Catch Me

Chapter 6

     Will and I were walking through Crescent Park - down a path that surrounded the actual playground. My eyes darted around the park as I remembered what happened a few days ago. It had me shaken, but not because of the gang. What shook me was Kyle coming to my rescue and then pushing me away again, saying I had to be out of his life.

     "Are you okay, Clarissa?" Will asked softly. "It must've been terrifying for you to face that gang at night. I swear if I ever see any of them again, I'll-"

     "I'm fine," I interrupted. "And they've been caught. Thanks to Kyle taking down the leader, the rest of the gang turned themselves in. There's nothing to worry about."

     Will huffed and he ran his fingers through his black hair. He seemed stressed and worried and I shoved his shoulder lightly, wishing he'd lighten up. But, he only shot me a look.

     "I can't believe Kyle came to your rescue," Will said. "I'm shocked he has a heart. And here we were thinking he was incapable of love."

     "Don't say that. We don't really know him," I said quietly, thinking about Kyle and his mysterious self. "We shouldn't have made any assumptions about him.

     Will looked over at me with a confused look on his face. I blushed lightly and looked away, realizing how strange it was of me to stand up for Kyle like that. Two weeks ago he was a stranger and now he was someone who was consuming my mind. Constantly I was thinking about him and who he was and it was beginning to drive me insane.

     "You know my parents keep trying to call me," I said, trying to change the topic. "I don't know why, but all of the sudden they won't stop calling me. It's been four years. I... I'm so confused."

     "You should talk to them," Will said. "They are your parents."

     "But I'm so scared they'll force me to come home. They'll probably guilt me or something into coming home and I'll have to quit the SSI and never see you again."

     Will stopped walking and I stopped with him. I turned to face him and grew deflated when I saw the sad look her wore. Will felt sorry for my parents since I ran away from home. He didn't agree with my choice, which I understood, but at the same time it hurt to know that he didn't understand my point of view either.

     "They miss you, Clarissa," Will said. "You were their only child and you ran away at sixteen. You told me they weren't abusive or anything, just controlling, which isn't the most horrible thing in the world. Give them a chance."

     "No," I said. "I know my parents and they miss controlling me. I will never let them treat me the way they did again."

     Will stared at me, his eyes full of questions and I sighed heavily. Talking about my parents always left me riled up. They were supposed to be something of the past, but now with them calling me I realized Kyle wasn't the only problem I'd face.

     Will's eyes suddenly flew away from me and to something behind me, and I frowned. Turning around, I froze when I saw that he was staring at Kyle, who was already staring at us. Kyle's face was expressionless and serious, and something about the way he looked at me left my heart pounding. His expression was intense, his blue eyes so vivid and cold as they took ahold of my eyes and kept me locked in place.

     But then after a moment, Kyle looked at Will with a look of annoyance and he then turned around and stalked off. I was still locked in place and I watched as Kyle walked off, never looking back.

     "What was that about?" Will asked, breaking me out of my trance.

     Shaking myself out of my shock, I turned back to face Will who was staring at me. He was frowning and looking concerned, and I blushed heavily. I hadn't meant to freeze in Kyle's stare, but I couldn't help it. Something about the way he looked at me left my heart pounding and my body freezing.

     "I have no idea," I said, starting to walk again.

     Will didn't push for answers thankfully and we continued to walk around the park again. But the entire time, I kept replaying the moment where Kyle looked at me as if I was all he could see.

*****

     I was walking around the grocery store I had once found Kyle in. It wasn't the grocery store I used to use, but because I discovered it's cheap prices and large variety of food, I decided to shop there from now on.

     I was standing in front of containers of salads and I bit my lip as I scanned the boxes for Caesar salad. But instead of just thinking about the salads, I thought about how Kyle had been in the same position as me. And I thought about how stunning he was. Of how just looking at him left me mesmerized, unable to move or think or do anything. Kyle had a power that left me growing annoyed because I knew I shouldn't be affected.

     "Clarissa."

     I jumped at the voice and whirled around. Gasping, I saw Kyle standing in front of me.

     "Scared you, didn't I?" Kyle said, wearing a small smile.

     "Psh, no," I said, annoyed.

     Kyle looked amused and I flushed. As a spy I was trained to expect the unexpected, but somehow Kyle caught me off guard. I was disappointed in myself and annoyed, which was why I crossed my arms over my chest and scowled at Kyle.

     "Well, well, well. Looks like the tables have turned," I said. "What are you doing stalking me?"

     "Don't flatter yourself," Kyle said, rolling his eyes. "I've just been thinking about you."

     "You've been what?"

     My eyes flew wide and I stared at Kyle, unable to believe he was thinking about me. He kept telling me he wanted nothing to do with me and he kept pushing me away, but there he was standing in front of me and telling me he'd been thinking about me.

     "Not like that," Kyle said, rolling his eyes. But, I smirked when I noticed the blush creeping into his cheeks. "I want to teach you self defence. After the park incident I realized someone as tiny as you needs to learn how to protect yourself. Just in case something like that happens again."

     Unable to believe Kyle, I stared at him absolutely flabbergasted. Never in my dreams did I think Kyle would be asking me to spend time with him, even if it was just because he felt sorry for me.

     "Aw, do you care about me?" I asked, pouting. "Cute."

     "I don't. Just don't want it on my conscience if you get hurt," Kyle said. "So, are you up for it or not?"

     I bit my lip and thought about it. Since I already knew self defence, I knew it was a bad idea. There was no way I could hide my skills, but I knew this was the perfect opportunity to get closer to Kyle.

     "Sure," I said. "You can teach me self defence. When and where shall we do this?"

     "I know a place," Kyle said. "I'll text you the details before our first session. I swear this isn't some plan to kidnap you."

     "Don't worry, I know not to flatter myself."

     To my surprise, Kyle chuckled at that and looked up at the ceiling. Once again, he seemed to be wondering where in the world I came from.

     "What happened to pushing me away?" I asked. "Aren't you scared?"

     "I'm absolutely terrified," Kyle said. He looked back at me with an intense look and my heart began to race. Gulping, I just stared at him. "But, I want to take the risk. I don't know why, but I feel like I need to do this."

     "Okay," I whispered. "I... I won't disappoint you. Well, I hope I won't."

     Kyle smiled at me and I found myself looking away shyly. I wasn't sure what got into me, but I felt like running away.

     "Well, I'll see you at our first session," Kyle said. "I'll text you. See you, Clarissa."

     "Bye Kyle," I said.

     I looked back up and watched as Kyle walked away. And my eyes didn't leave him until he was out of sight because once again, I was mesmerized by Kyle. Something about him left my eyes lingering and the thought left me uneasy.