My summer crush

AVA’S POV

And here came the girl who had been obsessing over my brother since freshman year.

She walked into the classroom, and immediately the principal addressed us.

“Ava, Lily told me you were going to Pasadena today,” Stella screamed, grabbing my shoulder while shaking me violently.

She had always been a fan of my brother, so had Lily and many others.

One reason I had asked my brother to stop coming to pick me up for anything at school. I still didn't get why they liked him.

He was handsome, but well… I couldn’t quite get it.

Maybe because he was my brother.

Summer break was getting close in California, and there was something about the way the sun made everything smell that I loved.

I had decided to spend June at my elder brother’s apartment before I resumed college. My brother, Davis, had moved out when he was nineteen and had been living alone ever since he started college.

He was pissed off when I told him I was coming over, but what could he do to me?

I was his perfect, good, and obedient little sister, and he knew talking me out of it was never an option.

“Stella, calm down….” I said, turning on my phone to check the time.

“Can you just give me his number this once? I promise I won’t tell him it’s you,” she pleaded.

I kept telling Stella college guys were not good for her… even my brother. I knew he was a playboy.

“No, I can’t, Stella….” I said, standing up. “Let’s go to the hostel so you can help me pack my luggage.”

“Not until you give me his number,” she said.

“Okay then, keep dreaming,” I replied, walking away.

“Wait for me!” she called, running after me, and I smiled.

Stella Walter had been my friend since I enrolled in this school.

I wasn’t good with friends, and she wasn’t either. We understood each other perfectly.

“How many minutes’ drive is it from Glendale to Pasadena?” Lily asked after she walked into the room and saw us packing.

Lily was my roommate. We were not really close, but we were close enough for me to tell her that I was going to my brother’s place.

“It’s about twenty to thirty minutes, not sure, but it’s not that far,” I replied with my head down as I pondered whether to take a black or pink bra.

“You should take the black one,” Stella said.

“Why?” I asked, knowing fully well she was going to say something crazy.

“You never know, someone might like the colour,” she smiled.

“Shut up, Stella… your brain needs to be washed,” I joked, dropping the black one and packing the pink bra instead.

“So you seriously are not giving me his number?” Stella said, and I watched Lily inch closer.

“Could you call a cab for me?” I said to Lily, ignoring Stella.

“Yeah, sure.” She smiled, bringing out her phone.

“Found one. It’s on its way. Let’s get you downstairs,” Lily said after some minutes, and they helped me with my luggage down the hall to the front of the hostel.

“I’ll miss you, Ava,” Stella said, pulling me in for a hug. “Make sure there’s something to talk about when you get there. You know I love gist,” she whispered into my ear.

“Whatever, I’ll keep in touch.” I moved my hand up and down her back. “Oh, the cab is here,” I said, letting her go slowly.

I turned to Lily and gave her a peck on the cheek.

The driver came down and helped me put my luggage in the boot.

“Okay, we are settled. Let’s go,” he said, smiling.

“Bye,” I waved before settling in, and they waved back.

The car reversed out of the school hostel, and soon we were on the main road to Pasadena.

The sound of traffic made me feel alive. It had been so long….

“You know, I had a daughter who attended your school last year,” the driver said, breaking the chains of my thoughts.

I wasn’t really good at conversations with people. Most people in school saw me as a nerd.

I had never had a boyfriend, never kissed, and some even laughed when I said I was still a virgin.

Why? Because they felt I shouldn’t be since it was the last year of high school and I was soon going to college.

Even Stella wasn’t a virgin anymore.

“Really? So she’s an alumna?” I asked. That was the only thing that came to my head.

“Uh-huh… she was,” the man sighed.

“Was? What happened?”

“She died last month in a car accident on her way home to Pasadena,” the man said.

My head spun for some moments. I felt sorry for him, especially the way he shook his head slowly.

He must have been heartbroken, but why was he telling me this when I was on my way to Pasadena?

“I’m so sorry… are you okay?” I asked, leaning forward in my seat.

“I guess.”

“May she rest in peace,” I said. I wasn’t a God-fearing person, but this seemed like the only realistic thing to say to a grieving person.

