• •
"It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves."
-William Shakespeare
• •
CHAPTER-03-I'll Chase You
• •
"...My Mabel..." Just a spoken phrase, he meant nothing.
Skyler stands across me, gripping lightly over my wrist with his long fingers. The cold metal ring of his rest against my skin.
Black long-sleeves of his T-shirt rolled till his elbows. His pierced left ear speak louder about his ferocious persona.
It won't be the truth if I tell this is the first time I'm confronting Skyler Foster and it would be a lie if I tell I notice him today for the first time.
We both live behind these same walls. How can I tell, this idiotic person never existed in my brain. His name is said with a fond in this school whereas my name is just known by a few students and teachers.
I twitch away from his soft grip. His glistening eyes soothes within my line of gaze. His ocean-crystal eyes are mesmerizing but who knows it's just the way it really looks and there's nothing really special about it.
Skyler averts to see his moron friends and within that indescribable condition of my brain which tries to fire a correct sentence at him, Zoe pulls me away and flees to my classroom. She didn't allow them to say even a word but I heard few them chuckling behind.
"What was that?" She asks as she stands across me beside the classroom door.
"What was what?" I say quietly, jolting myself away from my thoughts.
"You look extremely affected by some sort of plague!!"
"Ahhh, Zoe!!" I scornfully tap my feet, "Didn't you see how badly they were going to torture us!"
"They were not!!" She says, making a cross mark in the air.
"Dylan is after you Zoe! Do you think he won't bother you much!!!"
"Calm down...." She performs breathing exercise then continues, "No one is doing anything... I'm gonna tell Dylan straightforward with all my guts that I'm not interested in him and he better leaves my way!" Her hands keep moving accordingly to her words.
I nod after listening to her but eventually, my mind also says that these boys won't leave her so easily which alarms that somehow I'm too going to get along into it.

Lunch break is the best time for every human. Food is another loyal friend to us. I put my tray filled with a sandwich and a juice box on the corner deserted table of our cafeteria. Waiting for Zoe to appear but I feel she must be busy with her drama club friends. Scrolling down the timeline only gets boring and boring while munching the food and sipping the juice down the throat.
"Hey... Mabel!" This familiar voice calling my name isn't the best thing happening to me since morning.
I turn to squint at this horrible person however Skyler is already settled on the adjacent chair beside me, just a few inches away.
"Mabel is busy--You cannot talk to her!!" I say to him pointing at me and get back to my scrolling job. His scent gets perceiving as he edges more close to me.
I shot my blazing glare at him he smiles widely. He rests his forearm on the surface of the table and plays with his finger ring by removing it then wearing it again in his index finger, "Your sandwich looks tastier!!"
"It was tastier before you came, now it tastes gross!!" I lean away from him and try to shift my chair a little aside.
"I didn't even lick it!"
"You believe that your mouth is gross!"
"Wanna taste and confirm it!" He licks his lower lip, seductively.
"Shut the crap up!!"
"Mabel... I was trying to interact with you... You know this is our last year together in this," He pauses and look around the cafeteria. Definitely, our school is just another typical high school. He cannot add something elegant features to describe our school and then he continues, "In this weird school..."
"SO?!!"
"How's your day going?" He smiles again.
What's wrong with this guy?
"It was going better before, now don't talk to me...Bye!!" I turn away. He sighs slowly under his breath and looks quite defeated. Yes!
"You won't ask me how's my day going?" He says quietly.
"What's wrong with you Skyler?... Today in the morning your stupid friends just emerged into our way and WHY even I'm talking to you... We never did this in years!!"
"Calm down Mabel!!" His words don't soothe my hyper nerves, "I'm just interacting with a few of my senior mates!"
"Oh so great! Then why don't you go and talk to that guy!!" I point towards a random guy who was silently munching over his food but now he's stiff and stares at both of us.
Skyler chuckles and waves at that guy. "Hey, Josh! Have you completed my Calculus work??"
What? Did he really just? OMG! "Oh.. it's good that you both know each other... Now you can have lunch together... Leave me!!" I hiss at him.
Skyler averts his gaze at me but this time his eyes look serious. A few minutes back it wasn't affecting me but now these same eyes are telling me a different story. "Let's get to the point." He speaks. "You know that Dylan is into your best friend--"
"Wait a minute!! He is into Zoe so it doesn't suppose to mean that you can use me to get him to her!!"
"We can help them... We are their closest friend!"
