𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐝 𝐁𝐨𝐲'𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞

04 | 𝐼 𝐴𝑙𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝐷𝑖𝑒𝑑

It couldn't be that bad, I thought, but of course those foolish inquiries in my mind dissipated into anxiety the second I laid eyes on him.

He was perfect, in every way possible. His honey blond wave with strips of dark russet highlights laid on his head messily. A quiff of hair fell over his forehead at times and it was adorable. The sun laid along his warm ivory complexion, kissing him in all the best places and his cheekbones were sharp up to his ears. When he smiled, his dimples poked out of hiding, creasing around his mouth, lips slightly chapped.

And his eyes, fuck me-- I mean, they're beautiful and lively and I only wanted to stare into them when I glanced, but he never held eye contact long enough to do so. They're perfectly green, the crisp spring leafy type of vibrant green that overshadowed my dull, brown eyes.

His chest rippled through the green shirt, a football team logo decorated along his muscles. He wore fitted dark wash jeans that hugged his thighs with a beige fur attached to the denim jacket he wore. His hands were stuffed into their pockets while he walked down the wooden boardwalks wrapping around the forest. Staggering alongside Kayla, who made it blatantly known to him that he was unwanted, but I wanted him, I wanted to talk to him, and Jay, who trailed beside me noticed.

"Are you planning on talking to him anytime soon? Or continue to stare like a creep?" he suggested weakly in my earshot, nudging my shoulder.

"I don't know," I sighed, trying to squirm my hands closer into the cuffs of fabric belonging to my mustard colored crocheted sweater. The chilling November breeze wasn't comforting, especially in Wyoming. Luckily for Kayla, she wore a soft gray crewneck with 'RAVENCLAW' scribbled on the front and a baseball cap atop her blonde curls that had One Direction on it. She loved Harry Potter and Harry Styles, either one could be a conversation for hours with her.

"So, are you?" Jay pressed into my side, his voice low.

I glanced up to him and shrugged again. "I don't know," I repeated a bit more irritatingly, the envy punching my gut at hearing Kayla making him laugh, the perfect laughter erupting between his lips.

Good grief, they're talking about Harry Potter.

My eyes gravitated towards the single fence outlining the bridge, restraining us from getting too close to the edge, though I would dream of being able to approach the fence more freely. The scenery beyond the wooden planks of walkways were filtered in soft orange tones and crimson red leaves which loosely dangled from tree branches. The tips of mountains on either side of us were prodding into clouds as the Wyoming sun cascaded down our bodies.

We kept climbing numerous mini stairs, binding around mountain curves and I felt my calves pulsing with a never-ending throbbing ache.

Curse everyones' athletic ability, and my lack thereof.

"Look!" Kayla exclaimed quietly, her index finger pointed towards a tree branch close-by where a Western Meadowlark perched, the yellow and ivory colored bird was the size of my hand nearly, with a pointed beak as it waddled along the branch. "It's so cute."

"Not as cute as a Mandrake," Sully remarked, making a Harry Potter joke, but she swung around, shaking her head sternly.

"Those things are not cute at all! I stand by my word, they are ugly," she informed before beckoning her head to continue. The blinding afternoon sun washed over the boardwalk in clean strips of yellow-tinted light while the trees rustled their auburn leaves until they wafted to the ground.

I muttered sheepishly to Jay, "I think you only brought him to make me jealous." I continued to not-so-casually drill my eyes into Kayla and Sully's backs.