Two

By the end of the week, I feel like a stalker. I haven't worked up the courage to approach her, let alone think of what to say, so instead I've just looked at her from afar, tried to spot her out in the hallway.

You know, the usual creepy things.

Scott kept telling me to let it go, that I had much better things to focus on now that I have my freedom back. A lot of people obviously noticed my return over the week, so naturally whispers and rumors circulated. Some bad, but thanks to my sterling reputation, most of it is good.

It does also help that I left and returned looking better than before. I bulked up, got a nice haircut and even a bit of a tan. People are saying I went to a boarding school overseas, or I ran away to some foreign island.

Nobody seems to be piecing together the reports two years ago, and my disappearance and timely return. I didn't expect most people my age to read the newspaper, or even watch the news. It might have appeared in an online article, advertised on their Facebook, but that's about it.

I hope that means that the girl in the hood, Avery, doesn't know anything about me either.

"Hey, Aiden, you coming to the party tonight?" Scott shouts after me, wrestling me down in the hall.

"What party?" I ask.

"Tammy said Jordan Fitzgerald is throwing a party for after the football game. This will be your first party since you got back, what do you say?"

I frown and think it over. I didn't have any other plan this weekend, I've already caught up in all my classes.

I shrug. "Yeah, why not?"

Scott fist pumps the air and we continue walking to the cafeteria.

It's instinct now for my eyes to scan the cafeteria tables, looking for the familiar black hood and Pink Floyd bag. I spot her sitting in her usual spot, at the very back of the cafeteria, where people don't like to sit because the recycling and garbage bins are kept in the corner.

"Hey, I'll be right back," I say to Scott, walking away before he has the chance to speak. I feel a sudden surge of confidence in me as I walk towards her. She has her head bent over her tray of food; headphones popped into her ears as she munches slowly on French fries.

The surge of confidence deflates when I'm standing in front of her, but by the time I decide to turn away, she lifts her head.

I'm hit with the most stunning eyes I have ever seen. A mixture of soft grey, and striking green. My chest tightens, and I'm at a loss for words. She stares at me, her mouth opens slightly, her skin paler than I first saw.

"Hey," I say, a lot more awkwardly than I intended.

She continues to stare silently at me. I shake off the tension and slap on my old charming smirk, that always worked with the ladies.

"My name is Aiden, and I couldn't help but notice you sitting alone. Mind some company?" I say, making a move to sit down across from her.

In a flash, she grabs her bag and her tray, narrowing her breathtaking eyes at me. "Yes, I do." Her words are like knives, cutting deep and hard. She turns on her heel and walks to the trash to dump her tray, before rushing out the door.

I'm left standing there, humiliated. I can hear Scott howling from the other side, slapping the table as he laughs his ass off. I glare at him and stomp back over to the table.

"What the hell was that?" he asks, still trying to contain his giggles.

"Shut up, that was nothing," I mutter, shooting him daggers.

He doesn't get it. "That didn't seem like nothing. It seems like she flat out turned your ass down. That was hilarious! Maybe she isn't as bad as I thought," he says and wipes a tear from his eye.

I reach over the table and slug him in the arm, wiping the grin off his face pretty fast.

"What did you say to her?" Tammy asks.

"I just asked if she wanted company, did my usual charming smile and everything." I shrug.

Tammy rolls her eyes. "Your usual charming self isn't going to work on a girl like her. She isn't like all the other skanks you ran after before, that's what I was trying to tell you."

"Hey, I never ran after skanks."

She rolls her eyes again, but doesn't comment on it. "All I'm saying, is anyone can see that Avery is not that kind of girl. She isn't a preppy, ignorant, desperate girl like the ones that populate this school."

"Fine, then what do you think I should have done?" I ask.

"Just ask if you could sit with her, be friendly and open. Don't use a cheesy pick-up line or try and force the charm. I can tell she's the kind of person that kind see right through that crap."

She has a point. I've been out of the game for quite some time, maybe I just don't have the charm anymore.

Avery doesn't return for the rest of lunch, giving me the chance to try and learn more about her. I ask a few other people around the table, and learn that she has Gym 3rd period.

I get a brilliant idea, and run off to the main office.

"Hey, I would like to switch one of my class electives?"

The secretary gives me a bored look. "What class?" she asks.

"I want to switch 3rd period History for Gym."

