In the header is a beautiful cover made by the sweet @mango_days 😊 Thank you ❤

Though just at that moment, someone appears behind my locker door, and this smile turns into a gasp with the jump I make.

"Hi, Elena."

"Moose?!" I must look like I have just seen a ghost because he never talks to me at school. I think it's the first time he tells me a word since our first year of high school!

"Er... Hi..." I say, narrowing my eyes.

He leans on his arm against my locker, and as it feels like an invasion of my personal space, I cross my arms in front of me.

"What do you want?" My tone is flat, yet I can't bring myself to be more civil. Moose always has a reason when he does something, especially something as unordinary as talking to me in front of half of the school.

"I just wanted to know how you are doing?" His gaze wanders around us.

"Er... fine." I frown. Now I'm sure there's something fishy going on.

"Are you sure?" He leans closer, finally looking me in the eyes.

I take a step back, swallowing the shock building in my throat.

"Because you seem to not be yourself lately... I've heard that you're hanging out with Alex Carter, and I've seen you," he adds, staring me dead in the eyes.

Here we are! I've known there has been something...

"Yea—"

He doesn't let me say anything, he continues, "You know, he is dangerous, he isn't a good company. Besides, he's a player. The girls he hangs out with are sluts and—"

"Are you saying that I'm a slut?!! Just because I hang out with him?!" I ask, raising my eyebrows. My eyes are probably bulging out of my head right now, but it seems to not be the only thing bursting out upon his words. "I didn't know talking to a guy was making a girl a slut. Then most of the girls here are sluts, and what do you call those who have done so much more than talking?" I inquire, narrowing my eyes. "And maybe then, I should stop talking to you!" I add, fuming.

It's his turn to widen his eyes as big as saucers. He hasn't been expecting my outburst. I'm not usually like that. I always avoid conflicts and I don't confront people; this is the best way to not bring attention on me and remain invisible. Yet there is too much boiling inside at the moment, so I can't keep it locked.

"No! This is not what I mean!" He shakes his head, trying to reach for my arm, but I dodge him.

He sighs. "I'm not saying you're a slut. I'm saying Alex Carter is a bad influence. You are NOT like that. What you did yesterday was NOT you. He's playing with you. He is a BAD guy."

I roll my eyes, a bitter laugh echoing inside my head with each syllable he is stressing.

Since when does he know me?! He doesn't know anything about me. Yesterday, with Alex, I've really been myself. I can't describe it, though despite my constant red cheeks and my restless nervosity, I don't overthink, and things just flow. I usually don't open up to people easily, but with him, it's natural. He brings it out of me smoothly, and I don't need to hide who I am.

Moose's words are so far from the reality; they're just based on appearances, the only thing he knows. I guess he hasn't read the 'Silent Voice' article.

My annoyance is bubbling inside in front of his narrow mind, yet I try to keep my cool and I ask calmly, "Is he your friend?"

"No!" He shakes his head, frowning.

"Do you know him personally then?"

"No, I don't hang out with that kind of people!" He replies immediately, his nose crinkling as if I'd just insulted him in the worst way.

"Then, how do you know he is a bad person? I think I know him better than you, so I'm better placed to judge." I keep my voice calm, even if inside it is rising.

"He's suckering you, Elena. He's a player. I know you want to believe everyone is nice and good. You're naive, but you don't know everything about him. Alex Carter is a delinquent, a drug dealer, a criminal... He's dangerous. Everyone knows this!" He heaves out a sigh again.

"Don't worry about me. I know how to recognize bad people. I've met enough to know you should not judge a book by its cover." I look him up and down surprising him as much as myself. But Alex has surprised me yesterday, and I think this part of me I'm discovering is trying to break free, especially because Moose seems to have summoned it; he has just gone too far, and I'm really tired of people trying to control my life. The frustration simmering inside is springing past the walls of my shyness for once, and it's liberating.

I'm about to turn around and leave, but Moose grabs my arm.

"I'm just worried about you. I don't want you to be in trouble, I don't want something bad to happen to you. I care about you." His blue eyes turn into a puppy look, and I stop myself from rolling mine.

Has he been worried about me when I've been bullied all these years? When all my classmates have called me 'snitch', 'squealer', 'nerd', 'loser'...? When the queens Bitches, like I call them, have bullied me at the cafeteria, right in front of his eyes? No! But now that another boy, and not just any boy: Alex Carter, who is at the top of the food chain, shows some interest in me, the little boy Moose cares about the toy too!

The bell rings pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go to class if I don't want to be late and have more trouble." I force a smile, my lips tight, holding back my bitterness and my anger.

I jerk my arm away from his grasp and spins on my heels to walk away before he can add anything.

There we go! My good mood is gone away!

I stop on my rush to the classroom to take a few breaths and prevent myself from exploding. His words keep replaying in my head, and each time, I find them more and more wrong. The control everyone tries to has on my life is echoing in them. It's like the freedom I've felt yesterday is rising up against it. As I catch my reflection on a window, I can indeed say that it must be this because the battle inside is showing on my face. My cheeks are bright red, the anger boiling up inside making my skin burn, and I realize just now that my nails are digging strongly into my palms.

