"Evie!" squealed Cassius as he waves his hand at me. My eyes flicker and I catch sight of his face for the thousandth time—yet it feels like the first time we'd met each other. "Good to see you!"
His face, oh, his face! His green-as-grass eyes pierces my soul as I look into them. His milky white hair shines in the sunlight, and it makes my legs not sag to the floor, which is rare.
There are storms swirling in my stomach, and I couldn't have felt better.
"Why didn't you answer my messages?" he asks. The first thing he asks is this—he truly does care about me.
"Oh, um..." I quickly think of Penelope. Wanna hang out together, dude? "The teacher nearly confiscated mine." (Which was an utter lie, but still?)
"You okay?" He says, putting his phone in his pocket.
I nod. He gives a warm smile.
"Let's go." he tugs at my uniform, stained by ink, and we begin to walk. "Where is your house?" I ask.
"Broadcast Drive," he replies, opening Google Maps, and I draw a shaky breath.
I decide to speak up. "We'd better be back soon, or my parents would suspect something is wrong."
He stares back at me, turning off his phone.
"I don't want to get in trouble..." I mutter, wringing my hands. "Last time I did, they got more sus—"
He waves a hand for me to stop. "That won't happen." "Look, Evie, you gotta stop worrying, and by God, you need to come out. You're sheltered. Grab the money, and then run."
I open my mouth to protest, but he adds, "Run. As in, with me."
I stare at him, dumbfounded. And although I feel unsteady about this, I force it down and avoid his piercing gaze. Is he clingy or...?
"I'm sorry. I tend to be rude." he says. It doesn't feel sincere.
"Oh, no, no, no, it's okay."
"But Evie, you gotta start exploring the world. On your own." He lays a hand on my shoulder and somehow I still feel...unconfirmed.
"Okay," I gulp down my worries and take his hand. We keep on walking, in pure, awkward silence.
Sheltered. A voice in my brain echoes, and every fiber of my being agrees. My parents have been shielding me from the outside world, but I know too much about it to comply with them.
No, not every fiber. A part inside my gut beckons me to return home. And that maybe Cassius is luring me to get in trouble.
Something isn't right.
He looks into my eyes, playing with my blonde, curly hair. I freeze and push the thought aside.
We walk down the cold, lonely path.
YOU ARE READING
love, at the end
Mystery / ThrillerFROM THE AUTHOR OF METANOIA -A coming-of-age novel about a dying world, a thriving love and three lost children. ♕♧﷼ Meet the newest lovebirds, hopelessly, stupidly in love-Evie, daughter of the tech giant Lydia Calloway and definitely knows all ab...
