by Shayla Hyde
Though his face was partially hidden under his hood, I could faintly make out some of his features. His face was pale, shaven, and his jaw was chiseled. He smirked, his dark eyes lighting up at the sight of mine. I quickly dropped my gaze from his and awkwardly continued to check out the menu.
Under the table, I used one of my hands to pat my pockets and make sure I'd brought my pepper spray. An overwhelming sense of dread washed over me when I realized that I hadn't. I cursed myself for not listening to my father. Through the corner of my eye, I saw the man stand up and move a couple of booths closer to mine. My heart was hammering in my chest at this point, but I kept my head lowered and pretended to be oblivious.
I sneakily scanned the shop to see if anyone else was around to witness what was going on, but I was alone with this man. I didn’t even see an employee. I quickly stood up and left the table, assuming he would get the hint that I wasn't interested. I hurried away from Gemstone and decided I would enter the first store in sight, just in case the man decided to follow me. I rounded a corner and snuck a peek behind me. To my horror, he was headed in my direction.
Up ahead, I could see a random clothing store. I made a run for it. I rushed through a crowd of shoppers until I was thick enough in the store that he wouldn't be able to see me when he passed by. I positioned myself behind a clothing rack and watched for him. Seconds later, he was at the entrance. He stared directly at me, that same sadistic smirk on his face. I cursed under my breath and sprinted deeper into the store.
I saw a man and woman that I assumed were close to my father’s age browsing some clothes, and I ran to them.
"Excuse me, can you help me please?" I stammered breathlessly.
The woman raised her eyebrows at me. "Is everything okay?"
"No, no, there is a man following me." They looked behind me, then at each other.
"I don't see a man," she shrugged.
"Yeah, me neither," the man said.
I glanced over my shoulder, and sure enough, he was nowhere in sight. I sighed in relief, assuming he had given up.
"Um, I- I'm sorry," I stammered, pushing my way through the swarm of customers that were now staring at me like I was a psychopath. I found a blank wall close by and rested against it, trying to regain my composure.
"Are you alright?"
I jumped slightly at the sound of a male’s voice. I glanced up and found a focused pair of deep blue eyes staring back at me. He was towering over me, his black eyebrows scrunched with curiosity. I scanned his flawless facial features from his sharp jawline and smirking thin lips, to his pointed nose and wavy walnut brown hair resting on his forehead. He was dressed in a plain black V-neck that hugged his muscular torso and light blue jeans.
He squinted at me, waiting for a response.
"Y- yeah," I stuttered, "I'm good."
"It doesn't look like it," he frowned, taking a step back.
"There was this man. He was following me, but he's gone now, and
I'm good," I croaked, stepping by him. "Thanks."
My shoulder brushed against his upper arm as I walked away. I wiped a tear from my cheek and headed for the store's exit. I was seconds away from having a panic attack. It was my first official day in the city, and I had already been victimized by some creep.
"Hey, wait," I heard the guy call out from behind me.
I paused, waiting for him to catch up with me. My cheeks burned with embarrassment. I felt like everyone was staring at me.
“Let me walk you outside,” he lowered his voice, now standing just inches behind me.
I folded my arms across my chest and faced him, “What makes you think I trust you?" I spoke just above a whisper, trying to avoid attracting any more attention.
"I don't expect you to, but whoever was following you could still be out there," he said, blocking my path.
"And if he is, I will handle it." I argued, stepping by him and exiting the clothing store.
I rushed to the door that I'd first come into and hurried outside. I trotted toward the alleyway. My breath was coming out ragged.
"Wait!" I heard him shout.
I turned around to see the same guy sprinting after me.
"You just don't give up do you?" I grumbled, stopping in my place. He grinned halfheartedly, "I promise you can trust me. I just want to walk you to your car.”
We both glanced at the brimming parking lot at all the vehicles and pedestrians.
"But I'm not in a car. I'm on a bike, and I have to walk that way to get to it," I pointed to the alley.
"Okay, so what if I follow you from a distance?"
"Why are you so set on following me? It's creepy," I said, feeling vulnerable.
