How to fix the Broken Girl

Step four- Don't Give Up Easily

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Chapter Four
[STATUS: EDITED]
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My mind instantly fills up with fantasies of her being not so innocent...

I try to push the thoughts out of my mind. To distract myself, I brush the red and yellow leaves off of two of the metal seats and offer one to her. She raises an eyebrow at me, but sits on it anyway.

"You should come out with me tonight." I say, sitting down on the chair across from her.

"I'm busy." She says, "Sorry."

She is lying, clearly. What is she going to do? Tutoring is only on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the library closes at nine, which I would pick her up at nine and I highly doubt that she would rather babysit some little spoiled child before coming out with me.

"Doing what?" I play along. I take my ankle and set it up on my knee, then lean back onto seat. Damn, I should have brought a coat.

"Erm," She clears her throat, "Things."

I sigh, "Fine. Next Friday."

She avoids my eyes, "I'm busy every Friday."

"This Saturday." I offer.

"Still busy." She retorts.

"Sunday?" I assume.

"Also busy." She repeats.

"When are you free?" I groan.

"Never." She shrugs, simply.

I sigh, "You're complicated and a terrible lair. Why won't you go out with me for a few hours?"

"Because I don't want to." She says, brushing a dark curl behind her ear.

"Why?" I ask, getting irritated. Joe is hard to deal with. She defiantly isn't any other girl I have tried to get. Wait, never mind. I've never had to try.

"Because people like me shouldn't be talking to people like you- let alone going to a party with them." She stands up.

I stand up to follow her, "How do you know I would take you to a party?"

"Where else would you take me? You go to all of the parties." She says.

"And how do you know that? You don't go to any of them."

"No, but my friend does and she admires your ever move." She says and I smirk.

"Redhead?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." She lies.

"Why are you so nice to her? She abandoned you yesterday and hasn't talked to you today, that I've seen anyway."

She doesn't answer, but stares off into space. I watch as the rain piles into her dark hair, leaving small wet spots as it dampens her hair. Her eyes look so dark from all the sun shine surrounding her, yet the bright sun and rain droplets makes them look a light brown. With all the gorgeous fall colors around us, her eyes are almost the bright green they used to be. With her hands stuffed into her pockets, she tries to almost shrink down into her hoodie.

"Because I'm always the second choice." Her voice is a whisper, I barley heard her say it.

I hear a clink and then a screech, I turn around quickly to find Mr. Waltz, the History teacher, standing in the doorway.

"Mr. Miles." He clicks his tongue, "Why am I not so surprised?"

Joe spins herself around in her seat, I see her visibly shaking and worry in her eyes. I want to wrap my arm around her waist and pull her toward me, to let her head lay on my chest, but I keep my hands to myself.

"Ms. Dean?!" He gasps, "What are you doing out here?"

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Waltz." She replaces the worry in her eye with guilt. "I tutor Justin here on the weekends. We were going over vocabulary, which is one of his sore subjects. I came out here to give him a visual concept of the word Petrichor."

"Ah, doing wonders as always I see." He smiles, "Well, you two get in here. Don't want to get caught again, now do we?"

I try to keep my eyes from popping out of my head, but it is considerably hard. I take small shuffled foot steps as I walk into the lunch room behind Joe.

"Next time, show him out the window. Alright?" He gives Joe a knowing smile and pats her shoulder, before walking off.

"What the hell was that?!" I gape at her, astonished.

Worry replaces her eyes again, "I just lied to a teacher!"

"How did you act that well? I even believed you." I let out a small chuckle.

"You can thank drama class for that." She sighs, rubbing her temples. "I'm going to hell for lying."

I laugh at her innocents, "I'll be there to pick you up." I pause as she gives me a side glance, "So, are you going to come tonight or not?"