Rain ran down my face in small streams as I hurried down the dark street that led to Mr. Heywood's apartment. The forest that surrounded the road was creeping me out, but I put my best foot forward and continued, trying my best to ignore the unnerving woods. It really wasn't working.

A shudder passed over me when I imagined what could be in there watching me. I really had to stop watching so many horror movies. Pulling my jacket tighter, I kept my head straight, and my eyes on the ground. Only a little further until I'd be on a main road, and then Mr. Heywood's apartment would only be about three blocks away.

I frequently checked my phone to see if Laura, Casey, or Jeremy had decided to contact me. There had been no contact from any of them for the past twenty minutes. I was surprised my phone even still worked, seeing as how I was soaked to the bone and it had been in my hand the whole time, only slightly shielded from the precipitation.

A cracking noise from my left made me jump violently. I twisted towards it and stayed stock still, eyeing the area apprehensively. When a squirrel came barreling out of the black a small chuckle escaped my lips. It was just my stupid imagination again...

This time there was the sound of gravel crackling behind me and I whipped around to see a car approaching. I relaxed again, cursing my timid persona. The car continued to grow closer, and as I heard it slow down, my heart started speeding up again.

I kept walking, pretending a car wasn't following me. Wait, I didn't even know if it was following me. Maybe someone needed to ask for directions... I highly doubted that. Picking up my pace, I moved closer to the forest and away from the road. Whoever was on the car switched to high beams, and kept them on me.

By this time, I was slightly terrified. Shawn's words echoed in my mind. "I have different plans for you." I glanced back at the car quickly, but couldn't make out the driver. Suddenly it pulled ahead of me and came to a stop. I stopped too, staring at it warily.

When the door opened, I decided my best bet was to flee. Turning on my heel, I started sprinting towards the forest. The person in the car honked, scaring the crap out of me, and only making me run faster. I heard the opening and closing of a door and someone shouting after me.

I clutched my phone in a panic. Why now? Why couldn't have Shawn waited? I had to talk to Mr. Heywood! And no one knew where I was going besides Laura, who didn't know anyone but my mom! I stumbled over a bush as I fought my way through the over-growth and trees. Someone was still shouting after me.

A wet tree branch slapped my face as I tried to duck under it, temporarily blinding me. Whoever was chasing me was growing closer, fast. Suddenly my foot gave out from under me and I opened my mouth in surprise but no noise came out as I fell face first. I was sliding before I had a chance to pick myself up off the ground. When I reached the bottom of the hill, I got a face full of sand.

Without moving I held down the "5" button on my phone, slowly bringing it to my head. It rang once, twice, and on the third ring I heard the sound of someone picking up.

"Mr. Heywood?" I whispered, staying as silent as possible.

"Holly," he responded, sounding both amused and frustrated for some reason. "What-"

"Help me, I don't know where I am, but someone's after me," I whispered in a rush, squeezing my eyes shut. "I know I'm always in these situations and I'm sorry, but I'm scared. So please-"

Suddenly there was a loud cry of surprise behind me, and my words were cut off as something heavy fell onto my back. I dropped my phone in surprise, a rush of air escaping my mouth, leaving me winded. The weight was gone almost as soon as it appeared, but I was still gasping for breath.

"Shit! Sorry, Holly."

My eyes widened and I forced myself to roll onto my back. Mr. Heywood was staring down at me with an apologetic look on his face. I gasped in air, trying to regain my breath so I could speak to him. He bent down and pulled me to my feet and began to brush the dirt and sand off my body.

"I didn't think I'd slip," he told me, turning me around so he could brush off my back. "But you're the one who went down first..."

"That was you in the car?" I managed to say, stepping away from him, and turning to face him. "Why didn't you say so? I was terrified!"

"Holly, I tried telling you that when you began to run but apparently you didn't hear me," he responded with a frown. "Do you usually run away from cars? That's a bad habit you know."

I ignored his jibe and glared at him. "That's not funny! Do you have any idea how scared I was? I thought it was Shawn coming to get me! I thought I was going to be killed or something, since apparently your stupid gangster friends don't have a problem with killing Lance!"

"Wait," Mr. Heywood interrupted, his voice growing hard. "What do you mean by 'killing Lance'?"

I was shaking in anger now, not quite positive where it had all came from. Probably the after shock of being scared. "They shot him, Mr. Heywood! Twice!"