He chuckled softly, holding up his hands in a defensive position, "Alright, fine. I'll go back inside, but if someone is waiting for you at the end of this alley, you can't say I didn't try to help."
I redirected my eyes to my bike which seemed to look even further down the alleyway than before, and I let out a distressed breath.
"Okay,” I whispered, “I accept your invitation, but like you said, from a distance.”
He nodded, "Alright. You first." His eyes scanned over me, pausing on my sneakers.
I nervously stepped ahead of him. After I'd taken a few steps into the alley, I heard him take his first. I continuously glanced back to be sure he was keeping his word.
"So, what's your name?" He questioned me, taking me by surprise. "Evelyn," I stupidly introduced myself, "but I go by Eve." I peeked at him over my shoulder.
"Nice to meet you, Eve," he smiled, revealing a perfect set of teeth.
"My name is Kaden Warren."
I slowly faced forward, “Nice to meet you, too.”
Kaden kept our distance for the length of the alleyway just as he’d promised. Soon, my bike was only a few yards ahead of me, and I could see that there was no one else lurking behind the building. I breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'll be okay from here," I told him, upping my pace a bit.
I heard him slow down, but he stayed quiet. I grabbed my bike and turned to him. He was about fifteen feet back and had a very intense expression on his face. The way he was observing me caught me off guard.
"Are you okay?" I uncomfortably asked. I swallowed the lump in my throat.
He quickly snapped out of his daze. "Yeah, sorry. Is, uh, that a tattoo on your neck?" Kaden nodded toward my birthmark.
"A birthmark, actually," I placed my palm over it, feeling my cheeks flush.
"Wow, that's interesting. It looks exactly like--"
"The sun," I cut him off, "I know."
"Right," his lips curved into a soft smile.
"I, uh, guess I'd better get home," I awkwardly uttered, hoping the anxiety in my voice wasn’t too obvious, "Thanks for walking with me,
Kaden."
"Behind you, you mean," he chuckled, "No problem, Eve." I watched him stride back up the alleyway before I climbed on my bicycle and fastened my helmet. I quickly pedaled my way home all while periodically checking over my shoulder.
CHAPTER THREE:
It was the next evening when Dad woke me up from a power nap
with exciting news. He’d gotten the trucking job with PTC, the company he had been hoping to work for. He was ecstatic, and I was happy for him, of course. I just wasn’t thrilled with the timing. "I'll be heading out at five in the morning, and I'll be home in ten days, give or take. Will you be okay getting to school by yourself tomorrow?" Dad had worry in his eyes as he spoke to me.
I reassured him repeatedly that I would be fine and told him I would deal with riding my bike to school until his car arrived. I didn't want to dim the newfound light in his eyes, no matter how nervous I was about the next day. As expected, he went over a list of ground rules at least five times.
"No parties, no boys in the house, and no opening the door for strangers. Don't go out late at night, especially not alone. Always keep your pepper spray with you. The Clarks across the street said
they’ll keep a lookout while I’m gone, and they gave us their number in case you need anything at all. It’s on the fridge. Oh!" he paused with a crease in his brows, "Are you going to be able to feed yourself?"
"Yes, Dad," I chuckled and rolled my eyes at him, “I can cook.” He grinned, rising to his feet. He pulled a hundred-dollar bill out of his wallet and said, "There are groceries in the kitchen already, but this can be for anything else you may need while I'm gone." I took the cash from him and nodded.
"Alright, I'm gonna go pack up everything I just unpacked," he joked, giving me a thumbs up. He slipped out the door, closing it behind him. I sighed, staring up at the ceiling. I couldn’t sleep again until later that night. My thoughts kept me awake until the early hours of the morning. I awoke at 4:30 A.M because I could hear my dad singing in the shower. That's something I hadn't heard in an exceptionally long time. He poked his head into my room to say his goodbyes before heading out. "Good luck today, Eve," he grinned, putting a baseball cap on his head.
"You too, Dad," I said sleepily. I stayed awake until I heard his truck fire up and pull out of our driveway.
