5

|Present|

~~~~~~~~~~~~

To say that my first day of college had been rough would be an understatement.

In high-school I'd always had Danielle and Megan. They'd always be there to cheer me up but right now I was all alone.

I sighed as I leaned against the wall. A movement on my side caught my attention.

I watched as a pale skinned petite girl struggled to carry the mountain of books in her arms. I was about to offer her my help but I stopped.

Something about her seemed familiar.

I took in her numerous piercings and closely cropped black hair. Everything she wore was black from her lipstick to her boots.

She cursed under her breath when she almost tripped over her feet.

I gasped when I recognized her voice.

No.

It couldn't be.

Her piercing blue eyes finally met mine and they widened in shock.

"Danielle?" I breathed out in disbelief.

What happened to you Danielle?

The Danielle I knew three years ago was bright and full of life. Nothing like the dull eyed person standing in front of me.

"Scarlett?" Her voice was quiet, like she didn't believe what she saw.

"Yes, it's me." I responded weakly.

I watched as her expression hardened.

"What are you doing here?" She hissed.

The venom in her voice made me step back.

"Danielle I-" I started to explain but she cut me off.

"Shut up! Just shut up! You traitor, you liar! You disappeared, you left us! You weren't there when I needed you the most. You weren't there when Megan needed you." She chocked back a sob.

My tears however flowed freely down my cheeks.

"Don't you dare think that you can come here after three years and pretend to be my friend." Her eyes flashed with anger.

"You aren't my friend. In fact you are dead to me Scarlett Hudson." She shoved past me, disappearing in the never ending sea of students in the hallway.

For a while I just stood there. Frozen in shock. And then I was running outside.

I needed to get away.

I needed to breathe.

I had no idea where I was going. Tears completely obscured my vision.

A shriek left my lips as my foot twisted awkwardly causing me to plummet to the ground.

My whole body was shaking, my breath coming out in short gasps.

I heard the sound of screeching tires. From the corner of my eye I could see a motorcycle skidding to a stop a few feet away from me. The rider jumped off and ran towards me.

"Are you alright?" His deep voice demanded.

I could feel fingers tilting my chin up. My eyes met a pair of intense grey ones.

Why did I have to run into Hunter in the worst possible times?

I tried to get up but let out a yelp when I felt pain shoot up my ankle.

At once Hunters arms were around me.

"You're hurt." Hunter spoke softly.

"I-I'm fine." I sputtered as I tried to limp away from him.

"You're not walking home with that ankle." He declared and his hold around my waist tightened.

I scoffed.

Who the hell does he think he is?

"Don't tell me what to do!" I snapped.

His eyes narrowed in irritation.

He finally let go of me and stepped towards his sleek black Harley Davidson. He gracefully climbed on and revved the engine.

Thank God. He's finally leaving me alone.

He ran a hand through his dark locks. I remembered he used to do it whenever he was agitated.

"Just get on my bike. We live across from each other. I can drop you." He muttered.

My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"I will do no such thing." I spat out.

"Don't argue with me right now sweetheart. Get on."

I folded my arms in front of my chest stubbornly.

Hunter exhaled through his nose slowly.

"Either you get on this bike or I make you." His voice was low. Threatening.

His eyes flashed with challenge.

I tried to shift some of my weight to my sprained ankle, a sharp pang of pain jolted up my leg making me wince. There was no way I could walk home with my bag in this condition.

I huffed in annoyance before finally limping towards him. I begrudgingly climbed on behind him.

"Wear this." He turned around slightly and handed me a helmet.

I quickly placed it over my head.

"Where's your helmet?" I asked him pointedly.

"You're wearing it." He responded casually.

What?

"Hold on to me." I could hear the smirk in his voice.

I fought the urge to smack him.

And before I had a chance to respond I felt the bike lurch forward. An involuntary scream left my lips and my arms automatically banded tightly around Hunter's waist.

The wind whipped around as. Everything was a blur of color.

I leaned my head against Hunter's back. I could feel his rigid muscles heaving against my body.

An unfamiliar sense of euphoria seemed to consume me. All of my senses seemed heightened.

For a moment I forgot about the fact that I was with Hunter Adams.

I forgot about Danielle. About my father's engagement.

I knew it was only temporary. I knew that the pain would come back as soon as the ride was over but I embraced the few moments of blissful obliviousness.

All too soon we came to a stop.

I was surprised at how reluctant I was to get off.

"Thank you." I mumbled as I slowly got off.

The pain in my ankle had subsided considerably.

I started to move towards my house but a scream left my lips when I felt myself being lifted up into a strong pair of arms.

"W-what are you doing?" I squeaked when I realized that Hunter was carrying me towards his house.

He didn't answer.

"Have you forgotten that I live across from you?" I demanded.

He still didn't give me an answer.

I huffed in annoyance but didn't say anything further.

Hunter kicked the front door open and carried me to his living room.

I remembered this place.

I'd spent a large part of my childhood here.

Everything was exactly the same; the walls, the furniture.

But at the same time everything was completely different.

The house felt empty. Cold.

Hunter gently placed me on the couch and disappeared into the kitchen.

My eyes swept over the pictures hanging on the walls.

My heart clenched when my eyes zeroed over a familiar portrait. It was a picture of me Megan and Hunter when we were kids. We looked so happy.

I gasped when I felt cool fingers curl around my ankle.

My eyes widened when I saw Hunter kneeling in front of me. He took off my shoe and inspected my ankle.

"It's not broken." He affirmed.

I was still speechless.

"Here, place it over your ankle. It'll prevent swelling." He handed me an ice-pack.

I took it from him wordlessly.

My eyes trailed towards the picture once again.

"Those were good times. I'd have anything to have those days back." I heard Hunter speak from beside me.

I closed my eyes at his words because they reflected my own thoughts.

I turned to look at him.

"Where's Megan, Hunter? I want to see her. I miss her." I whispered.

The atmosphere changed completely when I uttered those words.

Hunter's expression hardened. The dark look in his eyes made me shudder.

"You know the way out. Close the door when you leave." He said quietly and he walked out of the room. Leaving me all alone.

I gulped.

Slowly I got to my feet and left his house and started walking towards mine.

My thoughts were a mess. I had no idea what was going on.

I trudged upstairs to my room.

All I wanted was to get into bed and forget everything that had happened but some strange force compelled me to move towards my window.

I knew my room's window was right across from the window in Hunter's room. I moved the curtains to the side and looked in that direction. I gasped when I saw Hunter's familiar frame standing there.

I knew he saw me but I couldn't look away.

My heart was pounding.

My breath hitched as a watched what he did next;

Very slowly, he bought his hand up to his chest, and clenched it into a fist.

Right above the place where his heart was beating.