I take a breath to cool down, and I quickly check my phone before I take off to my next class. A small smile immediately appears on my face as I see a now-familiar name on the screen. It's like a puff of lightness working better than the deep breath I've just tried to ease my tensions.

'Hey, change of plan for this afternoon, meet me at the parking lot after school ;)'

We've been supposed to meet at the library, like we do most of the time, to work on our project. The parking lot... it's weird... But I gotta trust him, in spite of everything Moose has told me, of what everyone says about him...

***

The school parking lot is deserted when I get there. I scan the place with my squinting eyes for a familiar and unmistakable figure, but with the bright sun reflecting on the cars and other metallic vehicles, I only see dizzying little blotches.

"Here! Miss Clumsy Cookie!"

I hear from my right, and a smile inches on my lips before I even turn around and catch sight of Alex's famous smirk. He is leaning against his motorcycle, and like always he looks so chill, yet he still manages to keep his unfailing aura of danger. His eyes are narrowing too because of the sun, yet while I must look like a lost mole-rat doing so, it only makes his smoldering gaze even more intense, if that's possible.

I walk towards him with my eyes down because of the blinding sun, and maybe also because of his dazzling gaze.

"Hey... er... so... why this change of plan?" I ask as soon as I'm near.

"You know that curiosity killed the cat..." He simply says with a sparkle of mystery and playfulness in his eyes.

I'm about to try to form a protest in front of his magnetizing look when he adds, "I thought we should celebrate our A+!" He moves away from his motorbike. "So, I take you on a ride."

My narrowed eyes widen. "We won't work on the project?!"

"No, today we have fun and chill! And on top of that, where we're going has something to do with the Law of attraction..." He offers me an enigmatic smirk that tickles my stomach with something between curiosity and excitement.

"Where are we going?!"

"Aha... It's a surprise... You gotta trust me..." He gives me a wink.

I gotta trust him. I draw my lip between my teeth as I repeat those words inside my head.

"Shall we go?" He interrupts my echoing thoughts as he opens his luggage carrier and takes out a second helmet.

"Ah! You brought a second helmet this time?!" I smile, lifting my eyebrows.

"Yeah, I know you're all about protection since our first encounter..." He offers me a crooked grin, and the twinkle in his eyes is clearly reminding me of my stunt at the condoms' section, the same burning heat as that day rushes to my cheeks.

"This is not funny," I mutter, glaring lightly at him.

"I find it funny!" He grins.

With no argument left – and I'm not even talking about my well-damaged dignity – I climb on the motorcycle. "Let's go?!"

"As you wish Miss Clumsy." He fakes a bow and gets on his bike.

My arms find naturally their place around his strong waist, and I let my cheeks cool down as the warmth of his back engulfs me.

The fall landscapes pass rapidly before my eyes: trees, leaves, red, yellow, orange, brown, amber... It is soothing, peaceful, which is nice after the events of the past days, especially of this morning, and I'm forgetting them with the steady roar of the motorbike. Without even realizing it, I'm pressing closer against Alex, my eyelids getting heavier as I'm focusing more on the warm coziness spreading from the touch of his back to my chest.

I blink when the motorcycle stops, and as my eyes wander around the autumnal shades around I realize that we are in the woods, in the middle of nowhere. Alex has parked in a sort of parking lot, in a secluded area.

We are surrounded by trees. The deserted road and a few wooden buildings behind a wire fence are the only signs of human life. The nature in the fall colors is beautiful and impressive, yet when you look more closely at the dark shadows of the woods lurking around in the deafening silence, it can quickly become spine-chilling.

Normally, I would be shivering in terror, especially if I was alone, but right now, with Alex, I'm not.

I still feel the warmth spreading in my veins from our proximity during the journey here, and I have this impression inside, which keeps growing the more we spend time together, that he can protect me against anything. I mean, he is the baddest bad boy. He fears nothing; it's others who fear him. He is danger, so danger can't come to him. It's strange, but his dangerous aura makes me feel safe, and although maybe I should be afraid to be alone here with him, given that he is dangerous and could easily kill me, I'm not. Something tells me he would never hurt me...

I glance around again, and it isn't the imposing shadows that make me freeze on spot, but Alex climbing up the wire fence, the high fence with big hard, sharp rocks on the ground under. I'm breathless and speechless as I'm desperately searching for my voice to stop him, but he's on top of the fence before I can even articulate a syllable. He climbs down as fast as someone would with a small garden gate, and then, he disappears in one of the buildings.

I'm left alone, staring at the high fence, and a light breeze comes to create shivers on my skin, reminding me of the Dantesque surroundings. I cross my arms over my chest and look around, trying to avoid the shadows as I don't feel so safe anymore.

I jump upon the horror-movie-like creaking noise of the gate opening.

So who do you think she should trust? Alex or Moose? :)

As I'm posting this chapter, today is the #WorldMusicDay so Happy World Music Day!! Let me know in the comments what songs you're listening to, and maybe they'll appear in some future chapters... ;)

I hope you like this chapter, please let me know what you think in the comments, vote, add to your library...

I'm new here, so your help and feedbacks are more than welcome! :)