She gives me a skeptical look, before shrugging her shoulders. I guess someone with my physique, it isn't hard to believe I want to switch for Gym. She prints out the form for me to fill out, stating why I want to switch and all.

"It might take up to about a week for the form to be seen and approved, we will let you know by next Friday."

I quickly thank her and leave. Tammy and Scott are waiting for me outside, both looking confused.

"What did you do?" Scott asks.

"I switched out History for Gym during the 3rd period."

Tammy scoffs. "Really, Aiden? It's only been a week since you got back, and you're already chasing after some girl, who clearly isn't interested in you."

"I'm not chasing after her, I just want to know more about her."

She scoffs again and rolls her eyes, dropping it. We part ways to head off towards class, and although my class is nowhere near the gym, I find myself wandering by it.

I peek through to get a look at her, but I don't spot her black hood or dark hair anywhere. With a frown, I continue towards class, passing by the private practice rooms, where people can study their music, exercise or anything else really.

My steps falter when I hear light music, sounding like it's coming from a stereo rather than someone's instrument. I slowly creep up to the door, recognizing the music at the type they would play during ballets or sad musicals.

When I peek through the window, there she is. She has removed her baggy hood and jeans for a pair of white jogging pants and white sports bra. I watch, mesmerized, as her body glides across the room, her feet and arms moving perfectly to the tempo.

She's beautiful.

Her dance moves are hypnotizing, my eyes captivated by every twist and turn. She too seems lost in herself, eyes closed, letting the music guide her.

I could stand here all day and watch her, but the final warning bell snaps me out of it. I give her one last fleeting look before taking off, her dancing burned into my head like a movie imprint, replaying over throughout the day.

When I get home, I tell my father about the party tonight, never having lied to him about them before, he's always understood that I'm responsible, and he raised me well. I don't drink and drive, and I'm not stupid enough to drink until I black out, unless it's just me hanging at a buddy's place with some friends.

I don't bother going all out, for some reason not feeling like partying as much as I did before. Scott is waiting for me outside the house, driving Tammy's new car she got for her 18th birthday last month.

The entire ride to Jordan's place, she bickered with him about his driving, saying he is driving too fast, or isn't paying attention. I try and but in, urging her to drive on the way back, but that means she doesn't get to drink.

I all but run out of the car when we pull up to Jordan's house, the place already packed and the lawn already destroyed. His parents are loaded, which explains why Jordan is able to throw such lavished parties all the time. They have the money and service to clean everything up afterwards, and his parents are rarely ever home to witness it.

I make a beeline for the kitchen, grabbing and popping open a beer, downing half of it in one chug. I shake off the warm feeling that instantly spreads through me, welcoming it after being void of any alcohol for so long.

Before I can wander out of the kitchen, someone taps me on the arm. I turn around to see a girl barely half my size, her wide, dark brown eyes staring up at me through thick-rimmed glasses.

"I saw you talking to Avery Reynolds earlier," she says, shouting over the ponding bass.

"Yeah, so what?"

The girl frowns. "Do you know her?"

"Not really, do you?"

She shakes her head and my hopes sink.

"I took dance class with her when she first moved here, but she dropped out a few months after. You're the first person who has ever really talked to her, I thought you might know her."

Dance classes?

"Wait, where did you take these classes with her?" I ask, pulling us into a more secluded and quieter corner of the room.

"They don't offer them anymore, but the building is still there. It's on the corner of Carpenter and State street," she says and shows me the address on her phone. I thank her and she slips back through the crowd, not bothering to tell me her name.

I vaguely recognize her as one of the girls in the computer club, the one who always went around taking pictures of the sports teams and for the yearbook, crap like that.

I immediately put the address in my phone, downing the rest of my drink and going back for another one. For the night, I want to try and erase Avery from my mind, and enjoy my freedom like Tammy said. It has only been a week since I've been back, but all I've done is obsess over this girl.

Tonight, I'm going to let loose.

***

The next morning, my head and body heavily regret letting loose, and drinking so much. I have a pounding headache, and my limbs feel like they were run over a thousand times last night.

I stumble into the bathroom and take a long, much needed hot shower to wake myself up a little. Though I drank a ton, I don't forget the surprising conversation I had with the computer club girl, and the address she gave me.

