XPLR | Colby Brock

~17~

Colby grabbed my hand and pulled me to the car. "Colby, I really need to get home and-"

"Do what?" He asked, still holding onto me. I pressed my lips into a line. "I don't know..."

"If you don't want to hang out with me, just say it," he said, but he knew damn well that I wanted to. I shrugged a little.

No, it's not that I wanted to hang out with him. I just wanted to stay away from empty apartment. He smiled. "Good. I don't know about you, but I'm hungry."

I nodded. "Yeah, me too," I said as he led me to his car and opened the passenger door for me. I nodded a thanks to him then looked out the window.

"I know this diner that I go to sometimes, especially when it's late," he said, looking at me. I glanced at him then looked back out the window. "That sounds good."

He pushed my shoulder playfully. "What's up with you, are you that mad?" he teased. I shook my head. "No, just... dreading.. seeing Elena again. She'll be a mess..." I said softly. A wave of nerves washed over me, and I didn't even know why. He noticed and I knew it

"So what's really going on with her and what's-his-face?" he asked. I looked over at him. I sighed, "I wish I knew..."

He looked back at the road. "Damn. Something tells me she's always like that..." he said, trying to not offend me or Elena. I laughed at that. "Yeah, she really is."

He looked at the ticket that sat on his lap at a red light. "Hmm...eight hundred and three dollars for trespassing," he read it. He glanced at me from the corner of his eye and smirked.

"You would've gotten less of a fine if you had just turned the rest of us in," he said. I shrugged. "It would be worse if Elton Castee and Colby Brock got a ticket, than if a girl no one knows or cares about got one."

He looked at me. "Well at least one person cares about you," he said. "Who?" I laugh teasingly, already knowing he was going to say Elena.

"Me," he said.

I would be lying if I said that didn't catch me off guard. A smile slid onto my face, and his was already there.

"You know what?" he asked softly. I turned forward and pushed my smile away. "What?" I asked. Don't smile. You don't know this guy that well. I thought to myself.

"You have got to be the most beautiful person I've ever seen," he said honestly, still smiling. I shook it off. "Thank you," I said with a polite chuckle, just for him to hear my appreciation.

Stop.

"So What is your definition of fun?" I asked as the light turned green and he pressed the gas petal. "Hm... there's this abandoned place on the beach I think you'd like. After we eat of course, because I'm starving. Then I vote we... go around the city until we find something that looks interesting," he smiled.

"That actually sounds fun..." I laughed a little at that, "so are you going to tell me where we're going on the beach?"

He shook his head and smirked. "Nope. It's a surprise. But trust me, you'll like it."