Edited 22/4/17

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Chapter Five

My feet pound the pavement. The hard concrete below echoing inside of me. The constant wind whips past my ears. Hard and tired breaths escape my lungs. Morning fog, covers the city.

My breath rapid as I take in the cold air around me. Slowing down to an almost stop, I jog past the empty playground. Wondering when life took off? I once swung on those monkey bars, I once slid down that slide. But now, I run past wishing and dreaming to go back when life was full. Complete.

Now I feel empty. My parents death, took out a part of my heart, and I don't see it getting replaced.

My phone beeps, bringing me out of my trance.

I ignore the phone, and carry on running. I've been running for 30 minutes, and I'm numb from the cold air. Returning back to my home, I decide on a hot shower before school.

"Morning Finn." I greet, drying my hair with a towel.

"Hey Ava." He replies, not looking up from his computer.

"What are you doing?" I ask, walking around the counter to look over his shoulder.

"Boring security stuff." He says laughing, "I heard you won yesterday's race?" he explains finally looking up from his computer.

"Yeah I did, Cameron keeps saying he goes easy against me." I say laughing, and rolling my eyes as I remember after the race.

"How many times have I won now Cam?" I laugh.

"Come on A, you know I go easy on ya" He jokes and we both start laughing.

"Yeah whatever Cameron, nice car by the way." I reply sarcastically, winking at him. He just shakes his head and smirks.

"It's a beauty!" he whistles at it and I laugh.

"It's also grandma Jodie's isn't it?" I ask.

He looks away shamefully, and I already know the answer. I start cracking up.

"Ava?" Finn asks, shaking his hand in front of my face.

"Sorry what?" I ask, blinking back to reality.

"Can you take me to the warehouse after school, I've got to talk to the team about some set ups." He asks, putting his empty bowl of 'Captain Crunch' in the sink.

"Yeah that's fine." I reply, scrolling through Facebook.

"Sweet, bye!" Finns yells running out the door.

When the door slams shut. I realise I've got tutoring after school.

I run down the hallway to tell Finn, but I can already hear him getting into a car. Probably Patrick, my drivers car. Finn always steals my driver.

Without making a scene, I decide to just text him.

Wait, why don't I just get Caleb to tutor me another day?

How did I not think of this?

I grab my school bag and race out the door. My blonde wig gets in my face as the wind whips it around.

Clambering into the car, I start it and make my way to school. In hope of catching Caleb before he goes to his first class.

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When getting my books out of my locker, out the corner of my eye I see Caleb. He's pressed up against a different girl from yesterday. He's whispering something in her ear, and she's giggling. Ew.

"Enjoying the show?" Adam asks, tapping me on the shoulder. I flush with embarrassment.

I don't reply, just pretend to be scared. Hopefully he will leave me alone, I can't deal with him today.

Realistically I can't deal with him everyday.

He pushes me against my locker, my head smashing against it catching me by surprise. The loud sound causes students passing by to stop and watch.

"You think you're better than everyone?!" He shouts in my face, his arms on either side of my head, stopping me from going anywhere.

I don't recall saying I was better than everyone?

Obviously Adam wants to test my patience today. Like every other day.

I shake my head, looking down shamefully.

I wonder what I'm having for dinner tonight? Maybe pasta, or hamburg-

"Hello?! Deaf girl?"

I smile inwardly at the thought of having hamburgers. Delicious.

"Leave her alone dude." Someone pats Adams shoulder. I think it was someone from the football team. I'm not sure.

"Why are you smiling?" Adam asks angrily.

"Just thinking about what I'm having for dinner tonight." I mutter more to myself. But he hears it, of course he hears it.

Suddenly, he grabs my bag. Spilling the contents on the floor in front of everyone. Chuckles are heard amongst the crowd.

Adam takes my now empty bag to the water fountain, making sure to completely saturate it.

Thanks Adam, it needed a clean.

"Nerd!" He laughs with the crowd, and throws me back my wet bag.

I catch it, water spraying off onto my shirt and pants.

The bell rings signalling first period. Everyone walks away, and I start cleaning up my stuff.

