Zugzwang [COMPLETED]

Part I, chapter 4

- IV -

The next couple of weeks were beyond weird. The idiot driver -- I will never call him anything else! -- kept showing up every day after school was over. He would always just stand there, leaning on my car, hands shoved in his pockets. I have no idea how, but he would always be able to make me go to different places with him. I honestly don't know how he did that. At least, we never went anyplace that was crowded, thank God! Usually it would be the same Starbucks, or sometimes, the park, away from people.

I kept making the same icy remarks, but then I stopped, after seeing that he doesn't even blink when I say something rude in my usual manner. So in ten or so days, I realized that we were actually talking like normal people. It seemed weird and nice at the same time. At first, I expected him to try something ridiculous like holding my hand, or better yet, kissing. I would smack him on the face as soon as he touched me, and for the first couple of days, I was really tense. But he never tried anything. He would always walk by me, both hands shoved in his pockets, cigarette clenched between his teeth, and finally, I relaxed.

The Prom Queen was following me everywhere lately. She tried talking to me the next day after she jumped on Logan's.... errr... I mean, idiot driver's neck.

"Hey, Gwen," she said, trying to sound cheerful.

"What?" I asked indifferently.

"So how come you know Logan?"

"He smashed his truck into my tree," I said without looking at her. I was checking my math paper at the time.

"Oh... So now you are, like, together or something?" Her attempts at indifference were pathetic.

"Yeah," I said with a smirk. "In fact, we are engaged."

She blinked very rapidly at that.

"The wedding is next Sunday," I said poisonously. "Look, leave me alone, will you? You are annoying, and to be honest, pathetic."

"Oh, you are joking..." she said uncertainly, and I sighed.

"Not about annoying and pathetic part," I said. "Go away now."

She looked like she was about to hit me with her book. Finally, she snorted contemptuously and walked away. I hoped that she would hate me for the rest of her life and never talk to me again. She stopped talking to me -- thank you, God! -- but she kept following me everywhere, sometimes even to the bathroom, as if she was hoping to see me making out with Lo... Idiot driver. She is a moron, I kept thinking, and I did my best to ignore her. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.

It was September thirteenth, and it was Friday. Almost everyone at school kept bringing it up, and I was beyond thankful when the day was finally over. Jesus, I would seriously maim someone if I heard, "Oh my God!! Do you think something bad will happen today?!" one more time... Yes, keep saying it and something bad will happen. I will murder you, that what will happen.

I walked to my car, expecting to see Logan, but to my greatest surprise, he wasn't there.

"Oh, thank God," I muttered and unlocked my car.

I turned the keys in the ignition and wondered why he wasn't here. Then I shrugged. Who cares. I finally have an entire afternoon to myself. It was a gift from God. I slowly drove out of the parking lot, trying to figure out why it didn't make me as happy as I thought it would. I know, I should've paid more attention to the road, but my mind was racing and I didn't really look where I was going. I knew this road like the back of my hand, so I didn't even think twice about it, until I looked up and there he was, the Misfit, right in front of my car, in the middle of the freaking road.