Josh's heartbeat drummed in his ears. It would be so much better—so much saner, even—to believe she was checking him out. He wasn't the most attractive guy, but he at least had to be above average. Seven, maybe seven and a half. But no, he couldn't hope that a hot girl was appreciating him. Not when all he could think about was that shadowed guy across from his porch, watching him. Had he been mistaken? No, this girl's figure was nothing like his imagined watcher's had been.

The girl hadn't torn her gaze away. There was something almost curious there, and as he continued to look back, her smile grew.

"Are you still playing around? Because if so, you're really bad at it. Hey, Josh, answer me!"

A harsh poke to Josh's ribs yanked his attention, and he snapped his gaze over to the offender: Eli. His younger brother glared up at him, and Josh blinked back. Now that he was no longer staring at the girl, it felt like he was coming out of a trance. He breathed more easily, and the building panic ebbed away. He gave his head a slight shake, ridding himself of the final cobwebs lodged there.

"What?" He went back over what Eli had said. "Uh, yeah, just playing around still. Sorry about that. Oh, hey, we probably shouldn't stop in the middle of the store."

Eli threw his hands in the air before sticking his tongue out at Josh. "We only did because of you, you weirdo."

Josh forced a smile and nudged Eli along. With a few grumbles giving Josh the blame, Eli continued to move. When his brother's back was turned, Josh glanced toward the blue-eyed girl.

An empty aisle greeted him.

Josh straightened to his full height and craned his neck to peer around. Nothing. The girl was gone.

Gulping past the tightness in his throat, Josh hurried to catch up with Eli.

"You're being really weird today," he pointed out.

Burying his anxiety over the odd staring, Josh shrugged. He needed to focus on the here and now, not get caught up in something that was likely just paranoia. "Maybe you're not being weird enough."

They had arrived at the toy section, so instead of retaliating, Eli darted into one of the aisles to examine the toy options. Josh tried to pay attention to what Eli muttered about each selection, but after a moment, his mind wandered back to the girl.

No. It was nothing unless he kept giving it attention. Then he'd just drive himself crazy. He was shaken by the Darren stuff, and it was making him grow paranoid and imagine things. Paranoia. Imagination. His stomach twisted into a knot. How many times could those be the reasons before it was clear he'd gone insane? This needed to stop, or the next thing he knew, he'd be in a white padded room.

Josh sighed as a pressure built at his temples. These had just been some rough days. Hopefully. For now, he shoved the thoughts down and scrutinized the newest toy Eli had picked up.

"Don't forget, it has to be less than twenty dollars."

"Oh yeah." Eli frowned at the three, pristine ninja figures. "Tyler says he really likes Shinobi Showdown." He stared at them for a moment longer before putting the box back.

"What about this one?" Josh grabbed a smaller box. "Only two of them, but it's still pretty cool."

Eli took the offered box and studied it. While he did, Josh started looking for another option in case Eli didn't want it. The quicker they finished this, the sooner he could—

"Hey, Josh. What a surprise to see you here."

Josh tensed at the familiar, mocking drawl. The voice was much calmer than when he had heard it hours before. He twisted around in a way that put Eli out of sight, and sure enough, Darren stood at the other end of the aisle.

And what a surprise not to see you finally tossed into juvie. Josh bit back the smart remark. He could practically feel Eli standing right behind him, and it made his stomach curl. Hannah's tear-stained face flashed through his mind. No, Darren couldn't be doing this here, not in front of yet another person Josh cared about.

"Same, Darren," Josh said. He tried to force nonchalance, but his body was wound up and ready to pounce. "Don't think I've ever seen you out of school before."

Josh studied the other boy. There was too much distance for Josh to see Darren's eyes, but something else rubbed him the wrong way. Something about his mannerisms was off. His relaxed voice, the ease of his smile, the amused tilt of his brow, the hands loose at his sides, everything about him.

With a tightening in his chest, Josh realized why. Anger didn't burn with everything he did, but something else did. Something much more controlled, almost amused.

Something much more dangerous.

Darren's smile grew. "Guess it was my lucky day."

Eli tried to get around Josh, but he put his arm out to keep his younger brother back. "Who's that?" Eli demanded when Josh continued to deny him.

"Just a friend from school."

Darren chuckled, and Josh's stomach lurched. Still no rage, but something had crept through his controlled front. Not quite an emotion, because it wasn't displayed on Darren's face, but instead just a sense Josh could feel coming off the bully. It was like a thick cloud of malice rolled off him, intent on destroying everything in its path. Darren normally hid his violent side, but now that it was out, it looked like it wanted to play.

Except that wasn't how Darren worked. He attacked in bursts of uncontrolled anger. He was a blazing inferno, not this precise blowtorch flame.

"That's right," Darren said, the edge Josh noticed earlier was sharper than before. "We're the greatest of friends, aren't we, Joshua Davidson?"

Warning bells blared in Josh's ears as he fought the instinct to lower into a defensive stance.

No, he couldn't fight. He had to diffuse the situation. This couldn't happen here. Anywhere but here.

"Yeah, well, I have to go. Gotta get back to my parents and stuff." He took a small step back to get closer to Eli. Much to his surprise, Eli didn't instantly reject the idea of leaving. "I guess I'll see you in school tomorrow."

Josh started to turn. He drew up short at a sudden yank in his gut. Chills prickled against his skin, moving like a sentient force from the front of his body to the back. It almost felt like a chilling breeze had brushed past him.

Even if that hadn't stopped him, though, the hand seizing his forearm would have. He snapped back around, eyes widening when he found Darren in front of him. The guy had been at the other end of the aisle just a second ago.

"How did you—"

Before he could finish speaking, the burst of energy returned, pumping through him until it felt like he would explode. At the same time, he got his first good look at Darren's eyes. He inhaled sharply as his stomach dropped. Darren's irises maintained their stormy grey color, but his pupils were slits once more.

"Let me go," Josh breathed.

"If that's what you want," Darren said with a shrug. He released him.

Only to slam a fist into Josh's jaw.

The force sent Josh falling. He twisted in time to avoid a collision with Eli, his body slapping against the store's cold floor. Eli's scream rang in Josh's ears as he shoved off the ground. He only got halfway up before the world swam and his legs buckled underneath him. He went back down onto his knees.

A wave of dizziness swept over him, almost overwhelmed by the unrelenting throb in his cheek. His stomach heaved. A freezing hand wrapped around Josh's lungs and no amount of air would make it go away.

Pain. For the first time he could remember, he felt pain. 

Fun fact: Some random name facts XD Eli used to be named Aaron.  I can't remember why I switched it, maybe to get a nickname out of it, but suddenly when I got to this idea of the story, Josh's brother was re-named Elijah/Eli.

Not gonna lie, even after finishing this book, the ending to this chapter is still one of my favorites.  I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did.  Also, yeah, something seems up with Darren.  Or maybe Darren is just showing his true colors now o.o Either way... Suddenly Josh be hurt.

Let me know your thoughts on the chapter down below, and if you enjoyed it, don't forget to vote and comment! I also have a discord open to anyone who wants to join, and we have a section there to discuss the book :D It's in my bio if you'd like to join!