Passionate Exchange

Chapter Thirteen

Archer pulls out of the school car park and turns right. "Where are we going?"

The regret of getting into the car and then not listening when he told me to get out starts to settle in. Maybe this was a bad idea, maybe I should have just listened to him.

"Why should I tell you?" He starts. I open my mouth to respond but he continues before I get the chance. "You never listen to anything I say." He raises an eyebrow, challenging me. I roll my eyes, unable to deny his words.

He makes a good point. If he provided a bit more of an argument at the time, then I would have definitely considered listening to him.

"You're going to make us late." I stare out of the window as we go further and further away from the school.

"So?" The car comes to a halt at a stop sign.

I cross one leg over the other "You're skipping school?"

"No, we're skipping school." He shoots me a smirk before stepping on the gas, carrying on the journey to wherever we're going.

I gape at the side of his face. His attention has already returned to the road, so he doesn't notice my wide, panic-filled eyes. I narrow my eyes at him. How is he so calm? My palms are already clammy, and my throat's dry.

He's a bad influence. I knew he was from the moment I met him and yet here I am, sitting in a car with him skipping school. My inner voice tells me that it's my own fault for getting in with him in the first place, but I push it away.

I sink further into my seat. "At least tell me how far away it is." I plead.

He chuckles slightly and answers vaguely, "it's not far."

That wasn't the answer I was looking for, but it will do. At least I know he isn't driving hours away. I can't afford to be with him for hours again without an option to leave. That wasn't fun before. It won't be fun again.

It's not long before we stop outside a suspicious-looking repair shop. I have to admit, a lot of repair shops look suspicious but this one definitely looks worse than the rest.

I look around, chewing on my lip anxiously, and am glad to see the usual bustle of the city. We're not in a remote area, that's a good sign.

"Wait in the car." Archer orders before stepping out, slamming the door shut behind him. It startles me causing me to flinch slightly.

Once my heart returns to its normal pace, my frustration grows. Why should he get to order me around? He didn't even give me a chance to fight my corner. I could be more help out there than I am in here.

"You can do this, Madison. Don't let him control you like this." I say to myself, puffing my chest out in confidence. I open my door and step out onto the road. Well, here goes nothing.

I follow Archer in behind him. He notices my obnoxiously loud footsteps and shakes his head. "You never listen," he tuts.

Is it a bad sign that he doesn't even have to turn around to know that? "Next time, I'm locking the doors."

He comes face to face with a man covered in some sort of oil. He shakes his hand firmly, not caring about the substance that was just transferred onto him and gives him a nod of his head. They don't exchange any words. It seems the man already knows why he's here.

He grabs a box from one of the shelves before giving it to Archer. There's no labels or anything to indicate the contents of this incredibly suspicious-looking box.

"Who's she?" The man's attention averts to me. I look him dead in the eyes. I swear my soul leaves my body. His scrutinizing gaze makes me feel like he's assessing whether I'm a loose end that he needs to take care of.