Undercover Badge; Next Generation

Chapter nineteen

Walking a little behind him to the car was almost awkward, and when he opened the car door for me I was surprised by the gentlemanly behavior.

"Oh. Uhm." my cheeks went as red as the cardigan.

"Thank you. I've nev-" I stammered.

He sighed. "Just get in the car, Katherine." he said.

I bowed my head and got in, my skin tingling from the foreign name now assigned to me.
We drove in silence.
The leather inside the car was dark and rich and the whole car smelled like Matthew. It took everything in me to not start breathing like I'd run ten miles just to savor the smell.

"Why were you so mad yesterday?" I asked out of the blue, five minutes later. "When I was telling you how I got back?"

Leather creaked as his hands tightened on the steering wheel. He stayed quiet and I honestly thought he wasn't going to answer.
"It was my job to protect you." he said after a while. "
And then I pissed you off and let you drive right into a trap. And you had to go through dying - no, drowning, without anyone there to help you. Alone and on your own. I was supposed to keep you safe and I didn't." he said it all in a low, hushed voice, as if saying it too loud would frighten me.

When we pulled into the parking lot, it was five minutes before the bell. in my parking spot, Ingrid stood, arms folded, tapping a foot and looking angry. I had no doubt she'd been at it for the past two days.
When she saw the Silverado, she froze mid foot tap, and I knew she'd seen me. He pulled into a spot and got out of the car. I opened my own door and was halfway out when he got to my side and opened the door fully, helping me out of the fairly tall car. "Thanks." I said, suddenly conscious of the students who remained outside looking on curiously and Ingrid running over at lightning speed. Or rather, her version thereof.

"Listen, here's my number. I need you to have me on speed dial. Do you understand?" Looming over me like a Titan, shoulders wide and stance square, he was every much the guardian he claimed to be. I took the piece of paper that had been torn off a page of paper. The corner held the emblem for a Chicago fire station. Beneath it, his script had outlined his phone number. I tucked it into my pocket. "Thank you." I said.

"I'll be here after school." he said and afforded me a smile before getting into the truck and driving off.

"Right." I deadpanned to my self.

"Oh my God!" Ingrid screamed, and I turned to face her. "Please tell me it is what I think it is! Please tell me you're doing what I think you're doing?" She said when she got to me, her grin as wide as the state of Texas, her apparent anger at me forgotten.

"No." I said with laughter.

"His mom just made him drive me to school because she was worried about me with the headache I had these last two days." I smiled down at her. Her dark eyes fell into turmoil and a face that looked like my words had broken her heart made me laugh suddenly, feeling alive. I pulled her into a hug tight.

"You know I love you?" I said happily, breathing in her Jasmine perfume.

"Uh, yeah, I wasn't sure if you knew you love me. Are you ok? You're not, like dying?" Her expression was once of pure concern.

It was hilarious to me. Dying? Hell no. I was past dead.

"I'm not. Promise. Lets just get to history." I said and threw and arm over her shoulder, smiling widely. "Like, can I just tell you, that thing on your face? I don't think I've seen one of those on you. Also, this outfit? Its totally bright, Pretty." she said from my left. "Thanks, I feel good."

"Ohhh," she sang from under my arm, twirling to make her wild eyes sparkle into mine. "You feel good? What is making you feel good? What kind of good feeling is it? Does it start with 'Mmmm' and end with you screaming '-Atthew Cavalier' at the top of your cutely dressed little lungs?" she teased with the fakest intone of innocence into her voice. My cheeks flared to a color very similar to the bright scarlet hood on my head, my curls spilling out of it forward down my shoulders and chest.