Hitting on the hitman

Burnt wood and the forest. (3)

At the end of the day, I didn't have to agree to the dare, I didn't have to walk into the lion's den, to the pack of wolves who would happily rip me to pieces, but I stupidly did.

I suppose the thing about me is, I do want to see the best in people, but somehow despite telling myself it would be fine, that they were just misunderstood and that I'm sure nothing bad could come of it, I couldn't silence the feeling in my gut to turn back around, to never come back or dare even going close to them again. But I didn't, maybe that was the cause of all of this, not listening to my gut.

Lilly insisted somebody watch from afar to make sure I actually did it, so Em agreed and the girls wished me good luck, though I'm not sure if any of them meant it.

I tightened my messy bun and ran my hands through the strands of dark brown falling out.

Times like these I really wish I didn't have dark circles under my eyes. I feel like a sleep-deprived pufferfish.

Lucas only had a few friends. They all wore grey or dark clothes and hung in the courts outside. I didn't know the name of his friends although they were not bad looking dudes they were not as famous as him.

All I did know about them was wherever Lucas went his 6 friends followed behind him like lost puppies.

Well, the kind of lost puppies that would bite your face off.

When we reached the courts, I instantly recognized him he was talking to his friends. His dark brown hair somehow glimmered a little in the sunlight and his jaw, I remembered how he clenched it when Mr Kon got on his nerves. Yep, that was definitely him. He was sitting on the table of a picnic bench on the outside of the courts and all his friends were sitting on the seats. They suddenly all started laughing and one grabbed one and put him in a headlock ruffling his hair. I took a breath and relief rushed as he sat there laughing, he didn't seem so bad after all. He smiled, something I had never seen before, his smile. It made me realise he had dimples, perfect dents in his cheeks. They suited him.

"You ready?" Emily huffed.

No.

"Yeah, ready as I will ever be I guess,"

I hate myself.

I walked up slowly, my blood buzzing, at first, they didn't notice me until one by one they looked in my direction. Their eyes fixed on me so harshly my body suddenly went cold, like I was scrambling through a freezing storm, or stood beside a massive iceberg, threatening to fall and crush me any second now.

"What are you all looking at," Lucas asked cautiously then he looked straight at me and tensed up. He turned cold in an instant, the smile wiped off with an Icey, harsh glare, like the rapid speeding of a stream angry and devouring. I couldn't breathe.

They all fell silent and stared at me angrily, waiting for me to pass by.

But I didn't.

I came up to their table.

"Lucas I just wanted to thank you for what you did for me in class," I mumbled trying to sound confident but failing miserably. He looked to his side tensing his jaw again. He was clearly not happy to see me as I stood there and his brows narrowed.

His friend's faces flashed with questioning glances which they quickly flattened like they were sobering up from confusion. They just looked at him raising their eyebrows seeing how he was going to respond. He jumped off the table and bitterly pulled off his jacket, dumping it on the table, Now showing his white tank top and big arms, I swallowed, He grabbed me tightly, his fingers wrapping around my wrist sending a warm spark spreading up my arm as he pulled me off.

I looked behind me at Emily for help just to see her waving giving the fakest smile I've ever seen.

Then my gaze flickered to his friends who were just as surprised as I was. They just muttered to each other keeping their voices low. I caught a bit before I got dragged off. "He's an idiot he knows the rules!"

Rules?

His hand wrapped around my wrist tightly, pricking my skin, and he pulled me behind the cafe where no one could see us.

He let go of me and my back hit the wall behind me, sending shivers spiralling through me. The faint smell of burning wood and the forest filled my senses as he put his arm up, resting it against the wall looking down on me, it was such a fresh smell, so familiar yet new, but there was a hint of something else, smoke? Fire? Gunpowder?

He towered over me, looking down at me like I was a stupid little girl the sight of it made my throat dry, made me foolishly cling the brick of the wall behind me, my fingers meeting the coarse stone.

"What do you want?" He asked bluntly, it felt less like a question and more like a threat.

But I smiled it off, trying to keep calm, stay kind.

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to go for a drink Maybe? I could get us some Starbucks or something, I don't know, as a thank you." He cocked his brow as if he was listening to the ramblings of a madwoman. "I mean no one has ever stood up for me like that before I just want you to know it means a lot to me and I'm grateful." I let the words fall out and then cringed internally for myself looking at the floor. I couldn't even look him in the eyes.

He huffed and smirked for a second as if he took pleasure in my discomfort before going back to his cold, icy glare. My legs left me limp with no help from my lungs as they squeezed any dignity, I had left out leaving me hopeless and vulnerable to the words he was about to say that would pound down on me like bricks on cement.

"You have the wrong idea. I didn't stand up for you, Mr Kon is just a dick and he was getting on my nerves." His smooth voice now somehow as sharp as a blade cutting me down in a second.

"Oh, I see." I swallowed, looking up to him to see him looking directly at me glaring into my eyes. Somehow this suddenly felt like an interrogation, like he was the cop trying to look right through me. The bright light beaming into my eyes searching for my weaknesses.

"Are we done here?" He asked.

In the moment I wasn't sure what else to say. Why did he act like I was a child taking up his time?

"Well?!" He hissed before glancing behind the wall at his friends.

"Yeah, we're done," I growled marching away not looking back.

Okay sorry, I wanted to thank you. He acted like I was being rude to him! He acted like I was the moody one.

I walked straight past his friends quickly not looking back Emily followed me and we went straight back to the cafe.

"Hey, Jess slow down! Jeez, what happened?"

"He rejected me what did you think happened?" I grumbled.

She looked surprised like someone had just slapped her in the face. "What do you mean he rejected you he couldn't have?!"

"What do u mean he couldn't have Em?" My patience ran thin and my back felt tight, I knew this wasn't Em's fault but the way she was dragging it on bugged me.

"Well, a lot of the girls have asked him out, right?"

"So?"

"Well, he never pulled them away he rejected them in front of everyone embarrassed them cleanout. But you? He pulled you aside and did it so no one saw." She paused, "Why?" She spoke quietly as if it actually mattered.

"I don't know and frankly, I don't care."