"You such a typical jock!!! It's her life Skyler if she wants anyone in her life then it's her job to decide it who the fucking people are we to decide it!!"
"Mabel---"
"Shut the fuck up!!"
"Don't swear!" He clenches his jaw and looks way far from the previous smiling Skyler. I don't say anything further but I feel the words are just stuck in my throat. He inches his face more close to mine after shifting his chair and his breath whispers to my skin to get alerted.
His cheek hovers against my cheek while he says slowly into my ear, "I'm glad that we came across into each other's path... And don't you dare Mabel to destroy my plans to get Zoe and Dylan together."
I shake a little as his voice shivers down in my head core, "Skyler we cannot--"
"Shhh... Mabel Rivera... I'll chase you to hell if you don't work according to me!" He pulls back a little and smirks looking at me but still very close, "And... Yeah... I don't like those fucking people who just keep swearing.... See you soon." He gets up and leaves. I blink with brief pauses.
He left already and I'm still very stiff holding my phone and juice box in another hand which I almost squeezed enough, it's on the verge to spill out.
Something just held me not to budge at him. I don't know why I didn't do anything but now I regret I should have pushed him away and broke his wiener but I was just paused in his radar.
I exhale and look around, everyone is staring at me. Fuc-- 'I don't like those fucking people who just keep swearing.' His words alarm me. I shake my head and gush out of the cafeteria.
I bump into someone, "I'm sorry!"
"Kin! What's up?" Oh, It's Ryan but wait a minute as I study the person standing beside his left is none other than Skyler Foster.
Why they were walking together? Don't tell me they are now friends because they were never before! OMG! This is a disaster. Maybe Skyler has got to know that even Ryan likes Zoe and he has decided to clear my stupid cousin from his way.
I gape and say instantly, "Ryan! Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Kin--Actually I have to go to Principal Georgia ASAP otherwise I'll be suspended--"
"WHAT!! What you did now, stupid!!"
"I'm just kiddin' but really I have to meet her ASAP!!"
"Okay fine... Can we at least go home together today because I guess Zoe cannot drop me because she is busy with her drama club!" I have to warn him about Skyler.
"Are you not feeling well?" Ryan grasps my shoulders, widening his eyes, "You never asked me to sit in my car since ages!!"
"Shut up I'm absolutely fine!!"
Ryan chuckles, "Don't worry... This will be your best ride!" And gives me an A-Ok sign.
"See you then!!" I say hurriedly and rush away in the hallway to text Zoe but an arm pulls me back and I see Skyler Foster again.
My life is crap.
"What you want now?" I frown at him. He has already scared me enough for a day. I look around and Ryan is nowhere.
"Don't you like to see me often?" He chuckles.
"You are not Channing Tatum!!"
He laughs then says, "I just came to inform you that meet me in the parking lot after school."
I don't speak.
"I'm going to drop you!"
No way. "Why?"
"Ryan has some stuff to do after school so he said to me to drop you..." I can see him clearly smiling maliciously, "Even Carlos have some shifts." His smirk curves victoriously.
"How can he tell you to--"
"Because we are buddies!"
"No way!"
"You are yet to know many things Mabel.... See you soon...." He sings the last phrase and walks ahead in the hallway.
"You don't have to--I'll tell Ryan it wasn't that important!! I'm absolutely fine!!" I shout at him.
His voice gushes back as he waves his hand in the air, "No way Mabel... Now it's my job to take you home safely."
"Uhhhhhh!!!" I stomp and think vigorously for various plans to escape. I immediately text Zoe.
Mabel: Hey! where are you?
After a minute.
Zoe: busy with drama!!!
Mabel: SO will meet directly after school right?
Zoe: today it's difficult. I'm sorry.
The world is against me today.
Mabel: Sure! It's fine.. I gotta better
ride today... I guess.. im blessed.
Zoe : What's wrong?
Mabel : Long story!
Call me once you get free.
We can go to the diner
together later!
Zoe : I'll let you know... See ya... Miss me..
Mabel : See you! That's my job!!
I look up from my screen and find myself again in my complicated thoughts. I was preparing for something less and it resulted in something more.
Maybe I can just go by walking and inform Ryan later about everything or I can just go with the monster and tell him clearly that please don't drag me into any kinds of stuff. Maybe he will push me outside the car and would fracture my skull. No. No. No. I have to get rid of him before he chases me to hell..... Oh GOD, I'm stuck!!!!