Chary To Ballsy

19. Fallen in love?

In the afternoon of Saturday, we decided to take a small walk around the neighborhood just to keep our minds off things from the distraction of nature around that place.

But unfortunately, that was not it for me. Instead, I just got time to think deeper. The main purpose of my existence? Why I can't bring myself to hate Caesar for what he did and what he has done. Why I feel at home being with the Banleys.

Obviously those were just rhetorical questions and I would keep going on and on for ages and never come up with answers.

But for once in my life, I was determined to find out why.

"Wooo!!" I exhaled physically and emotionally exhausted from the walk and hard thinking as I slumped myself lower on the outgrown grass at the Banleys' backyard.

"My limbs." Cherry complained as she sat down too stretching out her legs.

"I like this neighborhood. It's cool." I had observed it from our walk.

It was around four at that time and I felt this urge to turn on my phone since I had shut it down for almost 24 hours now.

"Yeah." Cherry replied carefully choosing her words. "I liked it better here because I could spend hours riding my bike around it. Back then when things were okay. When life seemed easier and worthy living it."

I raised my eyes up fast enough to catch a flicker of emotion in her eyes before it was soon replaced with something else.

"Cherry." I muttered slowly.

"I think we should head inside." She brushed off quickly standing up.

"You don't have to act strong always cherry, we're all bound to break sometimes. We are human beings. You know what that means?" I asked as I stood up too.

She pulled up a sad smile but I continued anyway.

"It means that we can get hurt. So when you do, stop ignoring that emotion, it's what makes you stronger, it's what makes you a person and it definitely is what makes you forget and move on." I patted her shoulder lightly, feeling how taut her muscles were.

We walked quietly into the house and sat on one of the couches with not so much as talking about what slipped out there.

"You're a strong woman Chloe. You're a wonderful being." She suddenly said looking at me, smiling.

"What made you say that?"

"I know. I can see right through you. You know how to hold yourself together. You're so independent in so many things and I envy you."

"Don't be silly." I chuckled lightly. "You can't see through me. What if I'm masking it all?"

"Then you're good at it if you are." She joked playing with the hem of her sweater. Her lower lip was slightly quivering and if I wouldn't have taken a closer look at her, I wouldn't have noticed.

"Cherry sweetie." I whispered scooting closer to her. I wrapped one of my arms around her. "You don't have to bottle them all up you know. You should let it out."

"How?" Her small voice quipped taking me back by surprise.

"How what?"

"How do you manage all these baggages in your life?"

"Which baggages?" I acted dumb cause honestly, I didn't know what to say.

"Growing up alone, careless guardians, not attending normal schools, not getting even a tad bit exposure of our normal typical world, no friends, no boyfriends..." She went on and on listing facts. "No siblings."