"Excuse me?" I exclaim, flabbergasted. "What the hell are you saying?" I add.

  "He used to send you messages and then you threatened him to stop or else the results won't be good. And that's it, you made him disappear. Tell me what'd you do to him? Where is he?" Aiden says exasperatedly. I had never seen Aiden like that. I didn't know him that well but anyone looking at him would think he's a calm and gentle type of person. And thinking about why he's acting that way with me is not helping at all.

  "I don't know him other than the fact that he likes to prank people through texts. Hell, I haven't even seen that guy!," I defend myself.

  "Oh, you know him too well, Ryleigh," the way he speaks my name makes all hair on my body to rise and make me feel unnerve.

  Unconsciously, I take a small step back. Aiden starts to loom over me, intimidating me. I can't stand this. He is blaming me for no reason. I don't know what I've done. I look at Tyler from the corner of my eyes to ask for help but this was not what I had expected. He looked completely calm. As if what's happening is normal and–and—boring?

  "Aiden, you're acting totally unreasonable," I try to make him understand.

  "Then you tell me where my best friend is and I'll stop acting unreasonable," he demands. I remain quiet because that intimidating personality of Aiden is doing a really good job in scaring the shit out of me. "I've had enoug–" Aiden is pushed behind by his shoulder from someone behind him. I think it's Tyler, but it's not. The narcissist person in flesh, instead. I rolled my eyes still remembering the cafe incident even in this situation. Wow!

  "Jesus! Stop it, Aiden!," The new Mr. Face comes out of nowhere and interrupts Aiden before he could have scared me any more. "We told you not to get all this hyped about Chaz, didn't we?" He mentions.

  "But, she admitted that she got annoyed my him and wished to do things to him," he gives reasons to new Mr. Face, like a child does to their mother for getting into a fight.

  "Hey, I never said that?!" I cry out.

  "Can you two stop!" The new Mr. Face shouts on us and we both do listen to him, like puppies.

  "We decided not to put out anything from our side until she gives out something from her side. And you just destroyed that plan," he mutters to Aiden with gritted teeth, his back turned towards me and rubbing his temples in irritation. But it was enough for me to eavesdrop on what he was saying.

  "I'm sorry, Luca. But when I saw that Tyler guy and Ryleigh together talking  about Chaz, I had already lost it." Aiden says apologetically int he same low pitched voice.

  Atleast my ears came to some use to me. Thank you God, for sending new Mr. Face here and giving me such good ears. I smile to myself whilst looking at the sky, to God.

  The new Mr. Face turns around and looks at me weirdly as he says," I can give you a ride home if you want. Seems like your friend has taken the way out already."

  I realise two things.
 
  One, why he was looking at me weirdly? Because I was smiling looking at the sky when we were just now in a uh– not so good situation.

  Second, why was he offering me a ride? Because being the busy person that I am, I didn't notice when that Tyler Asshole Lynch decided to leave me alone between intimidating lions and be fed to them.

  My eyes become that of an owl as a look around for him. But why would I find him? Why? The conversation with Aiden was already any less stressful that now I had to rely on this new Mr. Narcissist Face to go back to my house. Oh, the new name that I have given to him. 

  "I think I'm fine going on my own. I don't want to cause any inconvenience," I try to convince him as a start to take a step backwards and point behind me.

  "Oh, it's okay. You're not causing any inconvenience. And I know you don't want to stay here any longer than this," he says with a smug smile.

  "I guess, yes," I see from under my towards Aiden and then again at him.

  "Let's go, then," he points towards his car behind him. Whispering something into Aiden's ears, he starts walking towards his car and I follow him. God knows why. As I walk past Aiden, I keep my head down although I have no reason to do so but the way that he behaved just now, left me overwhelmed.

  I sit in his car awkwardly and put on seat belt. He asks me for my address.

  "Just drive till the end of lane, take a left and than take the third right than straight for 3-4 kilometres," I indicate him.

  He notices that I'm not feeling very comfortable sitting with him so he puts on some music to ease the environment a little. But it literally did 'a little' work seeing the choice of his music. The song  Anaconda by Nicki Minaj was playing, I guess, from it's second verse. That means he was already listening to it before going out.

  I'm not someone to judge but I personally am not the kind of person who would listen to such songs when you have a stranger sitting in your passenger seat, who you're driving home and is already feeling uncomfortable. There's not 'much' wrong with song but just the video comes into the person's mind and destroys everything. You get it, right?

  He again notices from the corner of his eyes, my not so comfortable self as he nervously fumbles with the music system and changes the song. Oh! God really didn't want this ride to go smoothly. The next song was Sleep with a stranger by Nikki Lane. Seriously, what was his obsession with Nikki/Nickis and these weird songs? Who even listen's to them? I want to laugh but also, couldn't. I don't know this guy and who knows what he might do?

  "I think it's better if it's off, you know," he says, rather sheepishly and turns the music off.

  "Yah," I control my laugh and awkwardness, understanding his embarrasment. The rest 5-6 minutes are filled with, again, awkward silence.
 
