Page 20

Dominic sets his car purring to life again, snaking through early morning traffic towards school.

The mini-van pulled up beside us looks downright dwarfed compared to Dominic's oversized truck.

I crumble my breakfast wrapper, my fingers making an odd crunching sound against the thin foil.

Dominic reaches over and carefully plucks it from me, tossing it into an overstuffed bag of fast food wrappings.

Oakwood High School comes into sight, a modest brick building camouflaged by weeping willows.

The lawn is a vivid green, a stark contrast against the red autumn leaves that scatter across it.

Its hallways, filled with ancient lockers and the cacophonous sound of students, hold the daily chaos that I am part of.

The truck rumbles to a stop in the school's crowded parking lot as I look to Dominic. His icy blue eyes are locked onto mine, instantly drowning out the multitude of surrounding noises, and I feel that telltale prickling sensation. I turn away quickly as I blush.

Dominic's dark form unfolds from the driver's seat, his imposing figure casting a long shadow in the early morning sun.

He takes his time approaching me, stalking forward like a predator - slow and deliberate and terrifyingly beautiful.

He shoots me a knowing look from beneath his thick lashes, icy blue eyes gleaming in direct contrast to his olive skin.

As we walk toward our first period class together, I can feel everyone's eyes on us.

A buzz of whispers fills the air, spreading like wildfire through the student body.

Dominic was definitely a hit amongst the girls, and it was probably surprising seeing him walk in with me.

The girl who never talks to anyone and hides in the film room.

Dominic and I walk to our first period class together, and we take a seat.

The teacher had already begun her lesson, and we were ten minutes late to it.

I sighed and pulled out my small leather notebook that I wrote my notes in.

I start to take notes from the powerpoint, and I can feel Dominic's eyes on me the entire time.

I look at him and squint my eyes in warning. I then glance at the powerpoint to further instruct him on how to behave in class. He made a loud sigh and sat back as he looked at the powerpoint. I smirked in satisfaction and continued taking notes.

Once the class was over, I could feel Dominic grab my hand. It caused tingles to spread all over my body, especially in my mark.

"I can walk you to your next class." Dominic stated, his thumb rubbing over the back of my hand.

I shook my head. "Amelia and I usually walk together, but thanks."

Dominic made a loud sigh, and looked as if he wasn't going to leave without me. I ignored his protest and walked to the back of the class, where Amelia sat. She still had a mess of her stuff on her desk, and I helped her to gather her things. When I looked back, Dominic was gone.

As she stood, she gave me a bewildered glance. "What the hell was that? You and Dominic were both late to class, and he even grabbed your hand."

I blink. "What? Oh, it's nothing," I lie, shrugging nonchalantly. Amelia squints at me, her piercing dark-brown eyes probing for the truth.

"I didn't ask if it was something, Elaine. I asked what it was." She retorts sharply, her usual wit in full display. Her curly black hair is tossed over one shoulder as she focuses her attention on me, her concern evident.

"Amelia..." I begin, a warning lacing my voice. Walking away from Dominic had been hard enough; explaining our peculiar relationship to Amelia feels like stepping on a landmine.

"Elaine," she echoes back, refusing to back down. "You've been acting weird all summer, and this? This is just the cherry on top."

I glance back at the now empty seat where Dominic sat earlier and sigh. I feel a tug of guilt for not telling Amelia anything about the strange goings-on preoccupying my life.

I sigh and shake my head. "I don't want to talk about it right now."

"What about Nick? I thought you two were a thing. He even came up to me asking if I knew where you were. He said that you fled your house yesterday and never returned." She said quickly with accusation. "When are you going to talk about it? It seems like you've been ignoring me for months."

Another sigh escaped my lips, and I decided that I finally needed to tell Amelia what was going on. "Can we talk after school, I can come over to your house."

"Ok." Amelia said, satisfied.

Once I stepped into the hallway I remembered that my truck wasn't at school. It still sat in the secluded spot in the forest.

"Is it ok if I ride with you? My truck isn't here." I asked quickly.

Amelia gave me a raised eyebrow. "Sure..."

I left before she could ask me any more questions. I practically ran to my Latin class to avoid seeing anyone. My social battery was already completely drained and it was only the morning.

Right before I could walk into class, I could feel someone pulling on my hood. I looked back and saw Nick before me. I took a ragged breath as anxiety and panic flooded me. I wasn't expecting to have to do this now. What should I even tell him?

Nick took my face between his hands and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. "Thank goodness you're ok. I was worried sick."

Nick looked me up and down and took in what I was wearing. A blush spread across my face as I remembered that I was in Dominic's clothes. Crap.

"Elaine... whose clothes are you wearing?" Nick asked sternly.

"Oh it's just a friend's. I spent the night over at their house after what happened yesterday." The lie quickly escaped my lips before I knew what I was doing.

"A male friend?" Nick asked with a little jealous laced in his voice.

"Yeah..." I paused, afraid of telling the truth. "I'm sorry I fled yesterday. All of that was a lot to process, and I didn't really want you to find out yet." I said to change the subject.

Nick sighed and pulled me into his arms. I stood stiff, not knowing what to do. Pushing him back would have been the right thing to do, but my heart was still conflicted.

"I wish you could have told me... Elaine, I'm so sorry. I didn't know you were going through all of that." He said with compassion.

All of a sudden I could hear a growl coming behind us. My heart froze as I realized who it was. Dominic pulled my bookbag and dragged me to his side. He practically radiated with anger.

"Elaine, what's going on here?" Dominic asked in a low voice.

In front of me, Nick looked at me with a look of confusion and betrayal. "She's my girlfriend."

Nope. I'm not doing this. I ran away from them and into the classroom. Neither of them followed after me. I quickly sat at my desk and put my head down. My heart raced in my chest, and I took deep breaths to try to calm down.

In for four. Hold for four. Out for four. Hold for four. I continued this until I had calmed down enough to focus on the class.

Going to Amelia's house was an amazing plan. At least I would be able to avoid Dominic and Nick for the rest of the day. Crap. I have Anatomy with Dominic. I was instantly filled with dread again.