Only the sound of the driving car could be heard, my mind still played what happened in the mall like a movie, It took every bit of me not to look back because I was afraid if I did I would go to Dace, I knew what I did was the right thing, it all falls down to me to make a choice so that everything would calm down.
My eyes darted to Owen, elbow at the edge of the window, his hand against his head as he made a turn to the next block, the wheels spinning.
"What was that back there Owen?" I asked, finally breaking an hour of silence. He sighed deeply as I watched his chest rising gently and then downwards, I noticed just right there how built he must be, even on his long sleeve checkered shirt he wore I could still tell, he allowed the arms to roll up, even at the night light I got a glimpse of his tan smooth skin, everyone seemed beautiful in this town.
"I'm sorry if I scared you, I didn't mean to" he faces me before diverting his eyes back to the road.
"It was a small misunderstanding, Owen," I said as my gaze leveled my fingers playing with a loose thread from my bag. "It went too far" I faced him and I noticed as his body tensed at my words.
"What happened there… gotta be something deep"
He sighed. "Emma"
"Is there something going on with the Devereaux's?"
"Emma, don't-"
"Don't what? Ask? That's it right?"
I noticed the car stopped, I didn't realize we were already at my house.
"It's not that, okay" he faced me.
"Then what?"
"It's not something you should concern yourself with, it's safer this way"
My eyes narrowed at his words and I huffed. "Why does it feel like everyone is keeping things away from me, the moment I got to this town"
"Emma-"
"It's not fair, Owen, Dace looked at you like he would murder you and I must say you had that look too" I sighed closing my eyes. "And those eyes" I rubbed my forehead, this was giving me a headache.
"Emma… Dace is not someone you should be around, he's dangerous and his family too"
"I don't need to hear that from you too!" I snapped at him. "Why not you then? Why isn't my Aunt fixated on you too, lemme guess my family is on good terms with yours but not the Devereaux"
He paused for a moment as his gaze leveled. "If you put it that way… yes"
I shake my head opening the door.
"Emma" he began but I didn't listen.
"I will pick you up tomorrow!"
"There's no need, I have a bus!" I paused. "You know what I mean… I will USE the bus, thank you" I walked away even as he called me. This was so frustrating and it annoyed me.
I slammed the door shut the moment I walked into the house.
"Oh hey dear, how was your day at the mall?"
"I do not wanna talk about it" I was already upstairs, I didn't wanna talk to her, she was in it just as everyone was.
I slammed my room door and fell onto the bed, my eyes on my white ceiling, I had that antsy feeling again, I felt something was really wrong with everybody, if it wasn't about families getting along then they weren't, that sounds like ancient stuff to me. I felt my phone vibrate, without breaking my gaze from the ceiling I slid my phone out of my bag, I quickly sat up when I saw who it was.
DACE: Are you home?
I bit my lips, my fingers in mid-air, I sighed, closing my eyes and putting my phone away, I don't feel like talking to anybody.
~
I walked through the school doors, sauntering into a crowd walking measured before my eyes. I balanced my school bag before venturing into the crowd, it was always like this, I was always hardly seen, I was the invisible girl, and I didn't mind it, I wasn't someone worth the attention.
"Emma!" I whirled facing Owen, smiling at me, and I smiled back. Owen was always calling my name, he was the first person to talk with me when I first came to this school and I appreciated it, he was nice to me and it made my heart flutter, back in Washington what I had were school friends, not friends like the ones who visit you at home or take you out or have a sleepover. Growing up I always had a feeling I was isolated from the world and I welcomed it as time flew by. It was better than trying to escape it by fitting in where I wasn't supposed to, so I married manga and books much to my mom's disagreement.
"Emma," he said my name once again and his smile vanished. I blinked befuddled about his sudden change of glamor. He wasn't looking at me but at something behind. I grew more confused because even at that moment the crowd in the hall was suddenly gone, was it possible for people to just disappear? Maybe it was class... I was bugged by what caught the entirety of Owen's attention so I whirled.