1. Run Away To The Town

Casey POV

I sighed, stepping out of the car. Just this simple house, tiny garden out front. I have no idea how my mom even scored this place. After the divorce, she just took me out from our old house and dragged me to this town, like, way out in the middle of nowhere, far from the city grind.

"Casey, help me!"

Mom's voice snapped me out of my daze. I looked over at her.

"Alright, Mom," I mumbled, short and sweet.

I ambled over to her, where she was taking stuff out from the trunk.

"This is Dad's car, right?" It just hit me.

"This is mine. He has nothing in our marriage!"

Emh... I didn't wanna talk anymore. My mom's mood gets so messed up when talking about dad. So, I just grabbed some stuff and headed for the house.

As I was lugging boxes, I kinda accidentally heard this loud roar of bikes, like, echoing off each other. Mom and I both looked out at the street. Some guys on bikes, turns out, were the cause of all that noise. I just stared at them. Woods Town was supposed to be chill, not like the city, but these bikers were seriously proving me wrong.

"They're a bunch of scumbags," Mom grumbled, stomping inside.

One of the bikes screeched to a halt right in front of our house. I gasped, but also, like, what the heck? The guy riding it was wearing a denim jacket and jeans ripped all over the place. Those leather boots, casual but with that punk vibe, totally screamed his identity. He pulled off his helmet. Yeah, at least he wore a helmet.

"You're moving here."

The guy with the brown hair, clear blue eyes, and this intense, serious stare asked. And just like that, I felt like I got hit with a lightning bolt. I couldn't even answer. His vibe was seriously intimidating.

I just nodded. My hands were suddenly shaking, but then this guy actually grinned at me.

"You scared of me?"

My body literally felt like it got shoved into a freezer, frozen solid, couldn't move. I heard biker gangs were more like thugs. They caused trouble and attacked anyone without mercy.

"You such a jerk!"

Suddenly, Mom stormed out, swinging her purse, and just hit the guy. I gasped. Mom was furious, just wailing on him, no mercy.

"Hey, hey!"

"Go! Leave my daughter alone! You can't go close to her!"

I was so freaked out that Mom's move was gonna cause problems, especially since we had no clue what the situation was like in this town.

"Okay! Okay! Chill out, Ma’am. I'm leaving! I’m leaving now! Who do you think you are yelling at me?"

The guy looked at me. I ducked behind Mom. He put his helmet back on and then just left us there. My mom is so amazing. She'd do anything for her kids, but I was worried this stunt was gonna cause new trouble.

"Mom!" I protested.

"What? You think I'm gonna let that jerk bother you? You are not hanging out with people like that!"

"Mom, don't discriminate! I will not hang out with him. Plus, I don't even know him."

"Casey Turner! I brought you here, away from your dad, because I'm so worried about your future. I will protect you no matter what. So, you need to follow my rules."

One thing I always remembered about Mom and Dad, back when they were together: they never got along. Every single day, it was a fight. My mom's tough. She always fights injustice. But sometimes, she just goes overboard.

"Get inside. Don't let those scumbags see you again!"

I hurried into the house, but my mind was still stuck on that guy. This house was simple, but cozy. I liked it, but I had no idea what living here would actually be like. I'm super introverted and don't make friends easily. So many things scare me, especially starting over. My parents' divorce just added this huge new wound.

"Has Anthony contacted you, Casey?"

Mom asked as she started unpacking.

"He hasn't. Maybe he's busy getting ready for college."

Mom looked at me all sadly. She already knew how tight I was with Anthony Balweel, my boyfriend of three years from high school. We were totally in love, and I was so hurt to be in a long distance relationship with him.

"I am so sorry, Honey. I know you had to sacrifice..."

"Nah, nah. Don't blame yourself, Mom. I'm fine. Anthony and I are fine. We should hurry up. After we finish with the house, I'm gonna prepare for college stuff."

"Oh, yeah. You're going to college. Welcome to the new era. You're definitely gonna make tons of friends. Forget Anthony for a bit. You gotta start your new life on campus."

I smiled, but it was just for formality. I can adapt, but making friends? That'll probably be tough. I'm not good at starting conversations first.

***

Today's my first day on campus. I'm so nervous. I know there are probably tons of other freshmen too, but I just have trouble controlling myself.

I looked down the corridors of the Communication Faculty building. So many people. My nerves were totally spiraling.

Suddenly, I felt a hard jolt against my shoulder. My body lurched. My bag hit the floor, and stuff spilled everywhere. Oh, crap! I forgot to zip my bag when I left for campus this morning.

I kneeled down, grabbing my book, my phone, and my glasses case that was almost popping open. Just as I reached for the glasses case, someone walked by and stepped right on it. I glared, then looked up to see who was rude enough to stomp on my glasses case. It didn't break, but it was all muddy now.

"Oops, sorry. I'm in a hurry."

A pretty girl in a casual red dress with little flower accents on the shoulder just walked past, totally unapologetic.

I was so annoyed, but I can never stand up for myself. I quickly gathered my stuff and got up. As I stood, I suddenly bumped into someone else. My body almost toppled over, but I didn't fall because the person in front of me grabbed my waist.

My eyes widened. It was the guy with the denim jacket and that intense stare I'd seen before. He narrowed his eyes at me, looking at me like he knew exactly who I was.

"You're here." The guy smirked. "We meet again."

My heart was hammered. I thought yesterday was just a coincidence. A fluke that I saw a guy from a biker gang. I was so scared then, but now I realized this wasn't a coincidence. I met him at college. This destiny thing is weird. Why him? Why do I have to keep running into this scumbag? Why is he always around me?