After I get dressed and creep past my father's still closed bedroom door, I type the address into my Google maps and start walking, thankful the place isn't that far, but still a far distance by foot. It's a nice day for a change, at the very least.

Along the way, I try and think of what I'm going to say to her, if she is even there. Something in my gut tells me there is a good chance she is, but the voice in the back of my head is telling me I've finally gone crazy.

The slightly crumbling building comes into view, with a banner on the top that says 'For Lease', indicating that the building is abandoned.

Why would she continue coming here?

She isn't here, that's why. I'm just deranged, and got a crazy idea when I let the alcohol think for me last night.

I turn around to walk back down the sidewalk, but stop when I hear a sound coming from the alley that leads behind the building. I follow the sound, having come all the way out here, mind as well.

I see someone's feet sticking out of a top floor window, dangling and kicking as they seem to try and lift themselves out. I peek around, and get a glimpse of Avery's face. She continues to flail her feet, trying to find footing, but there is nothing underneath her; but me.

"Just fall," I call up to her. She tries to turn and look down at me, but her hand slips and she almost does plummet.

"Who the hell are you?" she cries.

"Worry about that when you're down here, now fall." I can tell she contemplates it for a moment, before she gives herself one final push and falls backwards. I catch her with ease, her eyes scrunched closed even after she is already in my arms.

I want her to open her eyes so I can see their striking color again, but she is scrambling out of my arms before I can blink. She brushes off her clothes, the same baggy sweatshirt and jeans from before.

She finally lifts her head, and though I'm expecting it this time, her eyes still shock me. She seems surprised as well, probably to see that it's me.

"What are you doing here?" she mutters quietly.

"I happened to be passing by, when I heard you struggling to break in," I say and grin.

"I was trying to break out, actually."

That just interests me more. "Why did you break in to begin with?"

She shuffles nervously on her feet, playing with the strap of her bag. She doesn't answer.

"I have to get going. Thanks for uh, saving me, I guess." She gives me a nod and turns to race out of the alley. I run after her and catch her hand just as she reaches the street.

I'm shocked when she rips her hand out of my grip and jumps away from me, her stand defensive. I lift my hands up and take a step back.

"Why are you always in a rush to get away? Have we ever met before?" I ask, scanning my brain thinking I met and screwed her over before, just don't remember her face.

Her body relaxes a little. "No, we've never met before. I just have somewhere I need to be, and I'm not interested in a boyfriend."

"Wait, who said I'm interested in being your boyfriend? I don't even know you." Wow, this girl really jumps the gun. I guess my first impression on her wasn't the greatest.

She narrows her eyes at me. "Why else would you have been following me around for the past week, and asking everyone about me?"

Oh, shit.

"Maybe I'm just interested in you." I'm already caught.

She wrinkles her nose. "Nobody is interested in me."

"Well, I am."

"Why?"

What the hell is this 20-questions?

"Are you always this closed-off?"

That seems to catch her off guard. She purses her lips, rocking back and forth on her torn up Vans.

"What do you want?" she asks quietly, her voice sounding so small.

"To get to know you, to be friends, if you're familiar with the term," I say, and flash a cheeky grin, hoping she has a good sense of humor. A do a little cheer inside, when a small smile spreads across her lips, and those striking eyes light up just a tiny bit.

"Yes, I am familiar with it."

"Is that also a, 'yes Aiden, I will be friends with you'?"

She laughs and nods her head. This time, I cheer publicly. I see her shake her head, but she's still smiling.

"You should smile more often," I say, the words tumbling out of my mouth. I meant to just think it, but my brain had other plans.

The smile is wiped off her face, and I instantly regret even thinking anything. "I didn't mean that in a bad way, you have a nice smile."

Shut up, Aiden!

"Thanks," she mutters, looking down at her shoes. I scratch the back of my head, desperately thinking of something to say. I remember the whole reason I'm here in the first place.

"Were you breaking in to practice?" I ask, pointing up towards the window.

She gives me a shocked look, with a fleeting look of terror in her eyes.

"What do you mean? This is an abandoned building," she says.

"That used to be a dance studio not too long ago. I saw you in the practice rooms the other day," I admit, thinking if we're going to be friends, there's no point in hiding it.

"Y-you saw me?" She bites her lip and takes a step back.

"I just saw you as I walked by, that was it," I quickly lie, leaving out that I actually stood for a fair amount of time and watched her. I don't even remember how long it was.