Not everyone walks away.

"You shouldn't have said that." He states blankly.

"Said what?" I ask dumbly, looking up at Caleb. Who has his hands in his jeans and his hair messy from the girl who was all over him.

"Don't get me wrong it was funny, but Adam holds grudges." He laughs, remembering what I had said.

"Well, he already hates me, so..." I reply, shrugging my shoulders. Continuing to collect my scattered bag belongings.

Caleb doesn't reply, just nods.

I pick all my stuff up, throwing it into my locker. Along with the wet bag.

I'll just ditch first and second, and get Tommy to bring me a new bag for third.

I realise Caleb is still standing on the opposite wall, staring at me.

"What?" I ask confused.

"Meet me by my truck after school." He states simply then starts walking away. I hate how he walks away in the middle of a conversation.

"Actually, I'm gonna need to postpone our tutorial today." I interject.

He stops in his tracks, then turns to look at me. A confused look on his face.

"Why?" He asks rudely.

"It's none of your business." I shrug.

"You either meet me at my truck, or you don't get tutored." He replies persistently.

Good! I don't need a tutor.

"That's what I thought." He smirks, when he doesn't hear my reply.

I scoff and continue walking, my plan didn't go to plan.

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I walk out of the opened school doors, letting the afternoon sun, burn my skin. I smile at the weather. Usually it's cloudy. But today there is not a cloud in the sky.

After getting another bag from Tommy during second period, I continued my classes for the rest of the day.

Until now, when I'm meeting up with Caleb.

I see him standing next to his truck, talking to the same girl as this morning.

She's laughing and he's doing his handsome smirk.

I walk over to them awkwardly, Caleb doesn't notice me, but his flavour of the day does.

"What the hell are you looking at nerdy Ava?" she squeaks at me, mentally I laugh. Caleb looks up from her shoulder, and rolls his eyes when he sees me.

I don't say anything, just walk with my head down to the opposite side of his truck, and get in.

I really wanted to go to the gang today, didn't Finn say he needed a ride?

Caleb opens his drivers door and gets in.

I curse at forgetting about my brother. Quickly grabbing my phone, I call Finns number.

"Ava where are you?" He answers.

"Sorry Finn, I'm held up at school." I say turning and sending a small glare in Caleb's direction.

"You never miss Thursdays meeting." He says, I can feel his frown through the phone.

Every Thursday we have a huge meeting with every leader in the gang, I have to be present to discuss upcoming events.

"I know, I'll try make it." I say in hope Finn will understand that I really didn't want to miss today.

"You've got 3 hours." He states.

"Call Tom, he'll take you." I whisper, hopefully Caleb doesn't hear me over the roar of the truck engine. It's then I realise we are moving.

"I tried, he's not picking up."

"I'll call him, see you soon." I say quickly.

"Yep." He hangs up.

"Who was that?" Caleb asks straight away. I hold my finger up, as if to say 'give me a minute'.

I dial in Tommys number. He usual picks up my calls.

"A." He answers immediately.

"Can you pick up Finn? He needs a ride."

"Yeah, but where are you?" He asks curiously. He doesn't sound angry but I know as soon as the next words leave my mouth, he will be furious.

"Tutoring." I mutter.

"A! I told you to fix this or I'm pulling you out of school!" He shouts at me. I pout at ruining his mood.

"I know, I know."

"Ava, I'm serious." His voice goes cold through the phone and makes my hairs stand up.

"I'll be there for the meeting." I hang up quickly, so I don't hear his fury anymore.

I'm brought back to the world of Ava, when Caleb pulls into a pizzeria.

Excitement floods through me. I love pizza.

I practically leap from the car, as we pull into a parking space.

"What time do you have to go to your meeting?" He asks casually as we sit down at a counter, once inside the pizzeria.

Did I say I had a meeting? Why did I say that?

"Uh?" I say, speechless as to how to reply. Awkward. "6:30."

"Okay, so what are you stuck on?" He asks, gesturing to my biology book.

From there all awkward tension disappeared.