“Thank you,” he replied while touching his face. I didn’t even notice he was crying.

I brought out my phone to text Davis, but the car started jerking violently.

The engine sputtered and made a rough, grating sound that cut through the quiet hum of the road.

Before I could even type the first word, the vehicle shuddered once more, then lurched to a slow, unsteady halt right in the middle of the road.

The engine died completely, leaving only silence hanging heavily in the air.

I gripped the phone tighter, my jaw tightening instantly. Of all the times for something to go wrong…

Why was this happening after he told me about his daughter’s death that had happened here last month? Was this road haunted? I might as well have said my last prayers.

“What happened?” I asked, my voice low and sharp, devoid of patience.

The driver glanced nervously at me through the rearview mirror, his hands still gripping the steering wheel like he could force the car to move again.

“I… I don’t know. The engine just gave out. Might be a fault with the belt or the cooling system. I’ll step out to check it right away.”

He scrambled out quickly, rushing to the front to pop open the hood.

Steam rose almost immediately, curling into the warm summer air, proof enough that something had definitely broken down.

I got down from the car. The sky was getting dark. Staying in a place like this at night with a stranger… oh, I might lose my mind even before this haunted road killed me.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, wrapping my arms around myself.

It was summer, so I had on a sleeveless white crop top and a short pink pleated skirt, but the sudden breeze caught me off guard.

His face turned pale at my question.

“This isn’t something I can fix here. It’s a mechanical problem.”

My blood drained.

“You mean we are stuck here?” I asked, not waiting for his answer as I dialed Davis’ number.

“Pick up the fucking call!!” I yelled.

I was really scared. I didn’t know where I was or if this place was truly haunted.

My hand gripped the band of my skirt as I dialed his number again, and then he picked up. I didn’t wait for him to say anything.

“Hey, come get me now before you lose a sister!!” I yelled.

But there was silence at the other end and it made my heart beat faster. It looked like I was living in a horror movie where everyone but me was conscious of whatever was going on.

“Davis? Davis!… we are around…” I turned to ask the driver, and he explained while pointing at a hundred-kilometer sign ahead.

“Did you get that, Davis?”

Still no response.

“Davis, stop joking!…”

He suddenly cut the call.

What was wrong with Davis? What type of game was he playing at a moment like this?

I called him again, but there was no response.

The driver kept staring at me. I couldn’t tell him anything… he was still grieving, and I could tell he felt guilty about what happened.

I stayed outside, resting my back against the car, my feet hitting the ground unconsciously. I hoped Davis was just joking and had heard everything I said.

It had been about thirty minutes, my fingers clutching around my phone angrily… it was getting too dark to be here.

I suddenly heard the sound of a car approaching. I turned, and the headlights shone directly into my eyes.

This wasn’t Davis. He didn’t own a car.

That thought alone made all my hope crumble.

The car stopped and parked a few feet away from us, and the door opened.

My breath hitched in my throat as a guy stepped out.

Someone I had never seen before, a complete stranger, yet his presence was so heavy and commanding it made the air around us feel thicker.

He was dressed entirely in black.

Baggy trousers hung loosely around his legs, but somehow they still looked neat and expensive.

They ended right above his black boots that hit the ground with a solid, deliberate sound.

My gaze traveled upward, and my heart skipped a beat.

His face was sharp, set in a cold, expressionless mask that gave absolutely nothing away about who he was or what he wanted.

Above one dark brow, a silver piercing glinted under the fading sunlight, adding to that intimidating, untamed look of his.

And when he tilted his head slightly, I caught sight of it… an intricate dark tattoo winding boldly up the side of his neck, standing out starkly against his skin, marking him as someone who did exactly as he pleased.

He closed the car door slowly, and then he started walking toward me.

Slowly.

I didn’t know if I should turn around or enter the car. I just stood there. Part of me wanted him to come to me.

And he did.

He stopped right in front of me.

“Are you Davis’ little sister?” he asked in a deep baritone voice, and I swear my legs weakened. The only thing that kept me from falling was the car behind me.