true colors - jb & ag 《completed》

{fourteen}

Ariana spun around and tripped over the edge of the sidewalk. As she stumbled forward, her momentum propelled her into a jog. Should she knock on someone's door? Tell them she'd seen a shadow in the trees? Her steps slowed to a fast walk as she took her phone out and dialed 911. Her finger hovered over the dial icon as she squinted back to where she'd seen the shadow. Nothing.

Had her mind been playing tricks on her? Could it have been a low swaying branch or a deer? Her mouth dry, she scanned the street, searching dense clusters of shrubbery, parked cars, and shadowed porches. A person could follow her for blocks, rushing from one hiding place to the next. Her chest tightened, her breath coming faster as her feet sped down the sidewalk. But why? Why hide? If someone wanted to hurt her, they would have had plenty of opportunities since she left Main Street.

Then again, maybe they were waiting for the right moment to yank her into the mouth of a deserted alley or their dark van idling near the sidewalk. The words of the threatening message loomed large in her mind. Rein in your boyfriend before somebody gets hurt. Her heart hammered painfully against her ribs as she lengthened her strides. That somebody could be her. She turned around, walking backward as she scanned the trees, her hair flying into her eyes, a horrifying thought occurring to her—if anything happened to her, the police would blame Justin. Then her stomach dropped. After witnessing the rage inside of him, maybe they'd be right.

She spun around, her throat tightening with panic. Had she made a mistake by allowing him back into her life? Had Brayden and her mom been right? Her finger hovered over the call button again as she strained to hear anything suspicious above the groan of the wind, and flinched when a low roar reverberated behind her, growing louder by the second.

She glanced back just as the jet black motorcycle pulled up beside her.

Justin.

"Need a ride?"

"No!" She stared straight ahead and kept walking. Visions of Justin's face contorting as he'd slammed that young kid against the wall caused her pace to quicken. Maybe she'd been wrong about Justin all along and their friendship had blinded her from the truth of his guilt.

The bike's engine growled as he pulled up beside her. "I got my motorcycle license today, and insurance. So I'm totally legit."

"Go away."

"I'll drop you off down the street so your mom doesn't see." The amusement in his voice sparked a memory of a long-ago night when they'd snuck out to watch a local punk band perform at the street fair. Riding home on the handlebars of Justin's bike, her ears burning from Origami's scalding lyrics and deafening bass, she'd kind of understood why her parents had told her she couldn't attend the concert. But the exhilaration of the night, of tasting the forbidden, had stayed with her long after Justin had dropped her off at the corner of her block.

Proving they were on the same wavelength, Justin's voice projected over the rumble of his bike as he sang the chorus of Origami's only hit, "Night falls on your heart, and my world explodes with wonders untold—"

"Justin, please, just go." Ariana cut him off before he sang the racy part, but she realized her steps had slowed to the point that when she glanced at him, the engine idled and he walked the bike forward with his feet on either side.

"Sorry I screwed up your date." His tone said the opposite.

"No, you're not."

After a few seconds of silence, he admitted, "You're right. I'm not." The engine revved, and he sped off down the street.

Ariana's breath caught. She hadn't expected him to leave her. But then he looped back, did a U-turn, and parked his bike half a block ahead. After putting down the kickstand, he turned off the engine, dismounted, and shoved the key into his pocket.