2

As I left in the direction of the cafeteria, I was confronted with a somewhat... disconcerting scene. I actually stood still in the same place, observing what was in front of me. I don't know if what I felt was disappointment or sadness.

My sister was making out with a boy, but it wasn't just any boy. It was Colton Dashner. My legs wouldn't follow orders, as my mind was on the two of them, the picture from before, was that my sister in that picture? My sister didn't wear glasses, or maybe she did.

I snapped back to reality when I felt someone pass me pushing my arm, making me stagger. Loren walked past me smiling cheekily and then left with her friends. I took a deep breath and hurried to walk, as I almost passed Angelique and Colton, they parted. Colton looked at me. He was watching me, I gave him a quick glance at the time I passed him, feeling like that moment was passing in slow motion.

He's with my sister, so get him out of your head Monique, you're not good enough for him or anyone else, it's about time you learned that please. I headed to the cafeteria, I would get my lunch and go sit in my seat.

After lining up and grabbing my lunch I turned to go out to the courtyard, I didn't look at Angelique or Colton in the cafeteria so hopefully I wouldn't run into them out there, canoodling again. My stomach compressed at the thought of that. I walked out into the backyard, sitting under a leafy tree. It was my spot. There were no boys around and all was quiet.

I took out my headphones and listened to xxxtentacion - changes.

***

At the end of the classes I set out to walk home at a hurried pace, in the other classes I had not seen Colton, could he have skipped classes? Actually I wouldn't be surprised, his reputation as a bad boy was too remarkable. I was three houses away from my house, when a tall figure was leaning against a tree in front of my neighbor's house.

My heart skipped a beat as I recognized that back, that silhouette. Was it him? I bit my lower lip stopping my pace, it was getting dark and I wanted to get home as fast as possible, had he come to drop my sister off? If so, I wouldn't have to care, and I hated it if he did.

Colton seemed to be smoking a cigarette because I could feel smoke in the air. I decided to pass him, and when I got to him I hurried faster, pretending I hadn't seen him, but it was useless, because his voice made me stop.

"Don't you say hello? Lack of manners can be a very ugly thing, Monique, especially if it's a girl like you."

I looked at him, he had his expressionless countenance, however, at the end I articulated a half smile.

"I-I didn't see you" I excused myself "what are you doing here, did you bring my sister?" No, it wasn't a good idea to ask that.

Agh.

He took a puff on his cigarette and blew out the smoke, blowing it into my face, into my nostrils. I immediately coughed, with my right hand I started to dispel the smoke.

"Your sister knows how to come alone" he replied dryly. You don't.

I frowned.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked a little confused.

Colton pushed the cigarette aside, tapping it with his index finger on the tip, causing some burnt paper to fall to the ground.

"Forget it" he took another puff.

"Then what are you doing here?" My voice sounded demanding, I barely knew him. It was weird, I felt the opposite.

"I live here" he pointed to the house next to mine, where only Mrs. Margaret lived. Margaret is a friend of my mother's.

I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

There was a silence between us in which I didn't know what to do or say, I didn't know whether to leave or not.

"I have to go" I started to back away. "Goodbye, Colton" I smiled sideways.

He didn't answer, he just stared at me while he smoked his cigarette. On the way to the door of my house I could feel his eyes on me. I opened the door and stepped inside. Colton would now be my neighbor, was that a good thing? I mean, I didn't think the guy was a troublemaker and such. Maybe looks can be deceiving. Or maybe I didn't count for him.

***

I was at my desk in my room, doing some school work, when some sirens called my attention, they sounded far away, so I decided to ignore them. I was wearing my pink pajamas, consisting of a pair of loose-fitting pants and a long-sleeved shirt. My hair was tied up in a disheveled high bun and, of course, my glasses couldn't be missing.

My eyesight was good, it's just that my sister liked me to wear glasses, years ago she had told me that it made the difference between us, I wore glasses and she did not. I listened to her, as I did to everything she told me. I really don't know at what point we drifted so far apart.

Dad was out with a co-worker for dinner and Angelique was at Loren's house studying, although only Dad would buy that story. I stopped typing on the computer the moment I heard a knock on my bedroom window.

My room was on the second floor. I immediately got up and pulled aside the curtain, looking at Colton Dashner on the other side, I frowned the moment he opened the window.

"What's wrong?" I asked hesitantly. My sister's room is on the other side. But she's not...

My words hung in the air as I watched Colton cross to the window, causing me to remove myself. As he stood in my room he leaned over, closed the window and pulled the curtain. Sirens could be heard nearby. And then it dawned on me.

"Is something wrong?" I questioned fearfully. Colton put his hands in his front pockets and looked around my room. My bed was small, the wallpaper on the walls was pastel pink. Everything was well organized, I mean, I had something with the order of my things. But it didn't count for me.

"I just needed to get out of my house" he replied, now looking at my open computer. Colton moved closer, resting his hands on the back of my chair. His lips curved into a smile "doing homework? No one does that."

"Well, I do" I crossed my arms. Colton looked at me.

LI thought I'd never seen anything like it before."

What? The truth is that I didn't really understand his references, I don't know if he had a double meaning or not, besides, hadn't I seen anything like it before? I bet it's something bad.

"Am I supposed to thank you?"

He rejoined, passing me on the side and looking through the curtain outside.

Who was he running from? Sirens wailed near the house, but stopped. Then it dawned on me, he's running from the police! Oh my God! He's a criminal! Or even a lady killer! My pulse began to race as I noticed that Colton was running from the police.

"Are you all right?" he asked, approaching me. "You look pale."

I stepped back a little, but my back hit the wall. My heart was racing, I didn't know Colton, he smoked, had tattoos and even a piercing, it was obvious he could be someone from the bad life, I wondered if he was into other things.

Come on, Monique, the kid could be a killer and you just got your pulse racing what are you waiting for to run him off? Colton raised his hand and put it on the wall at the level of my head, now his face was just inches away from mine and I knew he was playing games, taking advantage of the situation.

"W-what  are you doing?" I stammered.

He smiled sideways.

"Are you afraid?" he wanted to know in a whisper. His breath hit my lips, it tasted like mint and cigarettes. The dim lighting prevented me from seeing his face well, yet his black eyes had a small glow in the background. A flame of fire.

"N-no" I whispered.

"And why not?"he insisted.

"Because you wouldn't hurt me."

"Do you think I wouldn't?"

His question got to me, he was right, obviously he would if he wanted to, just today he met me, I'm not even an acquaintance to him. But inside, deep inside, maybe we had seen each other before, because that feeling that I knew him wouldn't go away, it was strange and.... deep. It was the feeling of having been waiting for something and it finally showed up.

"You tell me"

His eyes looked at me intimidating, cold and penetrating.

"I will hurt you now" he muttered, yet it sounded very believable.

Would I be able to?

"Do it"

What the hell am I doing? I just have to shut my mouth and call the police.

With his other free hand he pulled something out from behind him, reached down and slowly brought it up, until it was in front of my eyes. My stomach contracted at the sight of a knife in his hands.

He's going to kill me! My God!

However I managed to give him to understand that I wasn't scared, I wouldn't indulge him.

"You don't scare me, Colton Dashner" I managed to articulate, and thank heavens my words sounded real, no hesitation or anything.

He smiled sideways.

"That remains to be seen"

And at that moment, the doorbell rang.