Shelter

The next morning, the girl that I met yesterday, Eleanor, is sitting in one of the empty seats next to mine. Her brown hair is curled to perfection and her makeup looks flawless, as it did yesterday. I subconsciously look down at my white jeans and pink blouse, promising myself that I will dress up tomorrow.

"So how are you liking it here?" Eleanor asks me as we exit the classroom after the bell rings.

"It's okay," I smile slightly.

"You'll get used to it," she touches my shoulder before heading to her second period. I grab my French notebook out of my locker on the way across the school to my class.

Emily is sitting in her seat when I get in there, talking to a tall boy with blonde hair and a lip piercing. I slide down into my seat beside her and raise my eyebrows at her when she catches my eye.

"Scarlet, this is Luke. Luke, Scarlet," she says, and I hold out my hand for Luke to shake.

"So you're Scarlet," he sums up and sits on the edge of Emily's desk.

"Yep," I say, annoyed that he already knows.

"Your dad's the sheriff, right?" He asks. Finally, the pieces start coming together. Everyone must know who I am because of my father!

"Yeah."

He chuckles. "That must suck."

I furrow my brow. "Why?"

"Because you can't get away with anything. He's probably got someone watching you now."
The bell rings overhead and Luke leaves the room before I can respond.

"Luke was just messing with you," Emily tells me when I stay silent.

I force a smile. "Yeah, I could tell."

The class is the same as yesterday, everyone working on their projects. Toward the end of the period Ms. Matthews calls us up to her desk and explains to us what she would like for our project. As we are walking back, I catch Harry sitting in the back, smiling. Our eyes lock as I sit down, and even when my back is turned I can still feel him staring at me.

Confusion covers my face when I see that my bag is open on my desk. I go to ask Emily if I left it like this but the bell rings and she leaves class in a hurry. I shake off my suspicions and pack up my things. My shoulder bumps into someone as I stand up, and I look beside me to see Harry smiling, again.

"Why are you smiling?" I boldly ask him as we walk out of the room.

"Just enjoying my day," he winks and turns around. I watch as he leaves, his hands shoving something into his bag as he heads down another hallway. Weird boy.

The day passes quickly, and soon we are heading home from school. As we are pulling into the driveway, I notice my mother's black car parked in the garage. She must not have had to work today.

"How was school?" She is waiting by the door when we get inside the house. The kitchen smells of beef, and I crane my neck around her to see burgers sizzling on the stove.

"Good," I tell her as I grab an apple out of the fruit bowl. She smiles at my answer and tells me that Dad will be home late since he has a meeting. I wander upstairs after chatting with her about school and change into a pair of sweats and a long sleeved shirt. I don't have much homework, so I go ahead and start on it before I forget.

While I'm working at my desk, my phone begins buzzing. I pick it up to see an unknown caller, swipe the red button to decline, and set it back down. A few seconds later it buzzes again, and three more times afterward. Frustrated, I set down my pencil and pick up my phone.

"Who is this?" I ask harshly.

Someone chuckles on the other end. "Well hello to you, too."

"Who is this?" I repeat.

"Calm down, Scarlet. It's just Harry."

Harry? "How did you get my number?" I demand.

"I found it," he answers. His British accent thickens as he says the three words, and my anger momentarily fades.

"Where did you find it?"

"In a book of yours," he laughs.

I stand from my desk and walk over to my desk. "I never gave you my book."

"Like I said, I found it." He argues.

"What?" I ask before I remember my open bag. "You went through my bag?!"

"You left it open!" He points out.

"That doesn't give you permission to go through my bag!" I am so angry. I barely know this kid and the first chance he gets he goes through my things. The nerve of him!

"What did you take?" I ask suddenly. Did I have money in there?

"You'll see in the morning," he says vaguely.

I roll my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose. "I can't believe you."

I practically hear him smirking through the phone. He clears his throat and says, "have a good night's sleep, Scarlet," and with that he hangs up the phone.

I throw my phone onto the bed and punch the mattress. He takes my stuff, and then somehow gets a hold of my number. I really hope he doesn't have my address. Knowing him he'll probably show up here in the middle of the night.

I grab my bag off of my desk and dump all of its contents out onto the bed. I begin fishing through each item, starting with my wallet, and take inventory. Thankfully, all of my money is in there, and none of my credit cards are stolen. I shove everything back in there one at a time, making sure not to miss anything. When the final thing is safely in the bag, I realize what is missing.

My book that my aunt gave me before we left. I take a deep breath and fall back onto my bed, determined to get that damn book back.

Notes

Hello, again guys! I decided to do a double update this weekend, sorry if it's on a cliffhangar! It's supposed to rain like all week here so maybe some of my plans will get cancelled and I can update again. Don't forget to vote and comment and subscribe and just be awesome! Lol I'm so corny