Fact: I'm a sucker for a good alt British band. What are your go to jams? 

Anyhow, song is for the start of the chapter!

DarlaH

The books in my locker practically jumped out of the cramped space the next day, crushing me. I shoved them into my backpack with some difficulty with my wrapped wrist.

A yawn escaped my lips like a runaway dog. I felt groggy since my alarm went off this morning since I forgot to take any pain killer last night and my wrist kept me up most of the night. It didn't help that Miles texted me a few times during the night, either.

Sometime around 1:30, I ended up falling asleep in the middle of a conversation about the fall in Maine. When I texted him this morning to continue the conversation, he didn't respond which made my stomach knot up.

I wanted to be mad at him for throwing me off my board, but the more I talked to him, the more I started to like him. Miles seemed so genuine, like he actually cared about me. I had seen a lot of fakers, since that was all of Tristen's friends, or how my soccer team faked being too busy to talk to me. But Miles didn't seem like those people.

"What's this?" Zoe asked as she leaned against the locker next to mine.

I shook my head to clear my mind as I followed her gaze to my wrapped hand. "I fell from the skateboard."

"Off the board? You never fall off."

I shrugged. "Just had a klutzy moment."

Zoe frowned. She could always see straight through me.

Just as I was about to dive into the details about Miles, Camden came up to us. I closed my mouth knowing he would blab anything he learned to Isaac since they were friends. I shot him a look, warning him to leave, but he merely smirked at me, unmoving from his spot. He wanted to get under my skin, just like Isaac and it was working.

Couldn't he just get hit by a car and never return?

"I'll tell you the story later," I said to her as the bell rang, saving me from an awkward moment.

Zoe nodded with a smile, unaware I was avoiding the conversation because of her boyfriend. "Sounds good to me."

My shoes squeaked against laminate flooring until I sat down in the first period classroom. Pulling out my books, I shrunk, hoping that no one would notice me. I just stopped being the topic of discussion, I couldn't afford to be the most talked about again.

"Hey, how did that happen?" Isaac's voice rang out.

I glared at him. He was trying to pretend that he was concerned, but he wasn't. "Please go away."

He sat down next to me, even though it wasn't his seat. "Not until you tell me what happened."

"Isaac, I'm not playing around," I said, my voice turning more serious.

He flinched, not expecting me to stand up for myself. He glared at me for a moment before he stood up. "You better watch yourself," he sneered and left to return to his normal seat.

And did he think I would date him after all of this? Seeing this side of him made my hair stand on edge. I still couldn't believe that I put up with him for six months. Shaking my head, I turned back to the book on my desk. I loved my brother, but his recommendations for men were terrible.

By the time lunch came around, I found myself sitting next to Zoe at our normal lone table in the cafeteria. "Where's Camden?" I asked her as she pulled out her lunch.

She shrugged as she took a drink of her bottled water then waved to another one of her friends from across the cafeteria before turning her attention to me. "Told me he had to study or something."

I knew Isaac and his crew didn't study, they just forced others to do their work for them. So I had a good idea of what his words meant.

"Listen, I know what you're thinking, but he is actually studying. He has a test tomorrow and needs an A on it," Zoe said, defending him.

Before this turned into an argument, my phone buzzed. Excitement bubbled within me, making my stomach flip as I pulled my phone out of my pocket.

"Hey, are you free?" the text from Miles read.

I smiled at my phone but I couldn't find this all unusual. It was one thing to text someone, but now he wanted to hang out... with me.

It didn't matter if I wanted to go. I couldn't. It was 11:34 on a Tuesday. I was in school. Of course, I wasn't free. Besides, why was he free? "I'm in school," I quickly texted him back as the bell rang.

"Isla, I haven't seen that look in your eyes in a long time. What's up?"

My phone buzzed again and I skimmed it, too busy to respond to Zoe.

"Want to see a movie?" it read.

I rolled my eyes at the phone although the text made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. "Can't. I have school," I texted him back, then stuck the phone back into my pocket.

