The Shy Girl

I Can't Let You Leave

"Who was that? What did they want?" Brad asks in a bold voice.

"My aunt, she wants me to leave and go with her to Hawaii and live there with her and her husband." I say, fiddling my fingers. I couldn't dare look in those blue eyes of his.

Once I finally glance up, Brad's eyes go wide and mine did the same, but mine also filled with tears.

I try to force them to fall back in, but fail. Instead, they storm out of my eyes like rockets.

I stand up and walk over to Brad, who's sitting in a rocking chair.

I swing my legs around him, to where my chest was pressed against his, my legs wrapped around his back and was pressed against the back of the chair.

I place my head on his shoulder and face the wall as he rocks me silently.

He buries his head into my neck and says softly "I can't let you leave."

I put my hand on his cheek and look into his beautiful blue eyes that you can get lost into. "I don't wanna leave."

"Just tell her no."

"She's my aunt." I couldn't be rude to my aunt, one of the only family members I have left.

"Maddie, you make my life better." Brad strokes his fingers through my hair.

"I wouldn't know what to tell my aunt." I excuse.

"Just tell her you don't want to leave, simple." A little anger aroused in his voice.

"I'll see what I can do." I slide my legs from behind him and stand up.

"Where can I sleep?" I ask, shoving my hands in my back pockets.

Brad leads me to another room that is full of junk. He kicks a shoe out of my way and leads me to the bed.

At least it was made; got to give him points for that. It was a queen size and had a quilt as the covers.

I crawl in the bed and stare at the ceiling and draw circles in the air with my finger until I went to sleep, in the warmth that the quilt gave me.

~On the way to Walgreens~

Brad and I didn't speak much this morning. All we did was prepare ourselves to go to Walgreens.

I didn't pack my clothes or anything that the firemen recovered from my house because I wasn't about to leave my hometown, where I've grown up.

Brad pulls into to a space in the front of the parking lot, closest to the automatic doors. I walk inside the cold store, ready to get it over with. I was nervous, and scared.

My heart was racing and my palms were sweating.

"Hey!" My aunt greets with a wide smile spread across her face, arms spreading to give me a hug.

She was two years older than my mom, so thirty-nine years old. She had bleach blonde hair and blue eyes.

I back away quickly, refusing the hug. Her husband waved from behind her.

"Come on, Maddie." My aunt says.

"I'm not... not going. I don't wanna."

"Quiet acting like a child." My aunt remarks, cheeks blushing of embarrassment from the stares she was receiving from strangers.

She grabs my wrists tightly, tugging me forward. Brad barges in and breaks her grip away from me.

"She's not leaving." Brad growls.

"And who do you think you are? Maddie, you're not staying here with a guy." My aunt says.

"He's been there when nobody was! Even you! He was there when my house was burning down! You weren't! He cared about my past!My dad! You didn't!" I shout, pointing fingers.

"Alright." She gave in, not for me, but to herself.

The strangers were starring at us and she doesn't like being the center of attention.

I jump on Brad and wrap my legs around his waist and hug him tightly.

"I'm not leaving." I whisper in his ear.

He lowers me down, back to the floor and we walk back to his car.

We head back to his place with smiles that are permanent.

~At Brad's house~

I squeal in happiness and clap my hands together. Brad gives me a tight hug and puts my feet on top of his.

He moves his feet, mine would follow suit.  He leads me back to the living room and tosses me on the couch, same with himself.

He plops behind me, turning on the television as he does so. Brad slings a red, fluffy blanket on top of both of us.

"Hey, we need to go get my car from the police office." I whisper slightly.

"Are you serious? We just came from being outside." Brad remarks.

"I'm so sorry." I say in a dramatic, sarcastic voice.

"Let's go, then."