his safe place

part one

hey, leave him alone!'. i grab shane at the collar. 'stay out of this melody, this doesn't concern you, mind your business'. i ball my fist ready to punch when a gentle hand squeezes it calming me down. i look down at him on the floor and he shakes his head no. 'you made it my business when you messed with blake'. blake's eyes widen and his cheeks flush. nobody had ever stood up for him before. 'aww melody has a little crush on him'. i suppress the urge to roll my eyes at him. idiots. i lift blake and steady him on his feet. 'are you okay?, let's go to the nurse's office'. 'you're not going anywhere, i'm not done with him'. he's really starting to get on my nerves. sorry blake for what i'm about to do next. i punch shane in the face before he can expect it. he lifts his hand to smack me when blake jumps in the middle. shane's harsh hand lands on blake's delicate cheek and he falls on the ground. 'i clearly didn't punch you hard enough'. i kick shane in the ribs and he crashes to the floor. i put blake's arm around my shoulder so that he can balance. they really did a number on him. 'you didn't have to do that, i could handle him, but thank you'. i gently smile. he shyly nods. we arrive at the nurse's office. i stay with him to make sure he's alright. the nurse finishes up, blake is now resting on one of the beds. he looks peaceful sleeping. and he should, i'm here where no one can harm him. i pat his head gently running my fingers through his hair. it's quite soft. 'you should go, he'll wake in a few hours'. i don't want to leave but i couldn't exactly tell her no. 'i'll come check on him after school'. she nods. i leave the nurse's office, where shane is waiting for me. 'haven't you had enough?'. 'you're going to pay for this melody'. 'you came here just to tell me that, i'm honoured'. i dislike people like shane the most. people who think they're untouchable because they're popular or rich. people who bully others because they're deemed weak. 'you wait and see, i'll make your life miserable'. 'if you want to waste your time and energy like that, go ahead'. shane walks off. the rest of the school day passes for what feels like an eternity. i rush to the nurse's office to check on blake. i sit alongside side him on the bed. 'how are you feeling?'. 'i'm okay now thanks to you'. i nod my head. 'why did you stand up for me?'. i smile. 'it would be wrong to just stand by and watch someone get hurt knowing i could do something about it'. 'but you didn't have to do all this'. he plays with his fingers. he's so cute. i ruffle his hair. 'i wouldn't have been able to rest not knowing whether you're alright'. he blushes. i lie next to him feeling tired. he scoots up. i rest my head on his shoulder. 'ow'. he suppress a groan. i silently laugh. 'sorry' i lay my head on the pillow instead. he places my head on his shoulder once again. i look up at him. 'your shoulder is hurt, i'll rest my head on the pillow instead'. he nods no. 'it's okay, I can take it, it's the least I can do'. I warmly smile at him. 'you don't have to do anything, just heal fully'. I rest my head on the pillow. 'you're so cute, but you have to leave, both of you'. how long has the nurse been standing there?. i gasp to myself. blake painfully gets up. 'you need a ride home?'. he nods. we arrive at my car, and i help blake to the back seat. 'where do you live?'. he directs me to a quiet neighborhood. it's beautiful here. 'this is where we part ways blake, sayonara'. he has this sad look on his face, as if he doesn't want me to leave him. i find myself with the urge to want to protect him and i promised myself i will. 'i'll see you at school tomorrow'. he's shy smile almost immediately came back making me feel warm inside. 

...

i got detention for what i did yesterday. it wasn't my first and most certainly won't be my last. my mother is starting to get fed up with my tactics. 'at least i didn't get suspended' i nervously assure her. she sighs. 'i'm letting this go because you had the right reason but try to resolve conflict in another way' she said. how can i when all people use these days are their fists to do the talking. i nodded my head. sorry mom but I can't. i hated lying to my mother but i didn't want to disappoint her either. i made a promise to myself i'd protect blake. 

...

i made sure to arrive early at school so blake doesn't have to wait alone. i've been waiting for a few minutes before he arrived. we walk through the halls together. (strangely) neither of us had friends. we were the outcasts, i was a rebel and he was a 'weak' nerd. 'where's your locker?' he points to the far left. 'that's a few lockers from mine' I gape. we collect our books from our lockers. 'what do you have first?'. 'chemistry'. 'with mr.fitzgerald?'. 'yes'. 'alright i know where it is, i'll take you'. he nods. we arrive at his class. 'i'll get you here after my physics period okay?'. 'okay'. i scurry off. i wonder if he has any periods with shane, if so it'll be a problem. i try not to think about it and listen to the lecture. come to think of it, i have math with shane, that'll be interesting considering his threat from yesterday. 'melody, how do we know when an object is accelerating?'. of course it had to be me that he'd ask. 'by the slope of the graph'. he looks as if he didn't expect me to know the answer. take that, sucker. 

