Run Away

Chapter 7

"You better listen to her. Otherwise you will be sorry. Step away from her now."
The man who was cornering me spun towards the voice and the others followed. I kept gasping quietly for air, my whole body shaking.
"Why should I listen to you Smith?" The man sneered and I looked up to see who he was addressing. A boy that didn't look much older then me was standing with his arms folded and his dark eyes looked dangerous.
"Because you know what will happen if you don't." He said quietly, but his voice was laced with malice. It made me shiver and it made the thugs think for a minute. Slowly they backed off and as they walked past my rescuer I heard the leader snarl at him.
"Just you wait. I'm going to get you some day Smith. Just you wait."
"I'll be ready." He replied calmly which made the leader growl. I cringed at the sound but the guy didn't even flinch. The thugs slunk off towards the edge of the park and he watched them disappear. When they were out of sight he turned to me and scanned me, and I felt uncomfortable underneath his hard gaze.
"Are you ok?" His words came as a surprise and I looked up sharply. He was still staring at me with a hard look in his eyes.
"Y-yes." I stammered and his eyes softened and he took a step towards me.
"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not like those good for nothing trouble makers." He said and I caught the contempt in his voice. I took in his appearance for the first time. He had short brown hair that was longer and curled at the top. His eye colour was a deep brown and his face was open, almost child like. He looked innocent but judging from the hard glint in his eyes, he was far from it. He was wearing an open, black leather jacket with a grey shirt underneath and jeans and boots. He was tall and thin but had wide shoulders and I could tell he was strong. I decided to trust him for now.
"Ok." I nodded and then took another step closer and stuck out my hand on a sudden act of bravery. "I'm Tayia Evens. Thanks so much for helping me." His eyes showed amusement as he looked at my outstretched hand and I almost dropped it, but he placed his hand in mine and gave it a swift, firm shake.
"I'm Garrett Smith. No problem, I'm just glad I came along when I did." It fell silent for a minute and I could feel his eyes on me and my cheeks turning slowly red. Finally he broke the silence with a question. "What's a pretty girl like you doing all alone in this part of town? Are you lost?" I blushed and debated what to say to him, but the words came out on their own.
"If having nowhere to go is being lost then yes I am." He looked at me curiously but I didn't offer anymore information.
"You from here?" His gaze took in my luggage and I shook my head. "So what's your deal? What do you mean you have no where to go?" I felt anger build in me but it was uncalled for.
"Listen it's not any of your business but I ran away from home on impulse. Now that I'm gone I don't know where to turn." I told him, my tone cold. His look judged me and I could almost feel his thoughts. He thought I was a naive, spoiled brat who should go back to mommy and daddy. "So if you will excuse me I'll go find somewhere to hang out for the night." I said sharply before spinning on my heel. I didn't get far before his voice called me back.
"You can't just wander around like this. You're going to get hurt and someone might not step in next time." He shook his head. "If you ask me, you're best off turning around and going back where you came from." His words made me even more angry and suddenly I wanted to cry. He didn't understand anything.
"Well I don't have much choice do I? I guess I'll deal with what comes my way. You don't have to worry about me, I'm not your problem. And I didn't ask you and there's no way on earth that I'm going home." He studied me for a minute and then smirked.
"Why? Did mommy and daddy get you the wrong colour car?" I was right that he thought I was spoiled and that was the end of my patience.
"Maybe you shouldn't judge a person you just met. You don't know anything about me except for my name." I hissed and I felt my eyes going cold and hard. He looked shocked and then as I turned to go, reached a hand out to stop me.
"You're right. I'm sorry that was uncalled for. But I was right about the fact that you can't go wandering around alone, especially not at night."
"Well what else am I supposed to do?" Suddenly the anger was gone and I was just tired and sad. The only thing I wanted right now was to find Tessa and bring her home. He was quiet for a bit before he spoke up again.
"I guess you could come home with me."
"But- but... I don't know you! For all I know you could be a killer or something!" I replied, shocked that he would even suggest it. I couldn't go home with him.
"It would be better to come home with me than get beat up or worse on these streets. Besides if I was a killer, I wouldn't have saved you." He had a good point and I didn't want to be out here alone. I wanted a shower and a bed and someone to tell me what to do. I looked at him, trying to figure him out. I could tell he was dangerous and something wasn't adding up about the way those thugs had just turned and walked away without a fight. This guy was probably more trouble than he let on but I didn't really have choice.
"Ok." I finally said and he nodded. Then he took off walking and I very nervously followed him. This wasn't what I usually did. This wasn't me at all. But then again, leaving home wasn't me either. I was changing and it might be for the worse but I couldn't help it. I followed him to his car, and got in. The ride to his house was silent except for the radio playing softly in the background. We turned downtown and he looked over at me.
"I have some business to take care of first. It won't take long." I nodded and he parked beside a huge building. "Don't go anywhere." He stepped out of the car and I watched curiously as he disappeared down an alley. I started wondering who exactly I had gotten myself mixed up with when the sky caught my attention. It was a gorgeous pink and orange and I excitedly hopped out of the car to take pictures. I snapped happily away and then stood looking at them. I had gotten some cool shots of the beautiful sky and the tall city buildings. A voice behind me jolted me out of my reverie.
"What are you doing?" I spun around and saw Garrett watching me with an amused smirk on his face.
"I- I was taking pictures of the sunset." I blurted and an odd look crossed his face before he nodded then motioned to the car. I got in and stared out at the sky as we traveled the short distance to his house. It was in a tall apartment building and he unlocked the front door before leading to me to a long winding stairwell. He held his hand out for my suitcase and I passed it over to him without hesitating. It was going to be a long climb. After what seemed to be a thousand stairs, he pulled a door open and then unlocked a door that read 6A on it. I followed him into the room, huffing and puffing and thinking that I had to get more in shape. He turned around and stared at me as I bent over trying to catch my breath. He looked amused and I noticed he wasn't even breathing hard.
"What?" I snapped and he smirked.
"Nothing. Welcome to my apartment." He said but I got the impression he was being dumb. I looked around the small apartment and took in the worn couch, the small kitchen and table. A small hallway led off to a what I assumed where a bedroom and a bathroom. The place was tiny.
"I'm not usually here so I don't need much." He shrugged and then moved towards the kitchen. "Are you hungry?"
"No I ate just before you came along. Thanks though." He nodded and then led me down the hallway and opened the bedroom door.
"You can sleep here tonight."I looked in at the room and saw it was plainly furnished with a small bed, an oak nightstand and a closet. The duvet on the bed was navy and the walls were white. It smelled like laundry detergent and cinnamon and I caught a faint hint of smoke too.
"Where will you sleep though?" I asked.
"On the couch." He shrugged. I knew I should protest and say I could take the couch but he was offering and I was exhausted.
"Thank you." I said softly and he nodded.
"I'll be on the couch if you need me. The bathroom's next door and use the shower whenever you want." And then he was gone. I quickly changed into pyjamas and then slipped into bed. It was comfy and warm and before I even had time to think about what had happened today and to miss Tessa, I had fallen into a deep sleep.
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Hope you enjoyed the chapter!!~S