"Ok, so spill the beans, girl," Zoe said to me, breaking my thoughts.

Blush hit my cheeks. Just thinking about it seemed crazy, but I couldn't help but find him interesting. Redding was small, I knew almost everyone here, but Miles was someone new and most importantly, he did not know me or what I did last year at the soccer championships. "I met a guy."

She grinned at me. "I knew it! At the skatepark?"

I nodded.

"So do you like him?" she asked as she wiggled her eyebrows.

I shrugged. I didn't know him, so how could I like him? "I don't know."

What I did know, Miles seemed just as different as I was. However, he welcomed my oddity.

"Well, there is always time for you to change your feelings."

My phone buzzed again.

"How about after school?" Miles asked. He was very persistent, I would give him that.

"Don't you have school?" I texted quickly.

"Nope. Graduated last year."

He must be in college. College students always had so much time.

"Ok. Well, are you paying for the movie?" I asked, knowing I didn't have a dime in my pocket.

"Of course."

I smiled at my phone.

"Ok, that smile tells me you're interested in him," Zoe said as we walked out of the cafeteria.

"Maybe." Or maybe I wasn't, but at least I enjoyed talking to him.

Three hours later, I stood on the school sidewalk, waiting for Miles to pick me up. I tapped my foot to an upbeat song playing through the speakers on my phone. It was times of solitude when I enjoyed listening to the most alternative unpopular tunes out loud. At least here on the lone sidewalk, no one would tell me it was crap.

"What are you listening to?" Miles asked as he rolled up in his rust-colored Subaru. He adjusted his gray beanie as I quickly turned off the song and got into the car.

Fear crept into my mind since no one liked my music. Once people found out my music tastes, they normally stopped talking. If I didn't have pop songs in common with them, how could I have any other things in common?

"Just some alternative song," I muttered.

"I dig it. Wait, why did you turn it off? What's the name of the band?"

I perked up as I turned the song on again. "Really? You like it?"

He laughed at me. "Of course I do. I wouldn't say that for nothing."

I smiled.

"Is this the stuff you normally listen to?"

"Yeah."

"What do you like about it?"

My cheeks grew hot. For the first time in a long time, I felt seen. "I like the dimension of music when they use different beats, instruments. I find it interesting and thought provoking."

"And what about pop music?" he asked slowly.

I shrugged as I thought about the song I listened to in the car with Zoe yesterday. The singer was ok, but the beat was dull and boring. "I might listen to it if it's on, but it's not my choice. This, on the other hand, is my jam."

"I don't think I have ever met someone that didn't like pop music."

I smiled sheepishly. "Do you find that weird?"

He shook his head, as if I got it all wrong. "No, I find it refreshing."

I gasped slightly since no one had said that before. In a city that I couldn't often express myself, I found myself completely at home with him and I barely knew him. My frustration and anger towards him vanished the more I talked to him.

"Well enough about me, how about you? You said you graduated. Are you going to college around here?"

He shook his head. "Nope. I don't think I'm cut out for college. I'm just here to get away."

That could mean so many things. What was getting away from? I had so many questions but before I could ask them, we pulled into the cinema parking lot.

Minutes later we walked into the nearly empty theater. I guess that happens when we go midday on a Tuesday.

"So, dinner? On Friday? What do you think?" Miles asked as he popped a piece of popcorn into his mouth.

Out of everyone else in this town, I had no idea why he picked me to pursue so hard. It was weird, but it's not like I had anything else going on Friday evening. "Sure. That sounds good to me."

"Ok. Cool," he said as the ads rolled. "I'll pick you up?"

I nodded as I shushed him.

"It has been a long time since someone shushed me."

"That's hard to believe because it seems like you can't figure out how to shut your mouth."

He laughed. "Wow. Ok, maybe I deserved that."

"Of course you deserved it. Now shut up and let me watch," I said as I grabbed a handful of popcorn and stuffed it into my mouth.