Half Bitten

“Did you have to wait long?” he asked as he slid his body into the driver’s seat.
“Who was that boy?” I abruptly turned my head, my voice more sharp then I intended.
“I don’t know. I was in the back.” he hesitated as he slipped the key into the key slot. I bit my lip; should’ve known better then to ask my dad about a boy.
“Are you okay? You look tired. Like you just went through a stroke.” More like an out of body experience.
I slouched in my seat, “I’m fine. Let’s go home.”
The car revved from underneath us. Slowly the trees outside my window started to fade away as the car darted in and out of streets. Why was I so caught up about this? I shouldn’t care, and I shouldn’t upset my father.
I slanted my head sideways and took a quick glance.
Calm, serene, and in control, his face didn’t have the slightest tone of uneasiness. He clutched the wheel heavily, breathing in an alert manner.
I sighed, frustrated. His head turned as a reflex, “was it that boy, Cole? Did he do something to you!”
“No, I just want to get home.” His eyebrows pulled together in confusion. Clearly, He was trying to find the truth in my answer.
The car halted to a stop. My mind did the exact opposite; What if there was a way to meet Cole? Then I could figure out why he made me react the way I did. Why I hated him without a good enough reason to. I dashed into the house and up the stairs, into a warm shower.
I wanted to close my eyes, but they seemed to have the upper hand.
Thoughts rumbled in my mind. Maybe it was because I wanted to make an impression. A new town meant a new life, which led to meeting new people.
I had to fight the thought that I was becoming obsessive. Boy crazy.
New town equals new life. New life equals a clean start, one that deserved to be without pain. Without rushing thoughts leaving you speechless and gasping for air.
Focus on school, and paying attention to your father, my mind muttered. Maybe even helping around town would keep me busy. Kindle wouldn’t mind helping in that area. My heart started to slow down. I could paint my room a different color. The drops of water touched my skin in a rhythm that seemed to remind me of a lullaby as I finally closed my eyes.

“Is everything okay in there!” pounding on the door was demanding, a hint of panic followed, “come out, Jackie!” I threw myself out of the shower; quickly I slipped on my pajamas and overly large white robe. “I’m coming, I’m coming.”
“Are you done yet!” the voice grew impatient. I thrusted the door open, “finally!”
Kindle’s eyes were wide, full of concern. “I thought you said you would help me at the soccer practice today.”
I nodded; it was already the next day. “Of course.”
She pointed at her watch, “Come on and get ready! You don’t want to keep a whole entire team of sexy soccer players hungry, do you?”
I rolled my eyes at the drama queen. “I’ll be ready. Give me five minutes.” Her mouth perked up in a smile, “okay. I’ll be in the car.”

I strapped myself into the passenger seat as everyone groaned while kindle pulled into the right lane of the highway.
“We’re all going to die!” Quinn and Coco exclaimed simultaneously. Kindle took her eyes off the road and darted her gaze into the rear-view mirror. It didn’t take long for Quinn and Coco to shrink into their seats spinelessly.
“Could you at least introduce us to your friend, shot-gun.” Amber looked up, tilting her glasses down her narrow nose. Her dirty blonde hair was shoulder length; tied in a half ponytail. She was aimlessly texting on her phone as she realized I was there.
“She’s Jackie Brown.” Kindle answered dully.
“I’ve heard so much.” another girl in a red sweatshirt, with a smooth brunette hair, blinked her eyes dully. Concealed with heavy black eye shadow, and even heavier black eyeliner.
“I’m Stephanie. Steph for short.” She said in an effortless tone, as if she was being forced to introduce herself.
At least she wanted me here.
“Stop it!” Quinn slapped Coco on the back of the head
“Jeez! You’re such a dork!” Coco slapped back; this time with more power leaving Quinn to shrug into his seat more.
Amber scrunched her face as she started to text once again. Pushing her glasses back onto the bridge of her nose. She mumbled something under her breath. Steph seemed to smirk, as she put her hood over her head slouching in her seat. She turned the volume up on her music player and bobbed her head to the beat. From what everyone else in the car was hearing; I had figured she was into hard rock and metal.
“Are we almost there?” Quinn abruptly burst. “I’m hungry!”
“Who cares!” kindle erupted back, “besides, all the food is for the soccer team.” Amber took an abrupt halt on her texting, “you mean the sexy Port Angeles soccer team?”
Kindle smiled lightly, “who else?”
Steph seemed to roll her eyes, “you know they’re all nothing but ignorant jerks, who spend more time on their hair, then me, kindle, you, and Shotgun combined.”