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"You have a job?" Caleb asks. We have been sitting at the pizzeria for an hour now, and I think I've got my head around life form and genetic variation.

"Yeah, why?" I say in a duh tone, trying not to sound suspicious.

"I thought nerds were dedicated to books." He smirks.

I scoff.

"I'm not a nerd." I gesture to the books and tutor session going on, "clearly, and besides if nerds were dedicated to books, I wouldn't be surprised to know that your whole house is just a library."

He laughs and I roll my eyes but smile anyway.

His laugh sounds deep and comforting. I want him to laugh again.

"Your very different, in a way it's either suspicious or ordinary. I don't know you well enough to decide." He blurts out. His eyes tell me he didn't mean to say that.

"W-what do you mean suspicious?" I stutter.

If Tommy heard this conversation, I would never be allowed to step foot in school again.

Please tell me Caleb doesn't know! I need to be way more careful. High school is where I forget the gang, even if only for a little bit.

"It doesn't matter. So where do you work?" He asks curiously, changing the topic.

"I'm not answer anything until you tell me why you were so persistent to tutor me." I conclude.

"I wasn't persistent. I just wanted to get to know you is all." Caleb grins after he finishes speaking and I roll my eyes.

"Why?" My eyebrow raises in question. No one has ever cared to get to know me.

"Your intriguing." Caleb's blue eyes shine with amusement and something else I can't pinpoint.

"Whatever." I scoff lightly, but the faintest smile makes its way into my face.

"Your not as nervous as you seem around  that prick Adam." Caleb leans back in his seat, watching me intently.

I grab the sugar packets and start stacking them to distract myself from him.

"I thought Adam was your friend?"

"I hate Adam."

"Then why hang around him?" I ask in surprise.

"He throws good parties." Yet another smirk covers his sarcastic face.

I don't reply and instead look around the pizzeria.

It's practically empty. Only an older couple are in a window seat and two business woman are seated by the door.

"I didn't think shops had meetings?" Caleb changes the conversation back to me faster than expected.

He leans across the table, his jaw resting on his palms as he studies my face. I look away, my cheeks flushing red at how close he is.

Wait, what?

"Oh yeah. My job, shop my shop. The shop I work at does." I internally cringe at my flustered reply. "Do you have a job?" I say trying to change the subject again.

"I'm taking over my fathers business, very soon." He states angrily. His blue eyes cloud over with an emotion of frustration. He must not want to take over his fathers business.

"You don't want to?" I ask, curious about the job that would get the response of pure disgust.

"Not in a million years." He says blankly, and I know when not to intrude so I don't further my questions.

After a moment silence, Caleb points to my phone that was sitting on the counter. I pick it up, Tommy's calling.

"Excuse me." I say to Caleb, as I step outside the pizzeria.

"What?" I answer, my voice doing a 180 from a polite nerd to a fierce gang leader.

"Where the hell are you? It's 6:20!" He shouts into the phone. I look at the clock on my phone. I almost jump when I see I had lost track of time. I guess I must of gotten distracted.

Right distractions, are a big no.

"I'm on my way." I say hanging up.

Quickly, I rush back inside and start packing away my biology books, Caleb just stares at me amusingly.

"Can I have a ride?" I ask.

He smirks and pulls out his car keys from his pocket.

"Come on." He says, guiding me to his truck.

I get in and ask him to drop me off at the park around the corner from my house.

He drives quickly, obviously aware of my urgency.

We pull up to the park, Caleb insists on driving me home, but I don't want him to see my house.

I thank him and say goodbye, he simply nods his head and drives off.

It's from there I start sprinting home, to my car so I can drive to the warehouse.

Eventually making it home, I check the clock. 6:35. I'm so late.

I quickly get changed into a white shirt, leather jacket and black skinny jeans. I take off my wig and my glasses.

Getting into my car, I make my way quickly towards the Grey Gang warehouse.

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I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it was fun to write. Next chapter should be done in 2 days.

If you are enjoying this book, please comment, vote and share. It would mean a lot!! <3

Xx

- mcjennels