The Black and the White Rose

Chapter Ten

        School is over and people are starting to leave, so I'm getting my things at my locker. Damien is standing behind me. He moves my hair over my shoulder and kisses the back of my neck delicately.
        “Stop it! People are looking at us,” I whisper to him.
        He chuckles and kisses my cheek. “I thought you didn't care what other people think.” His arms wrap around my waist, and I smile.
        “I don't, but that doesn't mean I want to kiss like that in front of people. It's not polite,” I say.
        “School's over and people are leaving, so it's okay to do this in the hallway,” he says. I turn around, and he presses his lips to mine, catching me off guard.
        A teacher comes by and says, “Hey, Mr. Jones, break it up. No PDA until you're out of the building, please.” Our mouths break apart, and I see it was Mr. Aarons.
        Damien's face is red. “Sorry, Mr. Aarons.” I giggle and put the strap of my bag over my shoulder. “You ready to go?” he asks with a sigh.
        “Yes. Let's go,” I answer.
        We interlock our fingers as we walk down the hallway to the parking lot.
        I see my brother and sister get into their car with stern expressions. They're probably still upset, but I still don't care. I just want to be with Damien, and they need to realize that I am not a little girl anymore.

        We drive to the field of purple flowers and the oak tree. It's getting colder outside, so we are trying to make it last. The sky is a perfect shade of blue, and the birds are chirping on the branches of the oak tree.
        “No, you go first!” I laugh.
        We are sitting on a picnic blanket in the shade of the tree. Damien is sitting beside me, leaning back on his arms, and I am sitting with my leg crossed.
        “Okay, fine!” Damien chuckles. “Would you rather...live in the city or the country?”
        “Easy. The country,” I answer. He smiles and looks at the ground. “What?”
        He shakes his head and meets my eyes again. “I just knew you'd choose that.”
        I narrow my eyes in disbelief. “How?” I question with a playful smile.
        He takes a deep breathe and sits up straight. He looks serious. “Okay, so remember when I told you that your sister and I were playmates until we were 4 and 5?”
        I nod.
        “Well, I partially lied... We were playmates, but we weren't that young...” he explains.
        My chest feels tight. “Well, how old were you?”
        He presses his lips together. “We were playmates until we were about 9 and 10, I think. You were maybe 8 or 9, depending on the time of the year,” he says. “You and I were...pretty close...actually. You told me you'd rather live in the country because it would always be quiet and peaceful.”
        My mouth falls open. Then I smile and laugh. “You're joking, right? If I knew you as a kid, I would definitely remember you.”
        He does not laugh with me...or say he is kidding. He just shakes his head in silence. He lied to me. Again.
        “You did know me. We were close friends,” he says.
        “So you lied to me. If you lied about that, what else did you lie about?” I press angrily. My skin feels like it's on fire, and I can feel hot tears starting to form. Don't cry. Don't you dare cry!
        Damien hangs his head low. “My mom made you and your family forget that you and I were friends...” he whispers. “She saw a vision of you when your gift revealed itself, and she knew I'd need to help you. That's not everything, though... She removed me from your life and altered the memories of Amy, James, and your parents.”
        My blood is boiling, and I feel like I'm going to explode. “So you lied to me from the beginning... Is your mom really dead, or was that a lie, too?” I ask harshly.
        His eyes open wide, and inside I know I hit him pretty hard, but my natural reaction causes me get up from the blanket and start walking back to his car.
        “Skye! Wait!” He yells. He gets up and tries to stop me, but I start to run, and he lets me go. Hot tears stream down my cheeks, and my throat feels tight and constricted.
        Why did you say that?! That was awful! I can't breathe, and my legs burn. I feel sick to my stomach, and my head is fuzzy. I don't know where I'm going, but I have to keep running.
        When I finally reach the edge of the woods, I stop and catch my breath. I feel weak and torn apart, from the guilt, the anger, and the sadness.
        I fall to my knees and sob. I don't even know if I can still trust him. We were happy, and now...
        After a few moments, I stand back up. I pull my phone out of my pocket and check the time. It's around 4:15. I need to get my bag out of Damien's car.
        When I find the car, I open the passenger side door and grab my bag and jacket from the floor. I slam the door shut and start to walk deeper into the woods.