Unraveling You 02 Raveling You by Jessica Sorensen

I wave him off. “Kale’s the kind of guy who will get a crush on someone equally as adorably nerdy as him. Someone who’s in love with comic books and wears capes on non-Halloween days.”
     
    “Clearly, you don’t understand how a guy’s mind works.”
     
    “Hey, I do, too,” I say, this time genuinely offended. “I’m totally running on the same brain waves.” Ayden’s brows elevate questioningly and I playfully swat his arm. “You seriously just lost cool points for that move.”
     
    He shrugs, unbothered. “Sorry, but I’m glad you don’t run on the same brain waves as me. It would be weird.”
     
    “Yeah, you’re right.” I pause, contemplating what he said. “He really has a crush on me?”
     
    “It’s just a guess, but as a guy who’s had crushes on girls before, I’m guessing that his awkward silence thing he does whenever he’s around you means that he likes you.”
     
    I’ve known Kale since Lila and Ethan adopted him a few years ago. He’s like a little brother to me, which makes the situation kind of weird.
     
    “You get awkwardly quiet around every girl we cross paths with,” I point out to Ayden after we climb into Lila’s Mercedes. “Which, by your theory, would mean you have a crush on all of them, including Maggie.”
     
    “Yeah, but I’m a freak of nature.” He turns the key in the ignition, and the engine grumbles to life.
     
    “So am I. I make love declarations about every guy I cross paths with.”
     
    He shoves the shifter into reverse. “You haven’t done that in a while.”
     
    I draw the seatbelt over my shoulder and strap myself in. “Ever since William.” And since you kissed me.
     
    He rotates in his seat to glance behind him, but when our gazes collide, he pauses.
     
    “Have you seen him again?” he asks with hesitancy.
     
    I shake my head. “Not since that last time. What about you?”
     
    “I saw him in gym. He didn’t say anything to me, but he did try to hit me in the face with a ball during dodge ball.”
     
    “What a dick,” I grumble. “I’m so sorry for bringing you into this drama.”
     
    “It’s just a ball, nothing like a fist. And you didn’t bring me into the drama. I chose to walk in it because I care about you.” A faint smile rises at his lips, one that warms me from my head to my toes. “Did you know his nose is crooked now?”
     
    I perk up. “Really?”
     
    He nods, his eyes burning fiercely. “I wish I would have broken more, though.”
     
    “The nose is good.” I sketch my fingertip down the brim of Ayden’s nose. “You did well, Shy Boy.”
     
    We exchange a meaningful moment, and then he backs the car out of the parking spot and steers toward the road.
     
    “So, are you going to tell me what happened this morning?” I ask as he drives down the road lined with fast food places and restaurants.
     
    “Yeah… Let’s go pick up some lunch and park up near the bridge.” He flips on his blinker to make a turn. “I want to be able to talk to you privately about some stuff before we head to town, anyway.”
     
    “Head to town now?” I ask and he nods. “What about class?”
     
    We only have a thirty-minute lunch break, and we wasted ten minutes getting to the car. Driving to the city limits of San Diego takes about twenty minutes, give or take a half of an hour for traffic.
     
    “We’re skipping the rest of school.”
     
    My nerves bubble inside me. What the heck is going on? “Why?”
     
    “Because...” He nibbles on his bottom lip, mulling over something. “We’re… We’re taking a self-defense class, instead.”
     
    “Why?”
     
    “Because my parents and yours want us to be safe, to make sure we can protect ourselves if we need to.”
     
    I’m not sure what to make of that.
     
    Protect us from what exactly?
     

 
     

     
    Chapter 5
     
    Ayden
     
     
     
    Five hours earlier…
     
     
     
    The visit with the police turns out to be exactly what I was dreading. To move