If you comment on this chapter, I will love you forever and who doesn't want that kind of security? <3

☆☆Dedication to @justmine_luver_143 ☆☆

S e v e n : The Great Escape

Twenty minutes later, Chase and I stride into a local diner casually, as if we aren't supposed to be in school and we haven't just vandalised personal property. The spray paints are in a trash can close to the school and now, the only thing connecting us to our crime is the dazed expression on my face and the fact that we're missing from our science laboratory stools. My mind is buzzing with anxiety, and I've been oddly quiet on the walk.

I think about what my Mom would say, if she knew I had done this. I can picture the fierce expression on her face, the cold disappointment in her eyes. Then she'd turn away, look at Chloe and smile. I feel sick.

"What do you want?" Chase asks as we approach the counter, pulling his wallet from his back pocket. Neon signs are hung around the room, and the one beside the food display board has painted Chase with an eerie pink glow. It doesn't distract from his brooding features, unfortunately, which are enough to catch the waitress' attention. She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and watches us with hopeful eyes.

"I can pay for myself," I respond finally, moving my gaze to the menu.

Chase looks at me doubtfully.

"Seriously, don't worry about it."

Chase turns to face the girl behind the counter. She's perhaps a year or two younger with red hair and a sweet smile. The signature Chase Thatcher charm ebbs from every part of him as he returns it.

"Ignore her," he says brazenly, placing his hand on the counter and leaning towards the poor girl. "I do it all the time. We'll have two cheeseburger meals with Pepsi, please. No ice."

I raise an eyebrow. So, this is the flirty player personality that I've been missing out on: the one that scores him all the attention. While I'm sure Price Chase the charming would get annoying quickly, he's probably better than the moody alter ego I've been putting up with. Why do I get Shrek to deal with?

I step forward into the spot beside him and quickly intervene. "Make that a vanilla milkshake for me. And hold the ice for him- I'm sure he'll realise that he's not hot enough to need it."

Chase looks at me in disbelief.

The girl giggles and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "You two are a cute couple."

I open my mouth to point out disgustedly that we are not a couple, but before I can, Chase has looped an arm around my shoulder and tugged me into the side of his muscled torso.

"Thanks, Gemma," he says, reading her nametag. Then, squeezing my shoulders tightly, he looks down at me adoringly and adds: "Isn't she just gorgeous? Sometimes I wonder how I was lucky enough to catch this little fish in that turbulent, cold sea of girls out there."

He thinks he's funny. Well, this little fish has got a bite.

"I was attracted to your tiny worm," I say sweetly. "What can I say? I have a low standard for bait."

The air practically sparks as he registers my comment. His eyes are narrowed with frustration, but his tone is wickedly, deceptively sweet. "Is that right, gorgeous? I don't remember you calling it tiny last night."

I pat his arm fondly. "Oh, that's because I didn't know it was there, silly!"

I turn away before I can see his glare. A waiter approaches from behind the counter, bearing a red tray filled with food and sliding it onto the counter ahead of us. He's biting back a smile. Gemma releases an uncertain laugh. "So...um, cute. Let us know if you want anything else."

"Aw, thank you!" I say in my angelic tone. "We've had a few setbacks recently; this stupid erectile dysfunction has been taking its toll on the relationship. But they say you've got to work through problems like this. We're taking a firm approach, aren't we squidge? Well...as firm as we can manage."

I shift my gaze poignantly to Chase's crotch for a second. Gemma gazes at me in outright horror.

Chase's fingers are digging into my shoulder now, and he releases a bitter laugh. "You're funny, babe."

"Oh hey!" I pluck a fry from the tray in front of us, examining it with pursed lips. It's long, soft and bending under its own weight. "Squidge, doesn't this remind you-"

"That's enough chat for today!" Chase interrupts me, slapping my hand down. The fry falls to the floor. Chase removes his arm from around my shoulder and grabs the tray from the counter as quickly as he can manage. "Thank you for your help, Gemma."

"Yes." Gemma clears her throat uncomfortably, wiping down her shirt. "Yes, that. Droop by any time if you want refills...oh shit, I meant drop. Drop!"

That's my limit. The laughter explodes out of my chest, in unrestrained, musical giggles. I am faintly aware of Chase pushing me towards the back of the diner, as far as possible from the counter, but that only makes it funnier. My eyes close in exaltation, and I only have a blurry view of the patterned floor tiles. Eventually, we stop. I hear the smack of the tray on the tabletop and Chase tugs me into a red booth.

"Squidge?" He repeats in a hiss, sliding into the seat opposite me. "Worm? Erectile Dysfunction?"

"Now, now," I say, sobering up from my laughter. "You can't judge a craftsman by his tools."

"You're lucky we're in a public place," he mutters darkly, leaning over the small table between us. His features are pinched with frustration, jaw rigid and catching the light like a chiselled archangel. "I only met you a few days ago and you are already the most irritating person I know."

