Spark

2 - Leave Me Alone

Can we be seventeen? -RIVERDALE

It's dark when I leave Ally's office. I make a stop at the little diner on the street adjacent and order what I like to refer to as comfort food because talking to someone about my feelings and problems for about two hours is no easy feat for me.

The diner is empty, save for a man who seems to be in his mid thirties sitting in the corner, drinking what I assume to be coffee and clicking and clacking away at a laptop.

I'm five minutes into eating my food when someone else walks in. My mouth is stuffed full with the burger in my hands and I freeze when I see Miles saunter up to the counter, pushing his long dark hair away from his face. I hate how my lips twitch to smile at that action. I constantly have to remind myself he's a really annoying person sometimes.

He speaks to the guy behind the counter and then walks up to me. Like we're friends who had planned to meet up here.

"Do you realise what time it is?" He asks, slipping into the booth opposite me.

I swallow hard and take a huge gulp from my cola. "Someone might think we're actually friends." I say dryly.

He folds his arms on the table between us and leans closer. "I still find it so weird that you can talk."

I become a statue. I knew I was going to hate the moment he ever said anything about it. And I was right, I hate it now. I hate the look of sheer pleasure and interest on his face as he watches me talk. Like I'm some alien kid who's just learnt to speak English. I'm not dumb. I never was. He knows that. It's probably why he wants to pick at that scab.

"Can you go sit somewhere else now?" I ask, tearing my eyes away from him. "My food might not digest properly from having you around."

"No," He curtly replies. "I'll drive you home."

I choke on my food and let out a series of coughs before grabbing the water before me. My eyes water as I drink from the bottle in my hands.

"I'm not even in your car yet and I almost died," I say, dropping the bottle back on the table. "I am never entering your car again."

Again because this isn't the first time he's had me climb into his car. It's moments like this that I want to hate him more. When he walks up to me and shows affection. When he confuses me with his words and his actions. When he makes it most difficult to hate him. That's when I desperately need to remind myself of what a terrible person he is. Otherwise he'd have his way and I'd be utterly pathetic.

The guy behind the counter walks up to us at that moment, handing Miles a takeaway paper bag. Miles says thanks like he's some weird creature actually capable of being polite and then turns back to me with dead eyes.

"You're done, right?" He says, arching a brow, ignoring my refusal to enter his car.

I stare down at my now empty plate and mentally cuss myself out for not giving myself an out. "I'm taking the bus. I'm not getting in your car."

He gets out of his booth and walks over to my side, grabbing my hand. He pulls on me with a much greater force than I can resist and I grab my backpack on the chair in a fluid motion before he leads us outside the diner.

We are about ten steps away from his car before I force myself out of his hand. "Are you crazy? You can't just force me to get into your car? This could be considered a kidnapping."

"Can you stop being dramatic and just get in?" He calmly says.

I scoff. "I'm being dramatic? I did not just pull you out of a diner, did I? And at least I don't go around acting all crazy around you."

"You called me an egotistical maniac this morning," He says dryly. "How's that for dramatic?"

"YOU ARE AN EGOTISTICAL MANIAC!" I bellow, stabbing him in the chest with my finger. I sigh when I realise I've just gone above my usual octave again. My hands go to my hips and I shake my head. "Listen, we're not friends. You've made that clear to me and literally everyone else we know. So stop offering me rides at times like this or doing things anyone else might consider nice. Just leave me alone, okay?"

He runs his fingers through his hair and opens the passenger door. "Are you getting in? I've got a math test tomorrow morning and a game in the afternoon."

I gape at him in awe. Did he really just ignore my Leave me alone speech?

I sigh, pulling in my bottom lip and get into the stupid car. He shuts the door and goes round to the driver's seat.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" He says, when he gets into the car.

×××

He pulls up into his driveway and we both get out. I'm torn between simmering and exhaustion. Because he makes me both exhausted and angry.

Miles walks over to my side with the paper bag in his hands. He stretches it out to me and I lift my brows like he's offering me a time bomb.

"What? You want me to take that from you?" I ask.

He rolls his eyes. "Yadda, Yadda, Yadda Galaxy," He says, intentionally calling me the wrong name. He grabs my hand and shoves the bag into it. "We both know you're going to eat again. Bye now."

I stare at him in horror as my legs slowly move away from his driveway. Ally seriously needs to personality test her son.