alright ↠ dylan o'brien

eleven.

One night he wakes, strange look on his face

Pauses, then says, you're my best friend

And you knew what it was

he is in love

-You Are In Love by Taylor Swift

Lola

We left right then and there. Mr. Barlen hadn't even gotten to his AP English class to teach which made it simple for us to sneak out of class and out of the school. The halls were mostly empty, apart from kids going to the office or going to use the bathroom. But other than that, we were clear of teachers. It was surprisingly easy to get out of school through the front doors. Nobody was there, and nobody was watching. The school obviously didn't care much if students went to their classes or not.

I had no idea here we were going. We both got into Dylan's car. He handed me the keys and I drove while he closed his eyes. I had some money in my pocket I had taken from Ray's wallet, like I always did, and so I decided to drive us to a café I liked. It took about fifteen minutes to get there due to the traffic, and Dylan had already fallen asleep. I shook him awake after parking right outside the café.

Dylan and I walked inside and were quickly greeted with warmth and the strong smell of coffee. Small tables were placed on top of the light brown hardwood floors. The walls were painted a blue-green color, making the whole place seem welcoming. I didn't come here often because I didn't like to steal money from Ray a lot. I was still hoping he would pay the water and electricity bill. But when I did come here, it always helped make me feel better. Everyone was so nice here, and it was just so peaceful. People came here after school to work on homework with friends. Couples came and ate and talked and laughed together. The whole feel of the place was wonderful.

I ordered two small lattes for us while Dylan took a seat at a small table seating two near the window. I thanked the cashier and brought the coffees over, handing one to Dylan before taking a seat across from him. He gave me a small smile as a thank you, his tired eyes showing me everything that needed to be said. "How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Tired," he muttered, "and sick. I think I caught something."

"Christmas break is in two days. Think you can make it until then?"

"Not a chance," he said, the corner of his lips barely curling into a smile as he sipped his coffee and stared out the window. "Thanks for ditching with me," he said after a long period of silence.

I looked at a mother bringing her two sons into the café. They argued and complained over what they could get, before their mother ordered lemonades for them. I brought my gaze back over to Dylan. His brown eyes had a tint of red on the outside. Light bags laid under them. His dark brown hair was messier than usual, and he looked so much like Dave it was unbearable. But I spoke nonetheless. "I owed you, anyways."

"For what?" he asked, amused.

"For last night," I said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I felt like showing someone," Dylan admitted. "I've never showed anyone that place before."

"I know. Thank you."

Dylan's eyes had a certain sparkle to them. They seemed to dance when he laughed or smiled or when he just. . . looked. There was always something going on in his eyes, and it intrigued me. I couldn't help but look at him, even when he knew I was staring. Everything about Dylan was beautiful. There was no other way to describe it.

He pulled his gaze away from me for a split second as he shifted positions to sit up straighter and bring his chair closer to the table. As if he were about to explain something to me. Say something important.

"Lola," Dylan started, looking like he was trying to gather his words. "You‒ I feel different around you. This is going to sound weird and crazy but I need to say it. You make me feel like a better person. I can be myself around you and I feel like I can tell you anything, you know? It's like, no matter where I am or what I'm doing, I find myself wanting to be with you. I don't know what it is, but I can let go of everything and tell you about it, even if I haven't told you half of the things about me. You wouldn't believe me if I did."

Dylan reached across the table in a swift motion and put his hand on top of mine, wrapping his fingers around my palm. He squeezed my hand lightly. It was soft and warm, like white sand on a beach. Like the feeling of Christmas.

"I think you're my best friend," he continued. "We've only known each other for a month, but I think you're my best friend. I can't talk to Brian or Ashley the way I can talk to you. You get me, and nobody else does. So thanks for being there."

I let out a deep breath. I didn't know what was happening, but my heart was racing and I had butterflies in my stomach. My hand tingled like it had electricity running through it. My hands were shaking a bit. I was lost just staring at him.

"Why me?" I asked quietly. "There's nothing special about me. I'm nothing like that person you just described. I'm just. . . just Lola, I guess. I'm lost, my past ruined me, I‒there are better people," I rambled.

Dylan opened up my hand and ran his finger along the scar that was engraved in it, tracing it like a drawing. He had a look of sadness written across his face, but it was very negligible. He slowly took hold of my other hand, his fingers warm against my cold ones.

"Don't you get it?" he said to me. "You always make me want or need something, and that something is always you."

*~*~*~*

Author's Note

Hey guys, so I know it's been a while since I updated because I've been making changes to this story (which I still am). I'm changing a lot of things, and so I'm going to write a long Author's Note explaining every change I made for those of you who don't want to go back and read the whole thing.
I wrote this update a few weeks ago, and didn't want to post it until after I edited everything, but I felt like you guys deserved it:) I love this chapter so much, and the song by Aaron Ziggman that I put at the top fits the mood of this chapter perfectly.
I also made a new trailer for this book because the first one sucked. Here it is: http://youtu.be/YG5cChV1B3U
I'm sorry the update was so short, but it was an important update. I love you all,

~Eva