"Here, have a peace offering." I slide my bag of fries towards him, a smile playing on my lips.

The tension melts from his face. He looks down at them questioningly. "You don't want them?"

"Never really been a big fan of fries," I say, lifting the cheeseburger up to my lips and taking a massive bite. The familiar comfort food instantly satiates the cavity of anxiety in my stomach, and I make a noise of appreciation before I swallow. "Thanks for this, Squidge. I didn't think people tended to buy burgers for the most irritating person they know. You're full of surprises."

Chase scowls, his fry lingering mid-air. "Stop calling me that."

I pretend to deliberate, then reach for my drink. "No."

"The nickname doesn't fit me." He says confidently. "Trust me."

I bring the milkshake straw to my mouth and let it run over my bottom lip. Before he can help it, Chase's gaze drops to catch the movement. He quickly recovers, forces his gaze upwards again. This time his eyes are slightly narrowed. I grin. I'm beginning to enjoy irritating him.

"Okay, squidge."

This time, he grunts in annoyance and turns his attention back to the food. After cramming a suitable number of fries in his mouth, he swallows and his unphased smirk returns. "So, newbie. You successfully pulled your first prank on the Principal. Are you proud of yourself?"

"It was fun," I admit, pulling at a piece of lettuce. "I had a good time, surprisingly."

Chase's eyebrow raises. "Are you sticking around for more lessons?"

My pulse quickens as I realise that I intend to make the next prank our last. "I suppose so."

We sit in comfortable silence for a couple of minutes as we eat. There's not much to talk about, and I'm enjoying my burger way too much to distract myself from it. Faint chatter lulls in the air from the small scatter of customers, and the peace of it all has disintegrated most of my worry. I find myself smiling slightly and hurriedly take a sip of my milkshake to cover it. "Do you want to play a game?"

Chase doesn't even hesitate. "If it's something kinky then yes."

My voice is dry. "Tell me, Squidge. Did your mother drop you as a baby?"

"Yup." Chase flashes a dimple. "Into a pool of sexy."

"Odd. I thought it was a chasm of jackass."

"Enough about where I came from." Chase leans forward, mischief tugging away his cool façade. "Did breaking through the earth's crust hurt when you ascended from hell?"

I find myself leaning forwards too. "Why? Curious about where you're headed?"

After a second, our palpable tension breaks and Chase grins. He leans back in his chair, pushing his shoulders back and stretching his shirt tightly across his lean chest. "What game, gorgeous?"

"Never have I ever?"

Chase looks a little surprised by my idea, but he recovers quickly. He takes a long sip from his Pepsi and then slams the cup down on the table. The liquid inside slaps against its prison walls in frustration. "Never have I ever played this game without alcohol but sure. You can go first."

I take a bite from my burger, thinking as I chew. "Never have I ever...stood someone up."

Chase scowls and doesn't drink. "I'm not that much of an asshole, Erika."

"I guess you're just so desperate for dates that you have to go," I tease.

His expression flinches the tiniest amount- it would be unnoticeable if I wasn't watching out for it. I make a mental note not to touch the dating topic again. Clearly, it's something he's sensitive about. As much as I enjoy irritating Chase, I would be a hypocrite if I call him out for toying with girls' emotions. Some of my friends do the same thing with guys and I bite my tongue.

Chase's expression is neutral again. "Never have I ever bullied someone."

Now it's my turn to scowl. I take a short sip from my milkshake. "I bullied a bully. He was picking on this little boy in elementary school, so I pushed him against a wall. He stopped after that."

Chase smirks. "I don't think it counts as bullying if they enjoy it, Erika."

"Really?" I ask leisurely. "I'm not so sure he enjoyed the part where I spilled my drink all over his crotch. His friends were teasing him for wetting himself for the rest of the day."

Chase's lip twitches. "Touché."

I twist my straw around "Never have I ever got a tattoo."

Chase sips at his Pepsi, his eyes refocusing on the table in front of him as if the surface is suddenly very interesting. He doesn't explain why or when he was inked.

"Never have I ever had a bad date."

I cringe at this one and take a long sip. "He asked if I wanted to meet him after school, and we arranged to have coffee near school. The entire time he was talking about his problems and he didn't ask me anything about myself whatsoever. I realised when he offered me money at the end, that it wasn't a date. He thought I was my sister and he had been trying to organise a counselling appointment."

Chase grins. "I hope you took the money."

"I never corrected him," I say sheepishly. "I didn't want him to go and tell everyone that I mistook it for a date. We still meet every month to discuss his progress."

This time, Chase laughs. The sound is husky, deep and intensely addictive. I find myself grinning too.

"Never have I ever been mistaken for my sister," I say, tilting my cup to the ceiling before drinking.

"I don't get that," Chase comments, leaning back and squinting at my face. "I see some similarity, but not enough to mistake you."

