The Past Between Us novel Chapter 6

|Present|

~~~~~~~~~~~~

To say that my first day of college had been rough would be an understatement.

In high-school I'd always had Danielle and Megan. They'd always be there to cheer me up but right now I was all alone.

I sighed as I leaned against the wall. A movement on my side caught my attention.

I watched as a pale skinned petite girl struggled to carry the mountain of books in her arms. I was about to offer her my help but I stopped.

Something about her seemed familiar.

I took in her numerous piercings and closely cropped black hair. Everything she wore was black from her lipstick to her boots.

She cursed under her breath when she almost tripped over her feet.

I gasped when I recognized her voice.

No.

It couldn't be.

Her piercing blue eyes finally met mine and they widened in shock.

"Danielle?" I breathed out in disbelief.

What happened to you Danielle?

The Danielle I knew three years ago was bright and full of life. Nothing like the dull eyed person standing in front of me.

"Scarlett?" Her voice was quiet, like she didn't believe what she saw.

"Yes, it's me." I responded weakly.

I watched as her expression hardened.

"What are you doing here?" She hissed.

The venom in her voice made me step back.

"Danielle I-" I started to explain but she cut me off.

"Shut up! Just shut up! You traitor, you liar! You disappeared, you left us! You weren't there when I needed you the most. You weren't there when Megan needed you." She chocked back a sob.

My tears however flowed freely down my cheeks.

"Don't you dare think that you can come here after three years and pretend to be my friend." Her eyes flashed with anger.

"You aren't my friend. In fact you are dead to me Scarlett Hudson." She shoved past me, disappearing in the never ending sea of students in the hallway.

For a while I just stood there. Frozen in shock. And then I was running outside.

I needed to get away.

I needed to breathe.

I had no idea where I was going. Tears completely obscured my vision.

A shriek left my lips as my foot twisted awkwardly causing me to plummet to the ground.

My whole body was shaking, my breath coming out in short gasps.

I heard the sound of screeching tires. From the corner of my eye I could see a motorcycle skidding to a stop a few feet away from me. The rider jumped off and ran towards me.

"Are you alright?" His deep voice demanded.

I could feel fingers tilting my chin up. My eyes met a pair of intense grey ones.

Why did I have to run into Hunter in the worst possible times?

I tried to get up but let out a yelp when I felt pain shoot up my ankle.

At once Hunters arms were around me.

"You're hurt." Hunter spoke softly.

"I-I'm fine." I sputtered as I tried to limp away from him.

"You're not walking home with that ankle." He declared and his hold around my waist tightened.

I scoffed.

Who the hell does he think he is?

"Don't tell me what to do!" I snapped.

His eyes narrowed in irritation.

He finally let go of me and stepped towards his sleek black Harley Davidson. He gracefully climbed on and revved the engine.

Thank God. He's finally leaving me alone.

He ran a hand through his dark locks. I remembered he used to do it whenever he was agitated.

"Just get on my bike. We live across from each other. I can drop you." He muttered.

My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"I will do no such thing." I spat out.

"Don't argue with me right now sweetheart. Get on."

I folded my arms in front of my chest stubbornly.

Hunter exhaled through his nose slowly.

"Either you get on this bike or I make you." His voice was low. Threatening.

His eyes flashed with challenge.

I tried to shift some of my weight to my sprained ankle, a sharp pang of pain jolted up my leg making me wince. There was no way I could walk home with my bag in this condition.

I huffed in annoyance before finally limping towards him. I begrudgingly climbed on behind him.