But just before I stepped off the yard, I heard the thud of footsteps running after us and my stomach sank.


    Alexander wasn’t done with his mind games yet.


    “Wait, Olivia! I need to talk to you,” he called.


    N


    I turned around because I knew that running away from him would seem childish.


    He gazed at me with an expression that made me shift fro another. Alexander was staring at me with such intensity u seemed like he was trying to read my mind.


    il


    foot to


    “You’re going to her uncle’s house?” he asked and nodded, and Kelly, who was slowly edging away from the group, her eyes on Alexander. She seemed weary of him.


    “Yes…” I answered, having a bad feeling about what wasing next.


    “I’m free for the rest of the day, so why don’t I join you,” Alexander said in a casual tone, but his eyes were calcting.


    He stood next to me and gestured for us to keep walking.


    I wanted to argue that he hadn’t been invited along, but I knew that the sun would go down soon, and we really didn’t have time for Alexander and me to fight right now. We needed to get going.


    “Wait here and tell everyone that I’ll be back for ate dinner,” Alexander told Gai./


    0.00%


    <b>114510 </b>


    Chapter <b>195 </b>


    She nodded, wished us luck, and then went inside.


    As the six of us continued along the riverbank, Kelly gestured for <b>Ava </b>and me to walk beside her.


    “Does this new guy know about…what happened to me, Chloe and Russell?” she whispered. “I don’t know if I’mfortable with himing along. I think the fewer people that know about what happened to me, the safer it is for everyone.”


    “No, he doesn’t know anything,” Ava assured her. “And if he gets a little too curious, we can tell him to get lost.”


    This seemed tofort Kelly for now.


    I turned back and noticed that Alexander had a secret smi as if he knew we were talking about him.


    s face


    Kelly took the lead again as we walked down the damp grass next to the river.


    Somehow, Alexander managed to walk beside me, making it hard for me to form a coherent thought. He kept his arm right next to mine, and every so often, our skin would brush and send an electric shock throughout my body.


    “I’m just going to squeeze in here,” Aiden said, trying to get in between Alexander and me.


    But Ava roughly pulled her brother back by his wrist. “You failed to protect us from that dog even though it was your one job,” she scolded. “As your punishment, you have to walk beside your annoying big sister and not my pretty best friend.”


    I turned around and noticed that Ava was smiling at her brother with amusement.


    27.15%


    1145D


    <b>“</b><b>Yeah</b>, kid. You want to stay out of what’s ever going on between those two,” Richard whispered, his deep voice carrying along the riverbank “You would never win in a fight against Alexander <b>I’m </b>trained in five different martial arts, and I don’t <b>think </b>I could,”


    Aiden and Robert started bickering about who would <b>win </b><b>in </b>a fight: Alexander or Aiden.


    It was obvious that they thought we <b>couldn’t </b>hear them, but we all could.


    Alexander leaned down and put his lips right beside <b>my </b>ear. <b>When </b><b>his </b>warm breath hit my cheek, I couldn’t help the <b>shiver </b>that went <b>up </b><b>my </b>spine.


    “Who would you want to win in a fight?” He <b>murmured</b>,


    teasing, but there was an edge of anger. “Me or the kid?”


    I wasn’t going to fall for a trap like that. I just pretended <b>not </b>to hear his


    question and sped up to walk beside Kelly.


    It took us fifteen minutes to make it to Kelly’s uncle’s house. The closer that we got to our destination, the more spaced out the houses were


    After we walked over a small wooden bridge, Kelly <i>led </i>us to an ancient–looking two–story house. Her uncle’s house was just as dpidated as Kelly’s apartmentplex had been. The windows were missing shutters, there was junk all over thewn, and the dark wood the house was made of had seen better days.


    An older woman who Kelly resembled walked down the pathway with the help of a cane.


    “Kelly! I didn’t know you wereing by today,” she said and brought the younger girl into a tight hug.


    Chamer <b>195 </b>


    “I was in the vige with some…friends. And I wanted to stop <b>by </b><b>and </b>say hi,” Kelly exined. “Hope that’s alright, Gran.”


    “Of course,e in,” Kelly’s grandmother said and smiled at us warmly.


    The inside was just as cluttered as the outside, but at least the living room had enough seats for the seven of us.