Afraid to Love

Chapter Four

The day had been okay. After first block, it hadn't been too bad. As I exited the school building on senior release, I pulled my headphones out of my book bag and plugged in.

I clicked shuffle on my Spotify and let the song Hey Ya! by Outkast take me away.

I walked with some pep in my step, stepping side to side as the music blasted through my ears. As other seniors drove by me, I realized how idiotic I actually looked. I stopped stepping side to side and just listened.

That is until king douchebag splashed water on me with his motorcycle.

I stopped dead in my tracks, my mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. I raised my head from looking down at my soaked clothes and to a laughing Axel, who was sitting in his motorcycle parked next to the sidewalk.

"Why would you do that?" I asked with utter disbelief as to why he would do such a thing.

Axel grinned at me, showing his pearly white teeth, "Not sure, I'm just really good at getting girls wet," he said with a wink.

My cheeks heated up, turning redder than a tomato, "You're a pig," I said as I started walking again.

"Why are you walking?" He question, scooting forward on his motorcycle.

The question made me stop in my tracks. Nobody had ever really asked me that before. In North Carolina, I was a news spectacle. Everyone and their mother knew about the accident, so nobody questioned why I walked to school everyday.

After the accident, I had a massive support system at school. Nobody questioned why I didn't turn in my assignments or missed school some days.

I glanced over at Axel, looking him dead in his chocolate brown eyes. "I don't think that's any of your business," I said bitterly and started to walk again.

Axel looked dumbfounded, "Whoa, easy there sass master," he said teasingly, brushing off the fact that I had snapped at him.

I groaned, hearing the motorcycle rumble behind me. "Are you going to follow me all the way home?"

Axel nodded his head, "Yep, pretty much. Besides, I'm hanging out with Colton anyways."

"Well why don't you speed ahead and leave me alone?" I said, wondering where my sudden confidence was coming from.

Axel grumbled something under his breath, and in a few seconds he was gone.

I watched his motorcycle zoom past me, whipping my ponytail around and in my face. I sighed at myself, wondering why I was getting myself into this mess. I just needed people to leave me alone and let me be the new girl who was shy, quiet, and kept to herself.

That's who I was supposed to be. I was supposed to be who I was in North Carolina. The move wasn't supposed to change me.

My thoughts followed me all the way home. When I got to the house, the sleek, black motorcycle was parked in the driveway next to my stepbrothers car.

As I walked inside, Axel was laid out on the sofa, while Colton sat in the armchair to the right of Axel.

Colton looked up when he heard me walk inside, "Hey Ari," he said, giving me one of those boyish head nods.

I threw my hand up and waved to him. "Hey Colton. Felix is coming over in a couple of minutes."

Colton sat up, suddenly looking tense. "Felix? Like, Felix Turner?" He asked, rubbing his palms together.

I raised one eyebrow as I looked at him, "Yeah, why?"

"No reason, just wondering why you're friends with an outcast like her." Colton said, blowing her off as if she was nothing.