I'll Reach For You (GirlXGirl)

9. A little too late

I wake up to the sound of the TV. Didn't Hunter turn it off before bed? I rub my eyes and start walking down the stairs. There is no light in the room except the ones from the TV. Hunter sits on the couch.

"Hi." I say. She turns to look at me.

"Hi." She says too. I sit down on the couch, next to her.

"Couldn't sleep?" I ask her. She nods.

"Why not, is there something wrong with the room or the bed?" She shakes her head.

"You can tell me you know, maybe I can help you?" She shakes her head again. I wish she could open up a little. Letting me know what is going on in her mind.

I do not know one thing about her, what she likes to do, or not. What her past was like. It's like she is hiding, and even though she is safe and sound here, she is still... closed off.

I have figured she cannot have been on drugs, because if she was, I do not think she would be like this. If she had been using, she would have had more of an attitude. Been more like an asshole or something, but she is quiet, a little too quiet.

I wish she could step out of her cage, the thing that makes her trapped. I know it is probably too late to want to become her friend, but I could at least try. The bruise she had on her cheek made me feel awful, I do not know where it came from or who did it.

But I know she did not deserve it, she is too vulnerable to make someone angry at her. She is the person that hides in the shadows, so no one can see her.

"What are you watching?" I ask her, she turns to look at me and I can barely see her. But the light from the TV makes me see her blue clear eyes. She looks tired as always, and it is starting to worry me. I am not sure if dad knows that she is up in the middle of the night sometimes.

"It's a movie. Shutter Island." She answers looking back at the screen.

"Oh, yeah, that's Leonardo DiCaprio." She snorts of me. I turn to look at her, she has a smile on her face and it makes me smile as well.

"Is this your favorite movie?" I ask. I am curious to know things about her. She is so mysterious. She is like a crime scene that is just waiting to be explored, and I am willing to look for my answers.

"One of them." She answers.

"What is your favorite?" I ask and look at her again. She seems thoughtful.

"I really like V for Vendetta. I like V, I like the way he talks and the wise words he says. He may look like a monster underneath his outfit, who knows? But his soul is beautiful." I like the sound of her voice, so soft. I have not heard her talk like this before. It made me feel special that she shared it with me. Hunter's voice was also full of passion, and I liked it.

"I loved that he fought for freedom, for everyone. I wish someone would have done that for me." Hunter looks lost and hurt. I am not sure if she knows that she is talking to me, or if she is gone in her own mind.

"You're free now." I tell her. She looks at me with a flat smile.

"It's a little too late." She answers. This makes me know that something horrible happened to her, and it just hurts to know, even though I do not know any details.

"I'm sorry." I could feel a lump in my throat. She snorts.

"There is no need to apologize, it is my fault anyway." Her words hit me in the heart. Whatever happened to her is not her fault, ever.

"No," I say and she looks at me confused.

"Don't say that. Don't blame yourself, I know you enough to know that you do not deserve any pain or anything like that." I can see that she is uncomfortable she is clenching her teeth, making her jaw move and her eyes are down on the couch.

"I do not know what you have been through, but I am sure as hell that you didn't deserve it." Still, she looks uncomfortable. She doesn't say anything, but she turns back to the movie. We both continue looking at it in silence.

I yawn and rub my eyes. The thought of her opening up a little to me is good, but I do not like that she is judging and blaming herself. She may not see it, but she does not deserve any pain at all, no one does. I lean down on the couch, crossing my arms. My eyes hurt and I can't keep them up anymore, so I close them. The sound of the TV makes me fall asleep.