He's Just a Skater Boy (boyxboyxboy)

Chapter 143: Hardwired That Way

[A/N] Tuesday! Shh... it's Tuesday... let anyone who disagrees be gaslit....  (ᕑᗢूᓫ∗) ᵒʰᵒʰᵒʰᵒ

I near wheezed from my position looking up, trying to catch my breath from the shock. Emily took a moment longer to notice him, raising both brows as she turned around and saw him, then screeched like something I'd never heard before and swung her arm out, smacking him in the chest.

Her wide eyes as she sprung back as well, managing not to fall to the floor, I was sympathetic to.

"Oh my god." She exhaled.

I laughed slightly, shifting onto my ass instead of my back, Atlas's eyes still locked on mine. "Oh man, you scared us..." I laughed a little more, but I still managed to sound freaked out.

Emily stepped behind me, probably unconsciously, likely defensively, even though I was sitting on the ground and most definitely not more able to defend myself from anyone, let alone fucking Atlas.

"I didn't mean to hit you," She explained, trying to pull back the sweet façade she danced about with earlier, and I could see the imaginary biker jacket fading and being replaced with a pink woolly jumper. "I couldn't even see who was there I just got so surprised, wow!" She put her hands over her mouth. "You like, appeared out of nowhere, that was honestly so scary!" 

"Seems like you guys are done talking." Atlas spoke finally, dark eyes examining me.

"Well..."

"I guess." She nodded hurriedly, checking something in the distance over his shoulder, her brows furrowing.

"No- Not really..." I replied uneasily, my heart suddenly pounding as I realised the litany of things he might have heard me say. There wasn't enough embarrassment in the world to supply me with the emotion I was trying to summon up.

"It's cold out here." He stated.

"Yeah..." I shivered involuntarily.

He took a step towards me, leaned down and grabbed my shirt, lifting me up, well, I still had to hurriedly struggle to my feet, but if I didn't I'd either lose my shirt or get strung up by it. "Where's your jacket?"

"It's- uh-" Emily pointed at it on the log where she was sitting.

He glared at it, grabbed it and started walking me back through the way he came.

"Wow- Wow! Hey!" I tried to pull his hand off of my shirt. "Hey!"

I looked back and Emily didn't seem to react, looked at me as I struggled to follow him through some branches and raised a fist. "Stand up for yourself. Tell the teacher if you're being bullied!" She pulled out her phone, looking down at it casually. "Oh my god it's freezing." Was the last thing I heard her say to herself, disinterested.

"Atlas!" I struggled, the struggle at least taking my mind off of the overwhelming embarrassment waiting to rush into my soul all at once, held only at bay by the need to know exactly how much he had heard and how much I should regretting having said.

"Were you drinking?" He gritted out as he dragged me after him, finally in full view of other students as I was pulled along toward the bonfire, a couple heads turning to look at us as I tried to keep up.

"No," I replied quickly. "That bottle was hers."

"Really."

"Yes, really."

He stopped and squinted down at me, his hand still closed on the front of my shirt, his other hand holding my jacket, the light from the bonfire flickering onto the right side of his face. He examined me for a moment, then finally pursed his lips and exhaled, and pulled me the rest of the way.