Disclaimer: I do not own "The little red riding hood".

Chapter 3

Friday after school I drove almost directly to my grandma with a tiny detour to a pastry shop where I bought my grandma's favorite cake. I could stay over and still make it back to get ready to the dreaded party. I had all I needed at her place and I didn't really want to go home. I loved the trip to my grandma through the woods, mostly because it was such a deserted and quiet road, but also because I felt at ease when I was in the forest. It was like the threes sheltered me from my daily life and the town I couldn't wait to escape from.

Suddenly my car made some weird noises and forced me to stop. After some failed attempts to start my car again, I opened the door with a sigh.

Just perfect!

Even though I knew nothing about engines and cars, I took a glance at my engine, but of cause it didn't need oil or anything I actually knew something about.

I found my phone just about to call the town's only garage, but of cause there was no signal. I groaned in frustration and threw the useless phone on the unoccupied passenger's seat. I didn't look forward to walking several miles back to the town, but my grandma's cabin was almost just as far away. Before I came to any agreement with myself whether to go the one way or the other, I heard something from within the forest. I looked between the threes. Alarmed. It had sounded like something heavy. Like a big dog. I hoped it wasn't a cougar but I couldn't see anything and there was deadly quit.

Wait. It was too quit. Even the birds had stopped their love serenades. Somewhere to my right, a bird took off and I twirled around towards the sound.

I gasped, but it was neither a bird nor a cougar. It was a guy from town. Kyle Donovan. He worked at the garage with some of his other friends. He belonged to the kind of people who worshiped his motorcycle almost more than his friends. He had the reputation of a bad boy. Kyle and his friends were known as the local gang, even though I'm pretty sure they never really did anything illegal, other kids our age didn't do. They weren't angels, but neither where they criminals, but of cause, all this information where only something I heard, I never actually spoken to any of the guys in the gang. Ok, that's a lie. I was good friend with one of Kyle's best mates, Logan Hale. I still saw him sometimes, because our mothers where BFF as they liked to say. Vomit, I know. Logan was a nice guy though, it was easy and fun to talk to him, and he was like the brother I never had, but we didn't talk in public. It was like a silent agreement between us.

"Car trouble?" Kyle pulled me out of my inner monolog and I looked him in the eyes, like I did with everyone I spoke to. Charlie had told me, that when I look at someone like that, it feels like I look straight at the person's soul, and it was almost impossible to lie to me. He always exaggerated that way. He was a bit of a drama queen.

"Yeah, I don't really know what's wrong with it" I answered, ignoring the smirk and his mockingly tone. Without asking for my permission, he went over to the car and looked at the engine with a concentrated look on his face. I just watched him and thought – after a couple of minutes in silence – that I could try starting a conversation.

"How did you get here?" I haven't seen him walk along the road or heard him come driving on his motorcycle which – by the way – wasn't anywhere at sight.

"I have been walking through the woods and accidently saw you stop the car" he said like it was a completely normal thing to do, which it easily could be, because I didn't really know him. I just couldn't picture him as the hiking kinda guy.

"I wouldn't have thought you were so much of a nature boy" I couldn't help but say, slightly teasing the – almost – stranger who helped me with my car.

"Well, I'm not much of a boy, so…" he winked and played with his muscles to show off. I rolled my eyes with a light smile.

"Pardon me" I mocked kindly. I paid no mind to the fact that I was talking with one of the town's biggest bad boys for the first time.

"Apology accepted" he smirked and fiddled with something in my engine and his amused gaze found my. I just returned it clueless to way he suddenly turned his full attention to me.

"Try starting the car" he ordered and my face flushed barely noticeable. I got in the driver's seat and turned the keys with no expectations for it to actually work. When the engine started with a perfect sound, Kyle laughed with amusement and stood by my door, leaning slightly against the car with his arms resting on the edge of the car's roof and looking down at me.

"Don't look so surprised. Didn't you have any faith in me?" he feigned hurt, by the smile gave him away.

"Actually no, I just thought you guys spend all your time in that garage, because there's nowhere else for you to be" I teased sarcastically.

"Harsh" he stepped back from the door with a smirk and closed it for me. Luckily the window was open, which meant I didn't have to embarrass myself by fighting to get it open. My car really needed a makeover… or to get replaced, but the last option just didn't seem that appealing because I loved my junk car – especially because my mother hated it.

"Well thanks for helping me" I was about to drive when I thought of something.

"Do you need a ride to town?" even though it was quite the detour to go back again, it was the least I could do after he helped me.

"Don't think about it. I'll manage. Oh and by the way, you should come by the garage some time. Your car could really need a caring hand" he gave me another smile as he winked and turned to the forest again. Before long he disappeared as fast as he had shown up. I shrugged with a light smile I wasn't quite aware of before driving the rest of the way to grandma's. Struggling to figure out what Kyle Donovan still did in my head, but I guess it was only natural, seeing it was quiet extraordinary to run into him out here and the first time we talked, ever.