Chapter 10 RIDE WITH ME 10

Break time arrived, and Alex walked into the male's restroom to ease himself. As he exited, his heart skipped a beat as he saw Kaiden leaned against the doorframe, his eyes fixed intently on Alex. Watching him. Waiting for him.

Alex gulped hard. He had to ignore him, to act like he didn't exist. He inhaled deeply and tried to walk past, but Kaiden stepped forward, his movements fluid and deliberate, blocking his path.

"What are you doing?" Alex found his voice.

"Why are you avoiding me, Alex?" Kaiden asked, his voice low and husky, sending a shiver down Alex's spine.

Alex inhaled, trying not to act or sound affected by him but the exact opposite happened. His voice trembled as he spoke. "Just leave me alone."

Kaiden's eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched. "You can't avoid me forever," he whispered.

Alex scoffed, he knew Kaiden wanted to engage in a discussion with him. However, he wasn't going to give him what he wanted. He turned to leave when Kaiden's voice stopped him.

"Stop."

Alex froze.

As if under a spell and unable to move. This was insane, it wasn't supposed to happen, he thought he only got trapped when he looked into Kaiden's eyes but now, it didn't seem like it, it felt like Kaiden could control him.

Kaiden approached, his eyes burning with intensity. As he stood before Alex, his fingers slowly traced Alex's jawline, sending waves of electricity through his body.

"I'm upset," Kaiden whispered. "How Chris spoke to me was extremely rude, you asked him to do it, and for that reason," he said, his voice dripped with menace.

"I'll teach him a lesson."

Alex's panic rose. "Please, don't hurt Chris," he begged.

Kaiden's gaze locked onto Alex. "I won't...if you join me on a ride after school."

Alex hesitated. "Where are we going?" he asked.

Kaiden's smile hinted at secrets. "It's a surprise."

"If I do what you want, you won't hurt Chris and will stay away from me?"

Kaiden chuckled. "I won't hurt Chris, yes. But staying away from you, that's quite impossible. Be ready, if not, Chris will pay the price." With that, Kaiden walked away.

Alex exhaled sharply after being released from Kaiden's hold. He was still shaken from the encounter and terrified. Now all his doubts were clear, Kaiden wasn't just an ordinary man, he was something different, something dangerous and avoiding him seemed to invite trouble.

Alex wondered what he'd gotten himself into. He inhaled deeply and left the men's restroom, heading for his classroom.

After school, Chris and Alex walked out of the classroom, stretching their arms.

"Hey, so..you coming to Jake's birthday party?" Chris asked.

Alex hesitated. "No, I don't think so."

Chris raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

Before Alex could respond, a sleek, black Mustang GT - Kaiden's car - pulled up beside them.

The window rolled down, revealing Kaiden's chiseled features. "Get in, Alex," Kaiden said.

Chris's eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute, are you ditching the party to hang out with him?" Chris asked.

Alex tried to explain. "It's not like that..."

Chris's expression turned skeptical. "Oh really, okay. Come with me, Alex and I'll pretend you didn't almost ditch me."

Kaiden stepped out of the car, relaxing against the door. "Come, Alex, we've got to go," Kaiden repeated, his eyes locked onto Alex's.

Alex's mind reeled. Torn between the both of them.

"Alex!" Chris snapped. "You're not ditching me again."

"I...I don't know," Alex stammered.

Kaiden's smile hinted at triumph. "Come on, Alex. You know what's at stake."

Chris's face fell as he noticed Alex was going to choose Kaiden. "Alex, what's going on?" He asked.

Kaiden pushed off the car, walking toward Alex. "Time to choose," he whispered.

Alex turned to Chris, his voice laced with regret. "Chris, forgive me," he said, taking a step toward Kaiden.

Chris's face contorted in anguish. "Alex, don't do this!" Chris shouted. "If you leave with him, we're never friends again!"

Alex hesitated, his foot hovering. He inhaled deeply, looking at Chris. "I'm sorry."

Chris nodded. "Sorry for yourself, we're not friends anymore, Alex." Alex watched helpless as Chris stormed off. He was loosing his friend.

"Chris wait!" He made to go after Chris but Kaiden's hand shot out, holding his tight. "Let's go," he said, his voice low and urgent.

"But-"

"We have a place to be," he cut him. Alex felt a shiver run down his spine as Kaiden led him to the Mustang.

The door swung open and Kaiden commanded. "Get in."

Alex slid into the passenger seat and Kaiden did the same, seating beside him.

The engine roared to life and they drove away. As the ride processed, Alex glanced back, watching Chris's figure disappear.

He faced his front and exhaled, wondering where he was going with Kaiden.

"You made the right choice," Kaiden said and Alex glared at him.

"You don't know that."

"I do. With time you'll understand, or maybe, never forgive me?" Kaiden said.

Alex's eyes blazed. "I'd really go for the second. You forced me to choose? That's not fair."

Kaiden chuckled. "Forgiveness is overrated."

Alex's fury boiled. "I don't need anything from you."

Just as Kaiden made to respond, the car collided with an object. The sound was deafening, metal crunching, glass shattering, the car spinning around.

Kaiden's reflexes were lightning-fast, he wrapped himself around Alex, protecting him from the crash as their bodies tumbled.

Twisted metal and shattered glass were everywhere, the whole place quieting down as the car laid in wreckage.