My Covert Bodyguard

32: Accident

The cold wind bit my skin as I walked to Kyle's car. Kyle was walking a few steps in front of me, and our conversation was faltering. It wasn't as if things were awkward or boring, we were just lost in our own thoughts. That seemed to be happening quite often lately. 

"Kyle?" I asked, in the middle of my thoughts.

"Yeah?" He hummed.

"I swear I'm not going crazy, but I was thinking about the Legion, and...what if I became their leader?"

Kyle stopped in his tracks, and I almost ran into him. "What the actual fuck?"

"It's not that I agree with them, but if I became their leader, couldn't I set things right?"

"Cass, let's not talk about this now."

"Why not? We're still in the Office, and no one's listening to us. While the topic's up, we should talk about it."

"Cass, that's not even a choice. If you join them, they'll twist you up and screw with your mind. If you try to change their ways, they'd throw a rebellion. Do you think one teenage girl could overthrow and entire organization that's centuries old? When you say you'd join them, that's the same thing as saying you agree with them and you'd give up your life for them."

"That might not be the case. For all we know, no one's tried anything like it."

"Why would you even say that? Why would you want to willingly join and lead  an organization that goes against all your beliefs?"

"But that's the thing. I don't really know anything specifically wrong they've done. I know they're going against the government and the Office or something...but what exactly? No one's told me anything."

Kyle's eyes went wide with fury. "You must be fucking kidding me."

"I'm not."

"They killed my parents, Cass! Or did no one tell you that? Because I remember telling you precisely, and I never tell anyone about my parents to anyone, ever."

I sucked in a breath, and I immediately felt like such a worthless piece of shit. How could I have said something so inconsiderate? I had just let my imagination go wild with possibilities and torn Kyle's thoughts and past. How did I not think about it?

"But if you were wondering, other than killing my parents and Gabe getting shot during our mission, they've also assissted in murdering a bunch of famous political leaders, like John F Kennedy, and they also take a shit ton of money from the government, because they have sneaky players in the government. They also steal information from the CIA and leak it to other countries. If you still think they're an innocent little group, I hope you set your thoughts right."

I bit my lip, fighting back tears. Dammit. Why did I have to screw up so badly?

"I don't feel like going to school, or seeing you for a while. Go to school by yourself." Kyle said, passing me his car keys. I took them numbly, as he walked away from me. I walked to his car and let myself in, starting it up. The familiar cushioning and smell of the car wasn't comforting now, and I felt like punching myself in the face a million times over. The tears that started spilling were tears of shame, for thinking the way I did, for hurting Kyle and making him remember his hurtful past. 

I shuddered a deep sigh, and quickly wiped my face. I felt terrible, but I had to get to school. The car had warmed up a little, and I started backing out of the parking lot. I hadn't driven since I got my permit, but I didn't have time to feel nervous, because only thoughts of mortification swarmed my mind. I grasped the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles turned white, and I drove with a blank mind, not thinking of my surroundings.