Shotgun? Was that my new nickname?
“Even so, they’re still amazingly gorgeous.”
“Well, if you like them so much, why don’t you marry them!” Quinn mockingly brought the question into the air.
Steph snickered as amber turned and started to beat Quinn on the head, “ that’s not how it is! Don’t you get it—it’s not that easy! No one can understand!”
He continued to laugh as she instantly went on, harming him bodily, “now shut up before I kick you in your good for nothing face!”
Coco felt amused and chimed in, “you wanna kiss them! You wanna kiss them!”
“Ugh!” amber groaned as she inched into her seat, once again turning her attention back to her cell phone.
There was clearly too much tension between everyone in the car. With amber and Steph sitting on either side of the two most restless kids in the history of Port Angeles while Kindle drove wildly in and out of busy lanes.
As we swerved into the soccer field’s parking lot, Quinn and Coco were still mocking. Only their attention shifted from amber’s obsession to my already more then pitiful reputation.
“The whole world’s heard about you!” Coco popped up, darting his arms into the air dramatically. His head peered over the backseat, watching as kindle, amber, and I unloaded the food.
“Well, I hope they heard only good things.” I picked up a pack of Oreos and handed them over to Steph. She snickered lightly and raised a brow. Amber snatched the Oreos away from me.
“Lowlii says you’re hot!” Quinn jumped up. His head barely peeking over the backseat. Amber opened the pack of Oreos and threw one at him, “he’s mine. Now stay quiet.”
Quinn and Coco, amused by the flying cream filled cookie, darted their hands for it.
“ Lets just hope he doesn’t decide to go shirtless today.” Steph sighed, leaning against the backside of the car. Slanting her head sideways she went on with a hint of humor. “I think amber will have a heart attack, wouldn’t you say?”
“Ha, ha! You’re so funny!” kindle giggled loudly from across the field as she was surrounded by a mob of shirtless soccer players “stop it! You’re making me blush!”
“Here it goes again.” Steph rolled her eyes.
“What?” I leaned against the car, staring out onto the field. “You can’t blame them for trying to find someone.”
She looked down at her hand, “yes, but to what expense?”
“When the reward is love, no one cares about sacrifices.” I was shocked by my answer, seeing how I was bewildered by her question.
She moved her mouth into a halfhearted smile, “you’re smarter then you look, Shotgun.”
I sighed lightly.
She looked back out onto the field. A tone of longing and desire fell to the air around her.
I blinked a few times trying to figure out where this conversation was going to go. “I’ll be in the bleachers watching this hot mess explode. See ya,”
She darted out towards the bleachers. Amber grabbed a handful of water bottles and ran out onto the field to join Kindle. I watched as the boys joked along with each other while the girls bashfully giggled. Amber would occasionally laugh then rest her hand on one guy that she seemed to be favoring—tall, bronze skin, with dark blue eyes. He moderately turned to gaze, away from Amber’s now turning red face, to mine.
My heart stopped beating. I closed my eyes; it was the guy from my dad’s bookstore. I started to fidget in place suddenly realizing that I couldn’t drive myself home, I turned back to the car to finish unloading whatever we had missed.
“Watch out!” Quinn pointed to something behind me.
“Don’t turn!” Coco added on.
And as rebellious as I was, I darted my body back only to find myself staring at the sunless gray sky seconds later.
“Are you okay?” a calm intriguing voice asked.
I blinked a few more times; how did I manage to be blinded with no trace of sun in the sky?
“Goal!” Coco and Quinn chimed in with happiness.
“ Oh man! I didn’t mean too! Honestly!” a distressed voice added on.
I could feel the stares of several people, including the jealous ones of Kindle and Amber.
A warm hand touched my forehead, sending a chill down my spine.
“I think she’ll be fine,” that instant I was picked up by the shoulders and placed down in the trunk of the car in between two shirtless boys.
“She’s fine, Nathan!” kindle blurted to the person sitting to the left of me, with a hint of irritation.
“It’s not like she’s bleeding!” blood? My stomach churned.
“Kindle? Don’t you have some other guy to flirt with?” to the right of me, the intriguing voice answered her.
Amber gently curled her mouth into a smile that seemed innocent enough to be a lie, “I’m staying with you Lowlii.”
Lowlii? I turned my head to where the attractive voice was coming from and saw dark blue eyes. My body seemed to cave in limply.
“ Are you sure you’re okay?” Nathan asked as he let his deep brown eyes glare in concern.