"Holly, this isn't time to be joking-"

"I'm not!" I screamed, breaking the unnatural silence in the forest. "Go to the hospital and see for yourself!"

Mr. Heywood seemed taken aback for a moment and watched me with wide eyes. I glared at him, brushing a strand of my drenched hair out of my face. A breeze went by, making me uncomfortable cold. I quickly folded my arms over my chest and pressed my legs together.

"When did this happen?" Mr. Heywood demanded, narrowing his eyes. "Is he okay?"

I shook my head, wiping rain from my face so I could see him clearer. "I don't know. It must have happened recently because he was still in the ICU when I left the hospital. His mom's there and I texted her and told her to keep me updated on his condition."

"How do you know it was them?"

By them, he meant the gangsters. I flipped open my phone and scrolled down to the text message I had received earlier. "They have Lance's phone. Shawn called me earlier."

"What did he say?" Mr. Heywood asked, grabbing the phone away from me and looking at it with a scowl.

"He asked how Lance was, told me he was still after you, and he said he had 'plans for me'," I quoted, staring down at the ground. "He said he didn't care whether Lance lives or dies... but he was only going to rough him up." I looked back at Mr. Heywood who was glaring at the trees. "When I asked why Lance, he said because he was with you the most..."

"I tutor him," Mr. Heywood responded simply.

"You what?"

"Tutor, you know... give him extra help? Help him learn the material more?" Mr. Heywood responded, raising an eyebrow. "Surely you know-"

"I know," I snapped, scowling. "How long has this been happening for?"

"Jealous?" Mr. Heywood asked, a smirk appearing on his face.

I gave him a flat look. He sighed, running a hand through his now-drenched hair.

"Just for the past few weeks. His mother asked me to give him extra help after school," he told me. "Though I didn't expect I was being spied on... Damn it. They'd even go so low as to go after a student I tutor?"

"Well he was also there with the accident near the towing place."

"But that's not the point," Mr. Heywood said. "They're going after people who aren't even related to the problem! Pretty soon they might as well attack the mailman, right? I need to put an end to this."

"What? Not by yourself!" I cried, my eyes widening. "Shawn said... Even you can't take on twenty people!"

"What else am I supposed to do, Holly?" Mr. Heywood demanded with annoyance etched across his face. "Wait for them to attack another student?"

"They wouldn't attack regular students," I told him, though not entirely positive. "They'd get in trouble with the cops."

"Whoever shot Lance is already in deep shit."

"But you can't-"

"Holly, I'm not going to sit around while they pick of people close to me!" Mr. Heywood cried, his voice raising a notch.

I stared at him in shock. Since when did Mr. Heywood raise his voice? For some reason, I felt like I wanted to cry again.

"You can't do it alone," I whispered, staring at him.

"Holly, what if you're next?" He responded, his voice back to his normal tone. "If it's you then..."

"They won't do anything to me! I'll make sure of that," I cut him off, shaking my head.

Mr. Heywood shook his head. "You said early Shawn told you he had plans for you."

"I lied," I said quickly.

"Holly," Mr. Heywood started with a sigh. "How many times do I have to tell you that you can't lie to me?"

"They want you dead though," I breathed, blinking repeatedly to keep any tears from spilling. "Did you hear me? Dead!"

"Yeah, I can't say I'm surprised."

"What did you do?"

Mr. Heywood's expression went blank for a moment, but then it quickly became hard. He narrowed his eyes at me.

"I told you it wasn't any of your business."

"Well now it is!" I responded, clenching my fists. "And Lance's too! You have to tell me!"

"No!"

"Mr. Heywood!"

"Drop it," he snapped, scowling.

"No! I won't!"

"Holly, please," Mr. Heywood said, running a hand through his hair. "Drop it."

"No," I stated stubbornly, growing angrier. "Lance was shot, Mr. Heywood! That's taking it too far! You can't keep whatever you did a secret anymore! It's my business now!"

"Holly, just stop. It's not-"

Without warning, I punched Mr. Heywood in the chest as hard as I could. He didn't budge, but shock flashed across his face. I hit him again, trying to put as much force into it as I could. He let me hit him a few more times until his hand captured my wrist and stopped me.

I scowled, bringing up my other fist, but was caught by Mr. Heywood immediately. Now I attempted to kick his shin. Mr. Heywood let out a small groan of frustration.

"Is it my fault you're so violent?" he muttered. "Just like a child..."