...

'you're still alive' i joke, blake is not having it. 'i kid, i kid'. he pouts. i laugh. blake eases up and allows himself to laugh. it's adorable the way his face crinkles when he laughs. and his laugh is music to my ears. that's how he should always be, 'happy'. 'i meant to ask, do you have any classes together with shane?'. he looks at the floor, smile gone. i gently lift his face. 'hmm?'. 'yes, biology and gym'. 'okay'. my stomach knots. i can't protect blake from him during classes. 'does he bully you during class too?'. i don't want to ask, since it must be hard for him to talk about, but i have to know. he doesn't answer me. i pull him in for a hug and rub the back of his head. 'you don't have to answer, it's okay'. just what have they done to him. he shakes his head. 'he doesn't hit me but he throws things at me when the teacher's not looking, during gym when we play dodgeball he'd always aim at me'. i take a deep breath to contain my anger. 'he's not like this with anyone else?'. 'he picks on other kids too, but mostly on me'. i have to do something about this, not just for blake but those others kids too. i squeeze him tight before letting go. 'i'll take care of this'. he has a worried look in his eyes which makes me feel nervous. is it wrong to like that he's worried about my safety?. 'i'll be fine' I assure him. 

…

shane's been quiet today, he hasn't picked on blake or anyone for that matter. i'm supposed to be happy, but i'm not. i can't shake the feeling that he's planning something. something bad. i try not to worry blake and place a smile on my face. 'blake, are you free this weekend?'. he seems surprised. 'y-yes, I am'. I genuinely smile this time. 'okay great, be ready saturday 6:00 am'. 'that's so early' he groans. 'the air is best early'. I pinch his cheek. 'it would be even better if it's cold!'. blake looks at me as if I'm crazy. well, he's not wrong. 'lets go home'. he grabs my hand. 'do we have to go?'. i agree, it's autumn and the park looks beautiful this time of the year. 'let's go for a walk then, hmm?'. He nods. We walk along the path stepping on fallen leaves making a crackling sound. 'are you hungry? there's a store not too far from here'. 'yeah' blake scratches the back of his neck. we walk further along the path till we cross a small cafe, where the scent of coffee is strong. i suppress the urge to breathe in all the sweetness of the cafe. there's a comfortable warmth about this place. 'you find us a seat and i'll order'. I smile. 'what would you like?'. 'black coffee and a sandwich please'. 'you got it'. i order 2 black coffees, a sandwich and a waffle. blake found as a seat in the corner of the cafe. 'eat up'. blake offers me 5 dollars to pay for the food. i gently push his hand down. 'it's my treat'. 'it's the least I can do, you've done so much for me already'. i pat his head and smile. 'you're paying next time'. i stuff my face with the waffle while simultaneously slurping my coffee. 'that was a good meal' i pat my stomach. i don't want to leave the warmth and sweet aroma of the cafe but it's getting dark and we have to walk back to my car. 'blake, do want to wait here and i'll go and fetch my car?, it's cold and you're barely wearing anything warm'. blake shakes his head. 'i'm going with you, i can take it'. i hesitate for a while but then eventually agree. 'okay, but then we're going to have to run'. as i open the door the wind slaps me in the face sending shivers down my spine. 'are you cold melody?'. 'a little, but our bodies heat will naturally increase while we run'. blake embraces me in a warm hug. 'we can't run like this' i laugh in his shoulder. i was a bit surprised when he embraced me, he's usually shy and keeps to himself. i would be lying if i said i didn't like it. my body felt almost immediately warm. i slowly wrap my arms around his waist. 'are you warmer now?'. how can someone be this adorable?. 'yes I am, but we really have to get going'. I slowly release myself from his embrace. I take his hand in mine for some warmth and start running, blake following next to me. 'wanna race?'. blake shakes his head. 'oh come on, don't be a wet blanket'. blake hesitantly agrees. 'on your mark'. 'get set'. 'go!'. we run through the wind, fallen leaves crackling. i haven't had this much fun in a long time. it seems like blake's having fun too by the way his smile make his eyes close. that's how it should stay. 'i won, woohoo!'. blake claps for me and i bow in response. 'now let's get in, i'm freezing my butt off here'. the warmth of the car covers me like a blanket. the drive to blake's home is peaceful, crickets occasionally chirping. blake has fallen asleep. he looks tranquil and at peace, faint breaths escaping his mouth now and then. I tap blake on the shoulder to wake him but he doesn't respond. I gently squeeze his hand. maybe i'm being too delicate. i tap his shoulder a bit harder but not hard enough to hurt him. 'you have to get up now, we're here'. blake slowly awakes and let's out a groan. 'goodnight sleepyhead, see you tomorrow'. 'goodnight melody, drive safe'. I smile at him before driving off.