Whoa, this was a sexy soccer team.
Before I could answer, He forced me to lean against his shoulder, as if he had anticipated me loosing consciousness because of his presence. Lowlii brushed my hair out of my face while Kindle and Amber looked at each other with hopeless eyes.
“She doesn’t seem to be alert enough.” I scoffed, who was he to know if I was fine or not?
“Jackie’s not bleeding. Haven’t you ever heard of tough love?” Kindle put her hand on her hip, bobbing her head from side to side.
Nathan made his voice softer then it was before, “Why don’t you come help me stretch, Kindle?”
Kindle’s eyes lit up as she grabbed Nathan’s hand. Quickly, I was forced into Lowlii’s arms as Amber scoffed and looked back at him. I would imagine that the most likely event to happen next was her stomping over my body angrily; instead, she scoffed one more time and followed Nathan and Kindle down the field.
“Are you okay?” Lowlii whispered slowly.
I opened my mouth, but no words came out.
He chuckled at me; “Nathan and I get really crazy with the soccer ball. And kindle,” he sighed, “she’s just kindle.”
I nodded to let him know that the gears in my head had slowly started to turn. “I—I don’t mind.”
He rolled his lips into an innocent smirk, letting his mesmerizing eyes meet mine. For a second I felt warmth—nothing but utter warmth. It erupted from the pit of my stomach. Filling my lungs with the air they needed; allowing my heart to catch the rhythm my body craved to keep alive.
“You’re Jackie right?”
I smiled falsely, just the way he said my name made me shudder in hate.
“I’m Bird’s son. I’ve heard a lot about you.” I quickly added the math; that meant that he was Kindle’s third brother.
“I’ve heard of you too.” I stated. He raised a cool water bottle to my head, keeping his smile light and alluring. “ then there’s no better time to welcome you to Port Angleles .” A hint of humor followed, “how are you feeling so far?”
“Okay,” I said coolly, not wanting to continue the conversation.
He chuckled once again and took it upon himself to juggle the bottle from one hand to the other, “I’m Cole. My friends call me Lowlii.”
“Lowlii.” I repeated, remembering Amber’s remark as she threw the Oreo to Quinn and Coco. I looked out onto the field and sure enough, she was looking back. Crossing her arms over her chest. With a hint of evil scheming, she breathed heavily keeping eye contact with Lowlii. Like a pathetic wolf would after losing a fight.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” his voice filled with concern thrusting me into a trance. I tried to search for words and naturally they escaped me. He leaned in, letting his breath graze my cheek, “earth to Jackie? Do I need to bring you to the hospital?”
I blinked twice, “no, no. Of course not.” There was no way I could handle being around him for that long without getting the urge to yell at him or run away.
His eyes searched my face, briefly keeping eye contact. I stared back, trying to figure out what repelled me so much from him. But nothing was seen except his charming blue eyes.
For the first time, my heart stopped beating.
“Are you sure you’re okay? You’re sweating.” When the words came out of his mouth I realized that my hands were damp, the hairs on the back of my neck stood as the cool subtle breeze blew by. I tried to think of a logical way to squirm out of this situation. I didn’t want to embarrass myself and I knew the odds of that were slim to none.
Without my answer he pulled himself away further then he was before. Wondering if he had done something wrong; I could feel his eyes searching patiently for the truth in my expression.
A group of four boys chased the soccer ball, laughing as the coach watched them. Slowly critiquing their kicks mentally, she would look around for her missing players. Nathan had been standing with Amber and kindle. He had glanced my way and kindle noticed. She glared with more intensity then Amber.
Watching the moving figures on the field slowly made me calm.
"You should go back to your coach.” I jutted my head.
Lowlii glanced briefly, then weighed every word with a hint of suspicion “I should go.”
Then why wasn’t he? There was no way I could deny myself from glancing back at his appealing blue eyes any longer. The feeling of warmth went away with every second denied myself the privilege. Starting to sway, I looked down at my hands pacing myself. Nervously I played with my fingers. He seemed to hum a chuckle. I fought not to look back up.
“You’ll need this.” My restless hand seemed to stop moving at his touch. Lowlii let his hand calmly slip the bottle into my palm, letting his fingers graze softly over mine. The feeling of warmth came back and my eyes couldn’t help but meet his.
“See ya around Shotgun.” His voice was like a lullaby, lulling me with every word.
He quickly glided onto the field shouting to his coach.
Twice our eyes met, twice my heart stopped beating.