I stopped struggling at once, a little hurt by his comment. Time for a different approach.

"Please," I begged, putting my head against his chest, and keeping my eyes on the ground. "Please. I'm begging you now! Just tell me. Please, Chris!"

"Holly, you're hand is cold."

I pulled away from him, yanking my hand out of his grasp. The tears were now spilling out of my eyes. I glared at Mr. Heywood, taking a step away from him. Now he was going to change the subject? "I hate you. I hate you!"

Mr. Heywood sighed, closing his eyes. I shook my head in disbelief, taking another step away from him. I turned to walk away, but a hand enclosed on my wrist and yanked me back. Something warm enveloped me and I looked down to see Mr. Heywood's jacket over my shoulders. I tried to shrug out of it, but Mr. Heywood held it on by force.

"Let go of me."

"Holly, you have to promise me you won't think any differently after I tell you."

I looked up at Mr. Heywood in shock. His eyes pierced into mine with seriousness, complimented by Mr. Heywood's somber face. I slowly nodded, clenching his jacket tighter to my body. He reached out and brushed a few stray tears from my face.

"And please stop crying," he said putting his forehead against mine. "I'm sorry. I'll tell you, just don't hate me."

"I couldn't hate you," I responded, too embarrassed to look at him while he was this close.

Hate him? How could he even think that I meant that? Couldn't he see how much I cared about him? A sudden feeling of excitement ran over me. I swallowed nervously as I formed my next words in my mind. This was the perfect chance to let Mr. Heywood know. We were in the middle of nowhere, and alone. It was the perfect timing.

"Mr. Heywood," I started, now looking at him, our foreheads now pressed together. "I... I, uh..."

"Hmm?" Mr. Heywood's gaze landed on mine, and he blinked, staring at me for a second. Then he pulled away quickly, clearing his throat. "You're really cold, let's go get you warmed up."

I blushed, a frown slipping onto my face. Not yet. I was going to confess now whether or not I was cold. A shiver ran through me as a gust of wind blew through Mr. Heywood's coat, reminding me that I was cold. Mr. Heywood chuckled, grabbing my hand and tugging me forwards.

"Come on, you're shivering," he commented, squeezing my hand.

"Wait, I have something to say," I protested, trying to take my hand back.

"You can tell me later," Mr. Heywood responded, rolling his eyes.

"But I-"

"Don't argue with me Holly."

I scowled, growing irritated. Why couldn't he just let me confess? Of course he didn't know I was going to, but he could at least think about the situation for a moment!

"Why didn't you call me?" Mr. Heywood asked.

I sighed in resignation. I guess I wasn't confessing now. "I tried. Your phone was off."

"It wasn't off. I must not have had service," Mr. Heywood responded, ducking under a tree branch and holding it up for me, and pushing me in front of him.

"Where were you?" I asked, looking back at him. "How come you were on this road?"

"I was coming back from..." he trailed off, looking away from me with a frown.

"A date?"

"Yeah," Mr. Heywood muttered, looking guilty for some reason.

"Oh," I responded, turning back in front of me, my stomach twisting. I had thought Lance was his date... but I guess not.

"Is she a nice girl?" I asked casually.

"Very nice."

"Is she smart?"

Mr. Heywood chuckled. "Sometimes."

I hesitated before asking the next question. "Is she pretty?"

"Beautiful," Mr. Heywood murmured from behind me.

I bit my lip, staring at the ground in front of me as I walked. Who was this girl? Mr. Heywood seemed to like her a lot... Did that mean I had no chance? My chest constricted uncomfortably. Probably not. After all this person was probably a woman, and I was a high school girl. The affection Mr. Heywood showed was probably just something he did to entertain himself.

Suddenly something hit my face hard, making me gasp in surprise. Mr. Heywood chuckled behind me.

"Pay attention."

I scowled, keeping my head up. "You know, you could care a little more."

Suddenly my wrist yanked me to a stop. I turned to scold Mr. Heywood, but before I could make a word his hands were at my face, holding it in place. I blinked at him as he brought his head closer. My heart began to pound as I watched him with wide eyes. What was he planning to do?

My thoughts were interrupted when he roughly turned my head to one side, then the other, examining my face with a frown. I felt myself flushing, and I struggled to get out of his grasp.

"What are you doing?" I mumbled through my tightly pressed together lips.

"You said I should care a little more, so I'm making sure you're alright," Mr. Heywood stated as it if was the most obvious thing in the world.

