Stuck with the Bad Boy | ✔️

1. Gray Eyes

Word Count: 3294 

Nix's P.O.V.

Funny how life decides to act like a roller coaster. The ups and downs come in a split second. You can't decide whether you want fast or slow. Dangerous or steady. But you don't get a choice. You go with the flow. No matter what.

I'm Phoenix Wood, the misfit, and outcast of my town. Instead of a roller coaster, my life's more like a train wreck. My adventure-loving parents were lost at sea and I was left to my aunt Clare Small. Like I said, train wreck... Not roller coaster, TRAIN WRECK. I can't express that enough. I'm not really even sure how someone gets lost at sea anymore. An explanation would be nice right about now.

I opened my eyes, blinking a few times at the blinding light shining through my window. Groaning, I realized that my final alarm of the morning had gone off. What I mean by final is that I set alarms throughout the night. You might think it's strange, but I enjoy getting to fall asleep. So doing it multiple times in one night is amazing.

I slipped from my sheets, stretching before standing and walking to my closet. I throw on a simple outfit that could be considered somewhat grunge and left my wavy brown hair loose.

Luckily, I'd packed my school bag up the night before. Had I not, I would probably be late to my seat on the porch steps. You probably don't understand what I mean by that, but you will in a bit.

I left my room with my bag slung over my shoulder and headed outside.

It wasn't exactly cold out, but it was windy. Regret washes over me at the thought of a hair band. It'd be nice to do something aside from eating my own hair.

I took a seat on the steps, eyeing the road. As the time my ride had told me they would pick me up passed, I began regretting my choice of not driving myself yet again. You'd think after this "being late" thing became routine, I would've learned it would be smarter to drive myself, but no.

I put in my earbuds, opening up the music app on my phone. It took some scrolling but I finally found a song I liked.

My earbuds blast out Angel with a Shotgun by The Cab. I must've let my thoughts drift somewhere in the lyrics because fairly soon, a finger taps my shoulder lightly, startling me. "What the-" I start to yell but a small hand smothers my mouth before I'm able to get any more words out. Emily Waters, my longtime best friend, and partner in crime smiles down at me. Also this in my late driver and the reason I have to sit on the porch steps every day. "If I let go, promise you won't scream at me?" Laughter fills her small voice. My head bobs quickly.

She removes her hand from my mouth, taking the salty taste of her skin that I did not appreciate with it. I stand. "What's up, Em?"

"Just the average." She shrugs with a little smile.

"Yeah... Scaring the hell out of innocent people is the average."

"Sorry..." She whispers looking a lot less remorseful than I would've appreciated.

I had been sitting on my doorstep for fifteen minutes waiting for her to pick me up for school. "Is it impossible for you to show up on time once? All I'm asking is once." I give her a teasing glance as I look to her car.

"Shut up. I wasn't that late." Emily takes a hold of my hoodie sleeve and drags me down the gravel driveway. I just laugh, I guess being late isn't that bad when I get to see her every morning.

Immediately when we take our seats in her rust bucket of a truck she starts blabbing all about the latest gossip, asking my opinions on everything. I'm personally not one for gossip so, like always, I ignore her rambling and just nod when she seems to pause. I'm just beginning to let my mind wander a little too far from the conversation when I'm slapped on the shoulder. "Are you even listening to me Phoenix?!" Her gaze shows annoyance as you would expect from someone who's pretty much talking to herself.