It Started with a Kiss

Chapter 14

I eventually ended up in the town square, sitting on one of the many empty green metal benches as I looked up at the clear night sky. Legions of stars were mapped out across the endless black above my head, all forming beautiful constellations with one another, but I didn't feel like searching for the Big Dipper or the Little Bear right now.

I then turned my attention to the trees that surrounded me in the square and how they all still retained their elegance, despite the fact that their leaves were now long gone, only their skeletal branches remaining. Exhaling a breath, I watched as my breath clouded my vision for just a second, before dissipating into the night air. What was I supposed to do now? Well, that was probably a stupid question. I knew what I was supposed to do - go home and be the good daughter and welcome my mother back with open arms - but the more important question was what did I want to do? To go and do what was expected of me, or to do what I felt like doing? I really didn't know the answer to that.

I knew that soon enough I'd accept that I'd have to get over my mother's abandoning us in pursuit of a 'more exciting' lifestyle, and act like nothing had happened, but that was easier said than done. Right now even thinking of everything that had happened in the last year made me feel angry and hurt and I don't know how many other emotions. Why did she always end up getting what she wanted? Why did it have to be me that had to pay for her mistakes? Why was it only me that seemed to have a problem with her now? Why, why, why!

No longer able to sit still, I jumped up and sprinted across the square until I found it difficult to breathe properly. I just had to be doing something, anything and right now, running aimlessly in the dark was a better option than beating a poor defenceless park bench out of shape. Though who was I kidding, I probably wouldn't even have left a dent. After not even five minutes I was bracing my hands on my knees, trying to get the precious air back into my lungs at an unhealthy rate. Seriously, was there anything I wasn't pathetic at?

"Tara?" A deep voice asked, surprise colouring their tone, and I snapped my head in the direction of the noise.

"Aaron? What are you doing out here?" I asked him, perplexed. I know it was rude to answer a question with a question, but right now my confusion as to why he was here outweighed my need to be polite. Wasn't he supposed to be at home?

"I was just about to ask you the same thing," he said, quirking an eyebrow at me. He was dressed in a blue coat and jeans as he sat on one of the park benches, stretched out as if he was admiring the night sky. His head was currently turned towards me, but other than that his body hadn't moved.

"Oh no particular reason, just needed to have a walk." I fibbed, as I studied my tennis shoes for a moment. They looked about as fascinating as tennis shoes could be, which to be honest, wasn't all that fascinating. They were red, with white laces and that was pretty much it about them. Well, despite the fact that they were so worn in I wouldn't be surprised if holes started to appear any day now. For anyone else that would mean that they'd been running or exercising a lot in them but for me, oh no. Unless of course you count sitting down watching Youtube videos while eating a pack of Doritos exercise. That was probably the main reason why I couldn't run a mile without practically coughing up blood. Lifting my eyes from my shoes, I saw Aaron nod his head infinitesimally.

"Ah," he said, as if he knew exactly what I meant, but he couldn't possibly know, could he? He couldn't know that, truth be told, I was being an idiot and a coward and just wouldn't go home. He couldn't.

"So, what are you doing out here? " I then said, still confused as to why he was here. Normal families stuck together and didn't have members wandering off on Christmas Day, right?

"Oh no particular reason, just needed to have a walk." He mimicked me, as he grinned like a fool, to which I just scowled. Trust him to come up with a smart remark like that.