I finally managed to break free from his grasp, and I frowned at him. "Since when do you listen to me?"

"I don't."

"So you're sucking up?"

A smirk played across his features. "Perhaps."

I narrowed my eyes. "You're still going to tell me..."

Mr. Heywood sighed. "Yes, I will..."

I kind of felt bad for practically forcing him to tell me his secret, but I had to know. And it wasn't like I was going to tell anyone. There was no one else to tell. And it didn't matter to me what he did, it wasn't like I was going to stop loving him because of it. Upon that thought my face heated up.

"Thinking of me?" Mr. Heywood teased.

"No, of Jeremy," I responded in a more serious tone. "He's been helping me out a lot lately. I'm trying to decide what I can do to make it up to him. He tried to make a move on me today, so I might take him on a date..."

"He what?"

I kept my back towards Mr. Heywood and shrugged. "You know. He pinned me to the bed and tried to kiss me."

"That brat," I heard Mr. Heywood mutter and a smirk slipped onto my face.

"What do you think I should do?" I asked, my smirk growing wider.

"I don't care what you do," Mr. Heywood responded in an off-tone voice. "You can date him if you want."

I turned to Mr. Heywood in shock, not expecting his answer. He tilted his head to one side and studied me. I looked at him in disbelief. Was he kidding? He didn't care? A frown quickly replaced my smirk. So he didn't care... well that was right. He still had a girlfriend...

Mr. Heywood started snickering and I immediately narrowed my eyes. He shook his head, trying to keep the laughter in. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I should have been expecting this.

"Sorry, Holly," Mr. Heywood apologized, a smirk still on his face. "You know, you're reactions-"

"Are too cute, I know," I finished for him, rolling my eyes. "Except one of these days I'm really going to mean what I ask you."

"I don't want you to date Jeremy."

Once more, I was shocked by his words. Since when did he say such things so bluntly? This time I didn't turn to look at him. Instead, I shrugged.

"Then I won't."

"Good."

If there wasn't a blush on my face before, I was sure there was one now. I hated it, but I felt that by what Mr. Heywood had just said that I might have a chance with him. Maybe he did like me. Maybe he could return my feelings. But that meant I'd have to confess, and there was no way I could do that right now. He'd probably change the topic again as soon as I opened my mouth.

But I wanted to. I wanted to so badly. I clenched my fists, now coming up to the road. Why did he have to be my teacher? And why couldn't I be eighteen already? My feelings were already too much for me to handle. Suddenly my thoughts turned sour as realization set in. I couldn't say it. I couldn't tell him my feelings and have a chance of being rejected, or being accepted and making Mr. Heywood lose his job. But what if we kept it a secret?

"Okay," Mr. Heywood started, breaking me out of my reverie. "We're going back to my house and you're going to take a shower and change before I tell you anything."

"I-I don't need a shower," I muttered in embarrassment.

"Yes you do, a hot one. I don't want to take a chance of you getting sick," Mr. Heywood responded. "But then again, they do say only idiots get sick. And you are an idiot for walking out in the rain for as long as you did... Where were you going anyway?"

"Your house," I muttered, feeling my embarrassment grow.

Mr. Heywood chuckled, opening up the passenger door for me. "I should have guessed."

I climbed into the seat and Mr. Heywood closed the door for me. I snapped my seat buckle in and Mr. Heywood slid into the driver's seat. He started the car and put the heat on full blast. He glanced at me to make sure I was buckled before starting down the street.

We stayed silent. We'd have a lot to talk about when we got to Mr. Heywood's apartment.

__________________________________________________________

Okay guys, so originally I was going to have Chris tell his secret in this chapter, but I realized I didn't have it as planned out as I thought I did, so I need a little more time to do so, so I came up with this chapter! Hopefully it will satisfy you for now :) I have to make sure I get most of the loose ends about his past for the next chapter, but there'll still be some stuff that won't be revealed. Sorry! But that's how it is!

How many of you want Chris and Holly together soon? Please vote if you want them too! Leave a comment saying you're totally against it if you are, okay? :) Reweet/Like for support! Thank you all! Facebook page in external link, like always.

Don't forget about my new story in the Watty Awards, "Believe Me, I'm lying." Even if you don't like it (I'm sure you will as we get further along though) please still support me by voting/commenting/tweeting/liking. That'd be awesome. Okay, I'm done now. Thanks again xD