  "Okay, now which one?" He asks we reach the lane where my house is.

  "The fourth one," I reply,indication with finger in the front.

  He stops the car in front of my house. "Thanks, Luca," I say with a slight smile, remembering his name from the time when he spoke to Aiden. I get out of the car and bent a little to face him again. He looks surprised.

  "Don't get the wrong ideas. I just picked up your name from the time when you and Aiden were talking to each other," I explain myself with an innocent smilee and throwing my arms up.

  Question.

  Why am I smiling? Let's stop this Ryleigh. You know it's because a good looking guy gave you a ride home and nothing else. So, stop running your mind.

  Typical me.

  "I thought you were those kind of girls who likes to know everything and anything about the boy they like and go to any extent for it," he regains his normal face and says the part with a smug smile.

  "So, basically you mean stalker? And where did that 'the-boy-they-like' part come from? I don't like you. Infact, you don't know how much embarrassed, frustrated and irritated you have made me feel," I come clean.

  "Ryleigh, won't you come inside, now?" My mom's shouts from the entrance door behind me. Shit!

  "Let's talk about this later," I say with my eyes narrowed down at him as he gives me a laugh. A laugh! Oh, to hell with him!

  I turn around and give my 'I-guess-I'm-in-trouble' smile. I start walking towards my doorsteps where my mom is eagerly waiting for me and stop just before the door.

  I inhale a large amount of oxygen and speak,"Isn't the weather just too nice today? Right, mom?."

  "Of course, so nice that love has started to flow around too," she gives a 'I-guess-you're-in-trouble' smile.

  "Oh! C'mon, Mom, it's nothing like that. I really don't like that guy. He's actually nuts, you know," I state as I pass by her by the door, into the house.

  "I never said anything about it," she confesses. I close my eyes shut and curse my luck. Then turn around to face my mom, again with a smile.

  "You always tell me that parents are like their children's bestfriends. So, I was just sharing my thoughts with you out of nowhere. Not exactly related to the conversation. That's what bestfriends do now-a-days," I keep my smile up.

  "Sure, thay do," she laughs and closes  the door behind me. I don't know why am I even trying. She'll obviously get it. But it's fun. I laugh myself at the end. "Want something to eat?"

  "Yes, Mom, please?" I beg as sit back on my sofa and switching the channels.

°°°

  What is wrong with Aiden? AND that Luca guy? First, Aiden just throws at me that I made Chaz disappear and than Luca reminds him about their plan. What was it again? Right, to make myself give out something. Give out what? My virtue? Damn them both! I think to myself, walking around in my room.

  I think I'd rather text Luca and ask him about it. I pick up the phone from the bed and start texting him on insta.

  |TheOnlyLameGirl|: what the hell is wrong with you both?

          - and why are you dragging me in between this Chaz case of yours, Luca?

          - how did you know about the vandalism on my locker the other day?

  I send it all and go downstairs to have my dinner. After around 15-20 minutes I come back up to check if I've recieved his reply and there it is.

  _mr.face_: how do you know my name?

  Seriously, this is his reply? He really has week memory problems.

  |TheOnlyLameGirl|: I told you I got it from your conversation with Aiden, remember? I even called you by your name in the afternoon

          - first do something about that memory of yours

  _mr.face_: ah sorry! So about your quetions.

          - that locker case, let's just say I my have sources

  |TheOnlyLameGirl|: and who that sources of yours would be

          - only if you're so kind to answer

  _mr.face_: luckily I'm kind enough

  I scowl to that reply.

  _mr.face_: but sorry I can't reveal them

  |TheOnlyLameGirl|: or maybe you're trying to cover up for Miss Valerie Hale

  I type out that girl's name with hard presses.

  _mr.face_: you don't have to say her name like that

  |TheOnlyLameGirl|: oh sorry! Must have offended you. You're her BEST friend

  _mr.face_: stop it, will you?

  |TheOnlyLameGirl|: stopped. Now answer the questions

  _mr.face_: that message on your locker, 'A disappearance happened', it was about Chaz

  I remember the day when I saw that message and those judgy eyes that people gave me.

  |TheOnlyLameGirl|:  okay now it makes sense but why would somebody write that on MY locker

  _mr.face_: bc it HAS got something to do with you

  I fed up of people beating around the bush. I am slow-witted, okay? No, I accept it. Just tell me for God's sake!

  |TheOnlyLameGirl|: WHAT?!?

  _mr.face_: this account belonged to Chaz

          - you used to follow him

  |TheOnlyLameGirl|: What?

          - but

          - but I still don't get it why this has anything to do with me!!

  _mr.facr_: he also used to text you to prank you

  |TheOnlyLameGirl|: yes, so

  _mr.face_: and you threatened him if he doesn't stop it then you'll make him disappear or better kill him if you ever get to know who he was

  Wait! That never happened. I think what I used to say to threaten him. I was ready to go to any extent to make him stop. And then I remember.

  Or it did!