My cell phone alarm pulled me back out of my slumber at 6:00 A.M. My heart started fluttering anxiously as soon as I opened my eyes. I forced myself out of bed and into the kitchen for breakfast. I made myself some French toast, which is usually my favorite, but I didn't feel very hungry. I sat alone at the table and ate half a piece before getting dressed.
Since it was my first day at Westview High, I put some effort into making myself look decent. With black eyeliner, I drew two very thin strokes on my upper lash lines and gently combed through my eyelashes with mascara to make my amber eyes more striking. Then, I slipped into a white tank top and a burgundy cardigan sweater, a pair of light blue skinny jeans, and my black Vans. When I was ready for school, I stared at myself in the bathroom mirror and took a deep, shaky breath.
It was time to go.
I stuffed the hundred-dollar bill Dad had given me in an old purple wallet of mine, and double checked my backpack for my cell phone and pepper spray. I'd learned my lesson about not carrying it. After ensuring that I had everything I needed, I zipped up my backpack and flung it over my shoulder. I locked the front door on my way outside and shoved the house key in my front pocket.
I climbed on my bicycle, and just as I started to pedal away from my house, I heard someone shout, “Hey, Eve!”
The bottom of my sneakers scraped against the sidewalk asphalt as I stopped my bicycle, and I searched for the source of the voice. An older-model metallic Mustang with extremely dark tinted windows was slowly cruising by, and it hovered just beside me. I realized the driver was Bradley Clark, my neighbor. Again, he was wearing his navy-blue letterman jacket. His feathered rusty hair was a mess and he had a cigarette stuffed between his dry lips.
“Hi, Bradley,” I said quietly. My voice was hardly audible over his loud engine.
“Need a lift to school?” He questioned me with a grin, blowing smoke out of his round nose. “I have to make a few stops first, but I don’t mind.”
“That’s okay,” I declined, “Thanks, though.”
“Suit yourself,” he said, taking another puff, “I’ll see you around.” He sped off, leaving me in a cloud of cigarette and exhaust smoke. I could hear his car radio blaring classic rock, and he tossed his cigarette butt out of the window as he exited our street.
It was almost an hour later when I pedaled into the crowded parking lot of Westview High. The long ride had made me tired, but the windy weather had prevented me from sweating too terribly. My hair, however, had suffered. I parked my bike in the grass and kicked out my kickstand.
My heart pounded in my throat. Students were everywhere. I followed a group of pretty girls into the school building. There was a large congregation of students in the hallway and countless conversations and murmurs filled my ears all at once. I pushed my way through the mob, making a beeline for the head office up ahead. I lumbered the heavy door of the office open and rushed inside. A petite senescent lady was sitting at the desk fumbling through a stack of papers. She peered up at me through her eyeglasses and fabricated a smile. "Good morning honey, can I help you?"
"Yes ma'am, I'm Evelyn Stanton. I'm a transfer," I explained, clamping my sweaty hands together, “It’s my first day.”
"Evelyn Stanton, oh, okay," she rolled her desk chair over to an overstuffed filing cabinet and started to flip through it. I patiently waited for her to retrieve whatever she was trying to find. "Ah-ha!" she suddenly exclaimed, grabbing a yellow folder and wheeling back over to her desk with it. "Alright, Evelyn. I'm Ms. Hayes, the school secretary," she paused, situating some papers, "and this here is your locker information, your class schedule, and a map of our campus. If you have any questions, I'll be right here all day. Don't hesitate to come and ask."
I swallowed hard and reached for the papers, "Thanks, Ms. Hayes."
She gave me a warm smile and said, "Welcome aboard."
I nodded and feigned a smile before exiting the office and starting the search for my locker. I nudged my way down the hallway and after a few minutes of trial, eventually found it. I entered the combination, and the door popped open on the first attempt. It was the first thing that had gone my way all day. I shoved my wallet inside and slammed the door shut. I leaned against my locker and tried to calm myself down.
At the locker next to mine, I noticed a girl who seemed to be struggling. She was fumbling too many binders in her hands and two of them slipped through her fingers and smacked against the floor below. "Dammit!" she huffed, forcefully shoving the remaining binders in her locker.
