Out of the Darkness

98

She was breathing hard, an annoyed expression on her face. "I appreciate you helping me, and caring so much, but I don't HAVE to tell you anything." I was shocked with how upset she seemed to be. I had never seen her like this. "Anna, I just want to help. You asked me to help you!" She jerked her eyes away from me, and looked out the window. "Well, maybe that was wrong. I shouldn't have asked. There's no way you can help me and I don't want your help anymore." I waited to see if she would say something else, anything, to let me know that she didn't mean it. She remained quiet and didn't look my way again. I guess that told me everything I needed to know right now. I gave her one little sharp nod, then exited the car. My chest thumped heavily against my chest, as I shut my door and walked away, leaving her in the car. I needed a minute to myself. The neon lights inside the darkened building did nothing to distract my mind from what had just happened. Anna was different now. At first, she seemed so happy to see me, to be back, but now...well, now I was starting to wonder if she even liked me at all. Then I remembered the kiss we had shared before we left. She definitely liked me. Maybe liked me as much as I liked her. There was no denying the way that kiss that felt. The attendant had to say "Sir" about 3 times, before I realized he was talking to me. I jerked myself out of my daydreams, and went about setting up a night for Sam. I had to concentrate. She wasn't wrong about that. Right now, it was about Sam. After I finished booking that event, I headed back out to the car, dragging my feet a little, because I didn't want to be in that unfamiliar awkwardness that seemed to be between us. She was still looking out the window when I got back into the car, just as solid as she was earlier. I guess it didn't tire her out too much. That was probably just an excuse so that I couldn't touch her. But why would she do that? I sighed  heavily, and started up my car without saying a word. I finally understood what people meant when they said you could cut the tension with a knife. I wanted to say something to break the ice, the coldness that had seemed to seep into our day, but nothing seemed right. So, I kept my mouth shut. The longer she was silent, the more annoyed I got. I was tired of being the one to try with this. If she wanted to be just friends, then fine. If she didn't want my help, and wanted to leave, well, that was her choice. My heart twisted painfully at the thought of never seeing her again, but I knew that I would have to let her go eventually. She wasn't meant to be in this world, sadly. It seemed like it took forever to go to all the places that I needed to for Sam's birthday. Neither of us said a word to each other, except when she shifted right when I went to put the car in reverse. My hand brushed her arm, and she snatched it away from me, like I had burned her. "Sorry," I replied, catching her gaze. Her emerald green eyes were burning into mine, and I could swear that she wanted me to just lean over and press my lips to hers. They looked so inviting. Full and warm, like I knew they would be. I inched closer, just to see her lips smash into a flat line, and her body push closer again her door. I sighed again, and went back to driving and not speaking. She was confusing the fuck out of me, and it was starting to piss me off. Why couldn't girls just tell you what the fuck was on their minds? Why did we have to climb fucking mountains, and jump through hoops to try and figure out what was going on inside their complicated ass heads. When we made it back to the house, I put the car in park and unbuckled. "Are you coming in solid, or what?" I asked gruffly. "Oh uh..." she said, a concerned expression crossing her face. "I think I'll let you tell them you took me home. I don't really feel like playing human tonight." I nodded curtly, then started walking to the house, not bothering to see what she was doing. She would come inside eventually. Where else did she have to go? I felt like shit thinking that way and shook my head at myself. I was so fucking frustrated, in every possible way. I entered my home, and took the stairs, two at a time, throwing my hand up at Jake and Sam when they came into the entryway. When I entered my room, I slammed the door behind me for good measure. It didn't do any good, but it relieved just a little bit of that frustration. When I turned, ready to just sling myself down onto my bed, I stopped short. Anna was already there, standing in front of my mirror, looking through the little things that I kept for sentimental reasons. Again, I didn't speak. Just watched her. She glanced up and met my gaze for a second in the mirror's reflection, then looked back down at the small box that she was tracing lightly with her fingertips. "You know, I think that maybe I use to keep things like this. Things that others wouldn't understand why I kept around. I remember my little sister asking me once, why did I have a couple of old skating rink tickets." She chuckled sadly, not realizing that she had had a specific memory. "They were stained on the edges, because I had nervously knocked over a soda, when the boy I liked had tried to kiss me," she continued. I inched closer to the bed, and watched her fingertips continue to trace the various objects that I had laid out on my dresser. "I had my first kiss that night. I was 14 years old. He was fifteen, but I don't remember his name."