"That was nothing, I just don't like Gym."

"That wasn't nothing."

Her eyes flash up at me. "How would you know?"

Ah, crap. Me and my big mouth.

She glares at me. "You didn't just pass by."

"You caught me, maybe I stayed for a few seconds," I shrug, waiting for her to run off again. Instead, she smiles a little.

Damn, that smile is beautiful.

"Were you also just passing by today? Or were you looking for me?" she asks, putting me in a tough spot. Following her around at school was one thing; in public is on a whole other creepy level.

"No, I really was just passing by, when I heard you struggling." I flash a grin, hoping she doesn't see right through the lie.

She shrugs her shoulders after a while and I let out the breath I'm holding.

"How did you know this place used to be a dance studio?" she asks.

"I've lived here a long time, and someone told me."

She rolls her eyes, but stops and looks confused. "Wait, aren't you new? Didn't you just move here?"

I shake my head. "I just went away for a couple year, and returned for my last year of school."

"Why would you want to come back here?" she whispers.

"What? What's wrong with here? I can't say where I went is any better, Athens is a lot better actually."

She frowns a little. "I can't say I really see the beauty."

That gives me the perfect idea. "Well then, allow me to be your tour guide. What do you have planned for tomorrow?"

She thinks it over for a second, then shrugs her shoulders. "I'm busy for most of the morning, and I have a curfew until 8 PM. Other than that, I'm free for the afternoon."

A curfew at 8 o'clock? I've never had a curfew, let alone one so early. What are her parents like?

We exchange numbers, and I tell her to text me when she is available. I try and get her address, so I can meet her when she's ready, but she insists she meets me at my place, saying she doesn't want her parents seeing her meet a boy.

I can kind of understand that, but again, she has to be at least 17. Are her parents really that protective? No boys, a curfew at 8 o'clock. I thought I had been robbed of my teenage-hood or whatever they call it. I guess there are more ways than one to have it taken from you.

For the rest of the night, I'm giddy about tomorrow, thinking up all the cool and interesting places to take her, that hopefully she hasn't already been too. Though her parents seem protective, she has also already lived here for a year, maybe a little more. There has to be some places she has seen in Athens.

"What's got you on edge?" my father asks at dinner.

"Nothing, just met a girl and I'm planning to show her around town, just not sure where to go. It's been a long time since I've been here myself, I don't know what has really changed," I say, shoving a fork full of food in my mouth so I don't have to talk anymore.

"A girl?" my father asks, that bit of info the only thing that seems to reach his ears. "Who is this girl?"

I roll my eyes at his overly casual tone. "Just a girl from school, dad."

"Well, what's her name?" he continues to pry.

I should have never said anything.

"Avery Reynolds," I say, knowing he won't let it go until I give him an answer.

He goes quiet, his fork still above his plate.

"Reynolds?" he echoes.

I nod my head, feeling uneasy about his reaction to Avery's last name. He frowns slightly and resumes eating, but doesn't comment further. Feeling extremely uncomfortable now, I excuse myself and dump my plate in the kitchen, then run up to my bedroom.

What the hell was that?

I shake off the weird conversation with my dad and go up to my untouched laptop. My father got it for me during the week, since I never really had one before, and now my studies are more intense than when I was 15, and in juvie.

I get on Google maps and start searching the town, hoping they've updated everything, and I'm not just looking at the old map, and planning to go to places that aren't even there anymore.

What a day that would be.

I end up passing out by my laptop, getting distracted here and there with Facebook and other crap, until my eyes can't take it anymore.

I wake up to my phone going off, giving me a second notification of a text. I panic and look at the time on my desk, the red numbers telling me it's half past noon already. I scramble towards me phone and read the messages from Avery, saying she's free to get together, wondering why I'm not answering.

Sorry, slept in a little.

I quickly text back and send her my address, before running into the shower. I don't bother to stop and glance at my disheveled hair and face, rushing right into the steaming hot water.

It takes me longer to pick something to wear than it does to shower, and in this moment, I have never understood girls more. I don't know why I'm even worrying about what I wear.

This isn't a date.

With a few grumbles, I tear through my closet and settle on a pair of dark blue jeans, white t-shirt, and a red and white checkered button up. By the time I'm shoving my shoes on, the doorbell rings.

