Under The Moonlight

Chapter 2

"I really didn't want to ask you this and make things more awkward but are you following me?" 

I snapped my head up, almost giving myself a whiplash in the process only to see the 'exquisite eyed' boy staring at me in wonderment. Great, now I was supposedly  a stalker as well. 

"Don't flatter yourself too much, bedhead. I live in this area." I prayed as I looked around. After we had apparently parted ways, I had stuck my earphones in and silently hoped that I would subconsciously reach home as I entered the paradise that I had created in my head. It seemed like my subconscious was pretty good after all. We were only about a few metres from my house and I huffed in relief.

I looked back at Raven who was running his hand through his platinum blond hair, trying to somewhat manage the disarray the lied on top of his head. Bedhead suited him. 

We walked in silence after that, the conversation lost and I could feel my heart pound. Do I say something? What if he thought that I was a loser who didn't know how to converse? I could feel my head swirling with situations in which I was made into a laughing stock and all I wanted to do at that point was to go back into the safety of my home.

We were still walking together, I noted as we reached the porch of my house. 

"What are the odds?" Raven grinned and I glanced at him hoping to understand what he meant by that. He nudged me and pointed towards the house next door. 

"I live there. Hi, neighbor."

'Bedhead' smiled at me once more and I was thoroughly disarmed. How could someone smile so much? Was he on something? Did he know some secret about me that I didn't know about and was finding ways to torment me with it?  I hated how my head worked sometimes.He clearly was a nice guy.

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When I was back in my messy bedroom, I flopped on the bed and gave muffled scream. The Smiths' had invited us for dinner in hopes to get to know us better and when they noticed me, they were ecstatic. It seemed that 'bedhead' was the same age as me, sixteen to be exact. 

Once I was done showering, I walked up to the mirror to see the damage. There was a cut on the lower lip with a reddish hue giving a haunting contrast to my pale face. I looked like the brother of the girl from 'The Ring". My black hair accentuated the look. Sighing once more, I decided to go about my day.

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My parents knocked on the door of our neighbor's house while I took the time to calm my racing heart. My pleads hadn't worked. My mom just gave me a pointed look when I said that I was extremely busy and that I couldn't make it. I knew she saw through the crap I was spewing out of my mouth.

I was asked to look presentable and there I was standing in front Raven's door wearing a black v-neck sweatshirt with a pair of blue jeans. I could hear the thuds of someone running in the house and the door was opened with so much urgency, it probably came of its hinges. 

"Hi, I'm Caleb. Raven asked me to get the door. He said he would give me candy if I did. I like candy."

My parents nearly cooed at the bubbly boy in front of us but I froze at the sight. I didn't know how to deal with kids, especially hyperactive ones. I felt a tug against my pants and saw the brown haired boy trying to gain my attention.

"Do you like candy?" He asked, clearly under the effect of a sugar rush.

I nodded and he smiled as he took out a stash of candy and shoved it into my arms. In the midst of trying to give it back, I saw Raven coming down the stairs and nearly did a double take. He was breathtaking to say the least. No one should be able to look that good. 

He grabbed Caleb and carried him through the hallway and that was my cue to follow. There were multiple boxes strewn over in random places but that was to be expected considering that he had just moved. There weren't many pictures around though and the house seemed empty even though it had all the basic necessities but who was I to judge. Maybe the Smiths' liked it that way.

I quickly followed Raven into the dining room where I was engulfed by a hug from Mrs Smith and I instantly felt a little better, a little more calm. I was made to sit opposite to Raven and when he looked up at me, I was mesmerized yet again.

Boy, was this going to be a long dinner.