Trouble.
That's what Aster Westwood was.
Rea had known it from the beginning, and yet, here she was, walking beside him through the parking lot like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Do you always wait for people at their lockers?" she asked, hugging her books to her chest.
Aster smirked. "Nope."
"Then why me?"
He glanced at her. "Because you don't belong here."
Rea stiffened. "Excuse me?"
"I mean this school, this town—it's not you." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "You move like you're ready to leave at any second."
Rea swallowed. She hated how accurate that was.
"You don't belong here either," she shot back.
Aster grinned. "Exactly."
Rea wasn't sure why, but that made something loosen in her chest.
They reached his car, and Aster leaned against the hood, watching her. "So, you coming with me or not?"
Rea hesitated. "Where?"
"Somewhere that doesn't feel like this place."
She knew she should say no.
But instead, she exhaled and muttered, "Fine."
Aster's smirk widened, and he opened the passenger door for her.
She slid in, wondering what the hell she was getting herself into.
---
They drove for a while, leaving the town behind. The farther they got, the more Rea felt like she could breathe.
Aster didn't say much. He just played music—low, steady beats that filled the silence without demanding anything from her.
Finally, he pulled onto a narrow dirt road and parked at the edge of a lake.
The water stretched wide, reflecting the sky in soft ripples. Trees lined the shore, their branches swaying in the breeze.
Rea stepped out of the car, the scent of damp earth and pine filling her lungs.
She turned to Aster. "Why here?"
He shrugged. "It's quiet."
Rea understood instantly.
She walked closer to the water, kicking off her shoes and letting her toes sink into the cool sand.
Aster watched her, then sat down on the hood of his car, stretching his legs out in front of him.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Then Aster said, "Why do crowds freak you out?"
Rea froze.
She wasn't used to people asking that. Most just assumed she was shy or weird.
She swallowed. "They just do."
Aster tilted his head. "Yeah, but why?"
Rea hesitated. Then, finally, she admitted, "Because it feels like I can't breathe. Like the walls are closing in." She crossed her arms. "And because if there are too many people, it's too easy to get lost."
Aster was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "I get that."
Rea glanced at him. "You do?"
He nodded. "Sometimes, even when you're in the middle of a crowd, you feel like you're the only one who's actually there."
Rea's chest tightened.
Because yes.
That was exactly it.
She sat down beside him, their shoulders almost touching.
"You don't have to be alone, you know," she said softly.
Aster smirked, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Neither do you."
Rea didn't know what to say to that.
So she didn't say anything at all.
Instead, she let the quiet settle around them, a strange sort of understanding passing between them.
Maybe Aster Westwood was trouble.
But maybe—just maybe—he was the kind she didn't want to run from.