Kill of the Night [BXB]

Chapter 13

 It seems to take Rion longer than usual to finish his work, and when he hands me his last paper, it's already been a couple hours. He gets started on his homework, seemingly forgetting about my presence. The cat removes itself from my shoulder and walks over to him, jumping up onto his desk and laying down again. I don't know if I've been dismissed or not, so I stay where I am and watch more National Geographic. Now, they're streaming a documentary on the Amazon rainforest, which is interesting enough to keep me hooked.

Rion sits back, letting his arms hang, and turns his chair toward me. I look at him and find him staring back. He looks away and rubs his eyes, appearing tired again.

"Fuck," he utters, so softly I nearly don't catch it. "I'm too tired for this."

"I can leave if you want?" I offer. He nods, making no move to get up, so I turn off the TV and stand. I open the door, letting the cat slip out before me. I step out of the room and close the door, feeling a weight leave my shoulders. I follow the cat down the stairs, hoping none of the other residents of the house see me. Luckily, the downstairs is empty, so I head straight to the front door. It's already unlocked, so I don't have to worry about leaving it unlocked as I leave. I step out onto the front porch and pull my phone out for directions. I'm not as far out from the city as I was at Tao's place, so I decide to walk for a bit to clear my head.

Rion seems to live in a nice neighborhood. All of the houses look similar to his, but his remains the nicest one, with a bright exterior and an interior to match the mood. I wonder if it's the kind of neighborhood that hosts barbecues and all have sons that go to the same soccer meets, and I wonder how many people from school live here. It screams born and raised, and it's not the kind of place you'd want to move away from, either. I kind of like the look.

I circle around the corner onto the next street. This one will lead me straight to an intersection a few blocks away, and then I'll be close enough to Main Street that I can find my way home. I pocket my phone and adjust the straps of my backpack.

The intersection is busy with traffic, so I wait at the traffic light pole until the light turns red and the pedestrian symbol appears on the sign ahead. I cross the road and head right, going toward Main Street, which is the next road away. There's not too many people on the sidewalk, since most are probably returning from work. One in particular, though, does catch my eye, and not in the oh, he's hot way.

Jayden looks up from his phone. A conniving smirk appears on his face, and he slides his phone into his back pocket and starts walking alongside me. I keep my eyes on the ground and walk faster, but it only seems to encourage him, and he starts humming a tune. I grit my teeth and curse myself. I shouldn't have decided to walk, what the hell was I thinking?

I start to turn the corner, but Jayden catches my arm, making me halt in place.

"No, you don't. You're coming with me," he says. "You think I'm over that shit you pulled last time?"

I try to take a step away from him, but his grip is iron, and I'm forced to face him. I struggle to take an even breath. Jayden brushes past me, and I stumble when I attempt to follow him. Instead of turning the corner, we cross the street, and Jayden pulls me close so I look like I'm walking beside him. I feel his hand tighten around my arm, squeezing the bones of my lower arm. I start to panic, but my resistance is futile in the wake of his brazen pace. We turn onto the other side of Main Street, parallel to where I'm supposed to be going.

"Stop fucking moving," Jayden snaps, yanking me forward. I swallow and take quick steps to catch up. "You know, I was thinking maybe you and I could take a little trip someday. Maybe go on a night out, just the two of us. Whaddya say?"