"It doesn't happen very often. Most people know she's the hot one."

Chase's head tilts his head to the side. "I don't call you gorgeous for no reason, Monroe."

I bite my lip to fight back my smile. "Thanks, squidge."

Chase rolls his eyes and props his feet up on the seat beside me. Lounging back with his arms across the back of the seat, he looks the picture of carelessness. "Never have I ever...Shit."

As the cuss-word leaves his mouth, Chase's careless posture instantly snaps into attention. His feet disappear from the booth beside me, he slumps over the table and his wide eyes are trained on something behind me, where the entrance to the diner is located. Startled by his immediate fear, I instantly twist around in my seat to follow his gaze. Before I can get a glimpse, Chase grabs my wrist and tugs me towards him. We're both slumped over the diner table, with the empty tray of food underneath us, our faces inches apart.

"We need to leave now."

"Why?" I hiss.

"Mr Blythe is here."

"What?" I whisper-screech. I can feel the blood draining from my face.

"He's about to walk past. Quick- look like you're tying your shoelace."

In a smooth motion, I duck underneath the table and clasp my foot. I wrinkle my nose in disgust at a soggy fry on the floor, coated in grey dust, before finally noticing that I'm not alone. Chase's has stooped underneath the table too; I can feel his warm breath on my forehead. He's staring down at the very same fry.

"Why are we both tying my shoelace?" I whisper incredulously. "That looks suspicious!"

"Well." Chase is glaring down at my ankle boots. "What might look more suspicious is the fact that you don't even have shoelaces."

"Brilliant cover!" I exclaim, throwing my hands up as far as I can without hitting the gum on the underside of the table. "So discreet we might as well be wearing fluorescent vests and sunglasses and directing Mr Blythe to the culprits of his vandalised car!"

Chase glares at me. "We need to slip out. He's on my right so we need to duck out of this booth on my left and for heaven's sake keep low. I know that might be difficult for you, Miss High and Mighty."

I ignore his jab. "What about paying for the food?"

Chase winces. "Looks like we're getting a freebie. Get ready to run."

Cold horror washes over my body. "But they know what we look li-"

Before I can even finish my sentence, Chase has grabbed my wrist and is tugging me out of the booth away from Mr Blythe. I fall to the floor with a faint thud, and we scoot around the back of my red leather seat to hide from the counter. The adrenaline from the graffiti earlier seems diluted and weak now. This adrenaline is thick and hot as it courses through my veins, and my pulse is accelerating so much I can't help but wonder briefly if it would beat Chase in one of his drag-car races.

"He's at the counter," Chase whispers, peering around the edge of the seat. "He's just ordered a coffee. It won't take long- we need to go now."

He must see the fear in my face. Eyes softening, he reaches for the hood at the back of my neck and pulls it up over my hair. He tucks those stubborn shorter pieces at the front behind my ear and gives me a small nod. We can do this. Before I can overthink or panic, we're up and racing out of the diner. The soles of our shoes slap against the patterned linoleum, instantly drawing attention to us. I can just hear Gemma's cry as the glass door slams shut behind us and we're in the parking lot.

The cold air swells around me as we sprint towards the roads, but the realisation of my situation feels even icier. We just stole. You, Erika. You just stole!

Chase leads us through side streets, and alleyways and footpaths so expertly that I can tell he's done this before. My chest is burning from lack of oxygen and my legs are aching, but I don't stop. I imagine the panic seeping after me like lava, I imagine Blythe following us like that gorilla monster in Temple Run and it spurs me on. I thank my mother for forcing me to do Track on Tuesday nights. I thank Dylan for being such a good runner that I've pushed myself to keep up with him on every 'casual jog.'

Inevitably, our steps slow. We're in an estate I don't recognise, with small grey houses and neatly trimmed yards. Chase grabs my hand and tugs me to the left, behind a bush. I stumble into the empty driveway, panting like I've just ran a marathon, and my legs are so unsteady that I fall straight into Chase's chest.

He's panting for breath too, mouth apart, hands on my shoulders to steady me. We stay like that for a few seconds as we recover, listening for the noise of approaching footsteps or police vehicles, before finally we can relax. He dampens his mouth enough to speak again.

"I think we got away with that."

"Never." I smack his chest. "Ever, ever, ever do that to me again. Ever."

Chase laughs breathlessly. "I promise. Never again."

"Stop laughing! This is not funny; we could be arrested."

"We won't be." His grin is infectious, and I try my hardest to ignore the slow churn of guilt in my stomach when I consider the idea that it's me, he's smiling at. The biggest threat is standing in front of him and he can't even see it.

"I can't believe that just happened," I say weakly.

"Me neither." Chase squeezes my shoulders. "How alive do you feel right now?"

The answer is very, but the sour taste of guilt makes it impossible to get the word past my lips.

A/N: Sorry this chapter took a little longer but I hope you enjoyed! I think this has been my favourite to write so far <3