The Reject

Chapter Thirteen - Red

Remembering him comes in flashbacks and echoes
Tell myself it's time now, gotta let go
But moving on from him is impossible
When I still see it all in my head
Burning red ~ Red – Taylor Swift

It took me about two months for me to realize that he wasn’t ever coming back. Well, yeah, I’d only known him for about six days but the impact he had on my life was huge. I mean, I was a twelve year old girl who was abused and bullied. Give me a break if I couldn’t forget the only person my age who didn’t think I was a freak.

Yes, I was abused and bullied before I became sixteen. I was getting hit and pushed for a whole other reason then. You see, the pack found me when I was eleven years old in the forest surrounding the pack house. I was actually living with my parents and my parents, only. We weren’t in a pack. My parents had never told me why.

We didn’t live in this town, either. I had many friends in my other home.  I was actually one of the populars. Well, as popular you can get when you’re eleven. I was in the track team, along with swimming. I couldn’t remember the name of my closest friend anymore. I actually can’t remember much of my “kiddy-days”.

Anyway, my parents told me that we were going for a “vacation”. They actually looked too worried to be going for a vacation. They kept looking at each other a lot. And they’d look at me too. Lovingly… as if to say their sorry.

They had made me pack my stuff. Told me to put in my most favorite and memorable possessions. I just thought it was going to be a long vacation.

They had hardly packed anything though. They had their suitcases but they were mostly empty. I didn’t ask them anything as I was mad at them. They were taking me away in the middle of the school year! What about my track and swimming teams? What about my un-named friends?

I was giving them the silent treatment, sulking in the back seat of the car with my arms crossed.

It was almost midnight and we were going on the road that had trees on both of its sides. I was a bit creeped out of the darkness and the imaginary shadows lurking in the forest.

I looked at mom to find that she was looking back at me. She suddenly took my hand and kissed its back. She murmured ‘It’s going to be okay, sweetie. Don’t worry, alright? It’s going to be over soon.”

I realized that she had tears in her eyes. I immediately thought that she was sad because I was angry at her. I leaned forward and hugged. ‘I’m sorry.’

She pulled back. ‘What are you sorry about, honey?’ I told her ‘You’re crying because I’m mad at you. I’m sorry. I love you.’

Then she suddenly started to sob, making me more worried. What’s going on?

She stroked my cheek ‘So innocent…’ she murmured. She looked at dad, more tears streaking down her face. ‘Why… why must they be such innocent souls, Richard? Why?’

What was she talking about? I looked at dad, hoping that he would have the answer, or that he would at least make mom stop crying. ‘What is mom talking about, dad?’

But I was shocked, to find that even his eyes were wet with unshed tears. ‘Don’t worry, honey’ he said ‘Mom’s just worried about something.’ His voice cracked. Now I was definitely worried.

A beeping sound came from somewhere in the car. I looked around, searching for it at the same time mom let out another heart-breaking sob.

‘I can’t do it, Richard.’ She tugged at his hand ‘Don’t! No! Please!’ She was begging him. He suddenly looked at me. His hands left the steering wheel and he cupped my face. He kissed my forehead and hugged me. ‘What’s going on, dad?’ I whimpered. I felt like crying. I was scared.

I watched as a tear slipped out of his eye. He looked at mom and hugged her, his other hand still around me. Mom clutched my hand and looked into my eyes. She looked wild, with the tears wetting her cheeks and her hair a mess.

‘You’ll be fine, sweetie. Search for help as soon as it happens, alright?’ Then she kissed my forehead, the same way dad had.

‘As soon as what happens?’ I asked, my voice tiny. But they both just smiled at me, sadly. ‘What’s going to happen?’ I asked, my voice becoming higher as I panicked. ‘Mom? Dad?’

Dad looked out the window and nodded to my mom. She let out a sob at the same time as she pulled at my hand hard. She had opened her door and threw me out.

I screamed. Mom screamed. We all screamed because at the same time I fell into a bush that badly scratched me, the car exploded as it hit a tree.

Just like that. I had stopped screaming as I stared at the burning car. It was a bit far from here. A tiny house could fit in the distance.

But all I could think of was that this must be a dream. A nightmare.

I was later found by the night patrollers of this pack, screaming for help. They thought I was mad, until they saw the wreck themselves. My parents’ bodies were burned. They took me in their pack. My suitcase was safe, as dad had thrown it out, the same time mom threw me out.

At first, I decided that they killed themselves on purpose. But then I realized how stupid that was.

I had nightmares for more than six months about that night. Six months. It was the tenth month of my stay here when I met Jace. And then, the best week of my entire life began.

But then, he disappeared. No warning. No goodbye. Nothing.

We’d gone to the park for a tiny little picnic. He’d promised to show me how to play a guitar and he’d made me promise to draw him. I was a pretty good artist then too.

As he played the song he’d told me that he wrote –though it sounded suspiciously like a Carpenter song- I drew him. A good thing about that was that I could stare at him as much as I wanted when I did. Yeah, I was twelve but he did look really handsome!

He’d scooted closer to me to take a good look at the drawing. A little too close but I wasn’t complaining. This was the first time a boy was really close to me and I was strangely feeling happy.

I proudly showed him the drawing and he smiled at me. It was like the first time he was, like, smiling. Usually, he’d have this cute little smirk on his face. Same with me. That was the first time I was too smiling at him. Who knew that would be the last time we’d smile at each other.

He asked me a question, right then. One that made me gasp and turn red, which in turn made him laugh.

‘Can I kiss you?’ That was the question. I let out a nervous, sarcastic laugh.

‘No.’ I crossed my arms. ‘Aw, why not?’ He pouted.

‘Because!’ I threw my hands up.

‘Nothing bad will happen.’ He grinned.

‘What if someone sees us?’ I asked him, my blush not fading.

He threw his hands up this time ‘So what?’

I looked at him, shy for the first time. ‘Fine!’ I pretended to be mad, but he seemed to know I was acting.

 He cupped my cheeks and at the same time, his became red. His cheeks, I mean. He looked cuter than I could ever manage to.

His eyes, instead of looking at my lips, were on mine. Asking for permission, I guessed. I nodded.

And then he kissed me. And honestly… I don’t know how I felt. We were interrupted by Bernie shouting at us. Jace grinned as he took my hand and we sprinted away from Bernie, our hands intertwined.

This is more of a filler. And can you guys please vote? That’d be great, you know. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!