the idea and go back inside. It was flattering to know that I had this guy tripping over himself to impress me.
I shrugged my shoulders, "Sounds good." I didn't actually know if it was a good idea. I didn't do well around crowds anymore but I didn't want to go back into the house to face my sister.
~~~~~~~~~~~
The car ride had been spent in silence, mostly giving him monosyllabic responses. I adjusted myself in the passenger seat when he pulled down a private driveway. I could feel him looking in my direction, "Don't worry. It's not a big deal."
"Easy for you to say." I murmured under my breath as he parked his car behind the small train of cars. When he had said get together I had imagined a lot less people than I was guessing were actually there. He gave me an encouraging smile, those blue eyes of his searching mine in a way that made terrified and excited. I could feel my palms getting clammy as I unbuckled myself and got out of his care.
"We can go somewhere else if you want." He remarked as he got out, moving towards me with with slow steps like I was some kind wounded animal that might try to bolt at any moment, "I've been to these things a hundred times. It's not like they'll miss me for one night." He said dismissively.
I bit into the inside of my cheek, looking to the house behind him. I could hear the bass of the music coming from inside. There were a couple of people wandering the front yard but they were too far away to recognize either of us. A part of me wanted to be a normal teenage girl who got asked to the party by the high school heart throb. A part of me would have rejoiced over this a couple months ago, but now all I felt was panic.
I took a step back, breathing heavily. As if in tune with my feelings, Alec followed my movements. His hand grabbed hold of mine, shocking me. I found myself stilling and my heart pumping the brakes, "It's okay, Mary-Beth. We don't have to go to the party. I just want to hang out with you tonight."
I didn't want to seem like a chicken but I could already feel my anxiety climbing, "Are you sure? I don't want--" I stopped talking when his finger pressed to my lips. It was odd for me to find myself standing in the position of floundering teenager, like I had him earlier.
"I just want to hang out with you." The firmness of his tone had goosebumps rising over my skin.
I took a half step back, creating a small space between us, "Okay..."
He turned us away from the house and pulled us back towards the car. I couldn't help but stare down where our hands were still connected. It felt so good to have his skin on mine, mildly overwhelming. It had been a while since I had really let another person touch me like this. He released my hand when he opened the door for me, "Where are we going?" I felt nervous about going somewhere alone with him.
Alec gave me a smile, "It's a surprise."
"I don't like surprises." I remarked as I stepped towards the car.
He let out a small laugh, "You don't like a lot of things. I'm beginning to wonder if there is anything you do like, Mary-Beth." He teased me, nodding his head toward the car. I tried to keep myself from smiling at his comment. So the jock thought he was a funny guy.
"Crack." I replied quickly, his brows lifted up, "Kidding." I gave him a small smirk as I squeezed past him and into the passenger seat. He shook his head, smiling as he closed me inside. My heart was fluttering with excitement. It had forgotten what it felt like to flirt with someone. To feel like I was normal.
Alec got into the car, "You're definitely a different one."
I turned my face to look at him as he buckled himself in and started up the engine, "You have no idea, jockstrap." I teased. He turned and met my gaze. I felt like I wanted to crawl out of my skin, anything to get closer to the boy across from me. The silence between was filling up with a familiar tension, a sexual one.
I cleared my throat, "So this surprise? Does it involve taking me out into the woods and murdering me?" That seemed to cut the tension.
Alec let out a barking laugh as he put the car into reverse and pulled out of the driveway, "Fortunately for you I only murder girls in the wood on the weekends."
I let out a amused chuckle, "What luck I have."
_____________________
Song: Final Song- MO
A/N: Sorry for the absence of this book. I've got a lot of things I'm working on wattpad and outside of it. Bear with me as I complete some of my other books that are very close to completion. I am trying to do this so that I can focus more attention on this book. :-)