I run down the stairs before my father has the chance to get it, but he is already standing there, reaching for the door handle.

He opens it to reveal an awkward looking Avery, dressed in her usual jeans and black hoodie, even though it's +40 and pretty sunny for once.

"Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Eric Thomas, Aiden's father."

I want to smash my head off the banister when he uses his 'adult voice' like everyone my age is still a child.

"I'm Avery, nice to meet you too." She bites her lip and shakes his hand, waddling into the house. Her eyes lift towards me on the stairs, showing me her face clearly for the first time.

I notice she has put make-up on, her eyes looking more intense than usual, but still just as amazing. She has the kind of natural beauty that looks good with or without make-up, something a lot of girls I've hung out with don't have.

My father gives me an approving look as I pass by him, and I fight the urge not to groan, tugging on Avery's sweater to leave.

"I'll be back before 8 o'clock," I call over my shoulder, and catch a glimpse of my father's shocked face.

I have ever gone out and come home that early. I know I'm going to get questioned when I get back.

"So, where are we going?" she asks when we reach the end of the driveway.

"Let's start with places you have been too already."

She thinks it over. "I've only ever gone to the standard places; grocery store, corner store, and the library a couple times."

"That's it? You're kidding me?" I gape at her.

She bites her lip nervously. "I'm usually pretty busy after school, I never have time to go out anywhere."

"Well, today is your lucky day." I beam at her, thankful that I went overboard last night and picked a bunch of places to show her.

We walk towards the bus, and I instantly feel like a loser. If I hadn't gone to juvie, I would have my license and a car by now. My first time taking a girl out in over two years; and we're taking the damn bus.

I feel like a loser and a child.

"Have you eaten anything yet?" I ask her when we're close to the first destination I have in mind.

She shakes her head.

"Great, then the next stop is ours," I say and pull the cord above my head. I walk her down a slightly worn out brick path, covered with potted flowers and leaves. It leads out into a small market street, where most of the cities patio restaurant and bars are.

"What kind of foods do you like?" I ask Avery.

She looks around at all the places, "I could really go for some pizza right now."

I grin. "A girl after my own heart," I say and put a hand over my chest dramatically. Her eyes widen and she takes a step back.

"I'm kidding!" I laugh and drag her towards the best pizza joint in town. I order the cheesiest pizza they have and pick a booth in the back. Though it's nice out and the patio is relatively empty, I plan for us to be outside as long as possible, I don't want her or myself to get exhausted too early.

Our night is going to be cut short, anyway.

"So, if you don't mind me asking," I start off slowly, choosing my words carefully. "Why do you have such an early curfew?"

Her eyes shift slightly, like she is thinking of a way to avoid the conversation. "I just have a lot of responsibilities at home, my parents want me back early to help out."

"Oh, like daily chores and stuff?" I never experienced any of that, it was usually just my father and I. When my mother was around, she did most of the cleaning and cooking.

She nods her head stiffly. "What about you? You said you grew up here, but where did you go?"

It's my turn to shuffle uncomfortably. It was easy when Scott already knew, and I know it's going to be a bit easier telling Tammy because I've known her most of my life, she knows me, too.

She will believe my story without a doubt.

Will Avery?

I finally just got to approach her; I don't want to scare her off.

"I went to live with my mom for a bit, she lives in California. I went to school there for two years, but it never felt like home, so I wanted to come back for my final year and graduate with all the people I grew up with," I say and slap on a smile, hoping she doesn't see through my lie.

"That's unfortunate she lives so far away," Avery says, and my body relaxes when I know for sure she bought it.

"It's alright, I'm closer with my dad than I am with her, so it was easy to make the decision to come back, knowing I might not see her for a while." I haven't seen her since before I went away.

Avery frowns. "I can understand, if she wasn't a good parent or you just didn't connect as mother and son, you wouldn't want to see her as much."

She sounds like she is speaking from experience, but from what she has told me, she lives with both parents. Are they not her real parents?

The more I talk with her, the more it seems there is a lot to know about her. I can tell she is hiding something, there is more to her than she wants people to know, but I can't put my finger on what.

I'm going to figure it out, though.

Something about Avery Reynolds has struck a chord in me, awakening some unknown fascination.

I'm not letting her go, until I figure out what demons she has lurking.

They might be friends with mine.