I quickly dropped to the ground and swooped up the ones she’d dropped. I knew all-too-well what it was like to be down on luck. I held onto the binders for her until she turned around.
"Oh," she smiled and pushed her short, dark hair out of her face,
"Thanks."
She took the binders from me and shoved them into her locker with the rest.
"No problem," I insisted.
"I don't think I've seen you around before. You new here?" "Yeah, it's my first day," I admitted, crossing my arms.
"Oh, nice. I’m Iris," she smiled and shrugged, "Like the song. My mom loved The Goo Goo Dolls."
"That’s a great song,” I smiled, “I'm Eve.”
"Eve," she repeated, "do you need any help with anything? Finding your classes?"
"Um," I unfolded my class schedule and campus map, "Actually, that would be nice."
"What class do you have first?"
"Literature with Mr. Axton," I read aloud from my schedule. "That's actually where I'm going," she smiled, her emerald eyes lighting up, "You can just follow me."
I followed Iris through the herd of students until she took a sudden right turn into a random classroom. Allen A. was written above the door frame along with the number 52336. There were already a considerable number of students in the room. I approached the teacher while Iris went to sit down. Mr. Axton, a big-boned man with a considerable amount of body hair, was sitting at his desk flipping through a textbook. I cleared my throat to capture his attention. He peeked up at me through his glasses.
"Hi, sir. I'm Eve. I'm new here, and need a textbook," I nervously explained.
He scratched his coarse beard and reached into one of his desk drawers. He pulled out a Literature textbook and handed it to me. "What's your name again?" Mr. Axton gruffly questioned me.
"Evelyn Stanton, but I go by Eve,” I clarified.
"Welcome to Westview, Eve. We're glad to have you," he smiled and gave my clammy hand a firm shake.
"Thank you," I bobbed my head respectfully.
"Have a seat wherever you'd like,” he motioned to the desks behind me.
I scanned the room for Iris. She was sitting at the very back of the classroom, and she waved me over to the empty desk on the left side of her.
"It's Monday. We won't do much," she informed me after I sat down,
&n
bsp; "Mr. Axton doesn't like Mondays."
I smiled, "That makes two of us."
She giggled softly, "Make that three. So, where are you from?"
I sucked in a breath, "I doubt you've heard of it, but Langley,
Washington."
"Yep, you're right. Never heard of it," Iris smiled.
"It's a small town," I explained, "Like maybe a thousand people." "Wow, this is a big change for you," her eyes widened.
"It is," I admitted.
Mr. Axton suddenly stood next to his desk and cleared his throat.
"Alright guys, turn to page 383 in your books. You’ll be reading a short story today. If you don't finish your reading in class, then you'll need to finish it for homework. Pop quiz on the story tomorrow," he explained while scribbling the page number on the dry erase board. “Doesn’t that defeat the purpose? Not much of a pop quiz if we already know about it,” Iris whispered.
Just as Mr. A finished his scribbling, a familiar face stepped into the classroom. He approached Mr. Axton and gave him a firm handshake. It was Kaden Warren, the guy from the mall. I felt my eyes widen slightly. Mr. Axton retrieved a textbook for him and motioned for him to have a seat, as well. Kaden scanned the room, his gaze stopping on me. He smirked, and I peered at him curiously. I wanted to ask him if he was stalking me.
"Damn, I wonder who that is," Iris whispered, wiggling her
eyebrows.
I grinned, shaking my head at her. “His name is Kaden. I met him at the mall yesterday," I whispered back.
Kaden walked to the opposite corner of the room and threw his book on a random empty desk. I couldn’t help but feel a little weirded out. I figured the odds of running into the same stranger multiple times in a city as giant as Portland were slim to none. Maybe it was just a coincidence.
"What class do you have next?" Iris asked a moment later, peeking up from her textbook.
"Hmm," I checked my schedule, "Pre-Cal with Mrs. Reed."
"Ah, I have Physics, but I can still show you where her classroom is." "It's okay. I think I can find it using my map," I assured her. "Let me see," she told me, reaching for my papers.
