Run For Your Life

Chapter 9

Sabrina~
Directly after my last class I began to walk toward the very back door of the building. He was already waiting, his hands were shoved into his front pockets, he smirked at his feet when I stopped in front of him "ready?" I nodded slowly and he held out his hand for me to take it. Instead I put my pale hand behind my back, he frowned a little but began to walk out the door. I smiled thankfully when he held it open for me but it quickly faded when a gust of ice cold wind hit my face. I tried to cuddle into my sweatshirt but it didn't help much, "Are you cold?" He smiled at me with his perfect teeth and I giggled, "Is it that obvious?" Gently, he touched his thumb to my nose and rubbed his hand over my cheek, "you're a little pale but your nose and cheeks are red." Good thing my cheeks were already red so he couldn't see me blushing under his hand. "Oh." My voice sounded so hushed in my own ears but his hand was so warm. "Don't worry love, nervous and cold are cute on you." My cheeks heated up even more and I knew he could feel it by the way he smiled. Tate's hand dropped from my face and he tossed his arm casually over my shoulder and pulled me closer to him, my entire body went stiff, "Relax Santana, I don't bite." I smiled and tried to relax a little a bit wrapping my arm around his back. "So why did you want me to go get coffee with you?" He bit his lip nervously and played with the bottom of his sweater, "well, I uh, I just I, you see." I laughed a little, he sighed, "honestly, I've been thinking a lot lately and I don't know there is something different about you. I just want to get to know you. I want a chance to have your trust." I liked the way it all sounded but I wasn't sure how true it was. "Okay. But I want honesty, no secrets, no lies, no games, I want you to trust me if I'm gonna trust you." He smiled, "that's all I'm asking for." He held his hand out again and this time I took it. He looked pretty pleased as he interlocked our fingers. Well okay. We continued to walk mostly in silence but not awkward silence just comfortable silence. I could feel the silence as we reached the coffee shop, Tate politely held the door open while I walked in and I nodded in thanks. The woman behind the counter smiled at us, "Good afternoon Sabrina." She looked at our hands confused. "Tate." He smiled back not seeming to notice. "Hey Carl" we took our seat in the usual booth. It felt oddly calming to be back here, with him. "So how is everything going?" I laughed lightly at his attempt at small talk, "it's okay, Alex is pretty great, I have to visit my mom pretty soon." He leaned over seeming more interested, "do you want to?" I shrugged, "I'm not sure, I just know her, I know who she is and what she's like. Joe doesn't remember everything. She's still my mom so I want to believe she's changed and I want answers." Carl came by and say our drinks on the table, "trust me Bri, you don't want closure." I paused, I haven't been called Bri in years. I looked up at call and she winked at me before walking away. "Why'd she call you Bri?" I shrugged, "not important" finally I looked back at him and laughed nervously before taking a sip of coffee in my hand. "Well I guess it's good, that you're willing to give her a chance after everything but it's your decision. However you feel is just how it is." His blue eyes looked up at me and he smiled with half of his perfect lips, "I have to see her even if i don't want to" the air seemed thicker almost making it harder to breathe. "Oh, that sucks. If you want I could go with you." I couldn't stop myself from smiling at the sympathetic look in his mesmerizing  eyes, "no thanks." He nodded, "do you remember what she was like. Before?" He seemed almost afraid to ask, as if he hasn't already overstepped his boundaries. "I do. She was straight forward, honest, if she didn't like you she didn't hide it, she was savage but sweet, and loving. Nothing meant more to her than us." I smiled thinking about the person i wished she still was. "That's where you get it. Do you think you'll ever trust her again?" I shook my head, "never completely." He nodded like he understood, "I think that's how Alice feels about me." He looked down, "that's crazy Alice trusts you more than anyone." He sighed, "no, she couldn't" I rubbed my hand across his arm, "tell me about it?" He paused, "My family is really complicated. The night my parents died, I left in the middle of the night, I left Alice. I didn't know they were dead and I ran away. Alice woke up alone to the cops at our door telling her our parents died in a car accident." I could see the tears building up in his blue eyes and I took his hand, "One of the officers stayed with her to wait for me to come home and my aunt to get there. After three days they filled a missing persons report. She was put in Foster care and they eventually assumed i was dead. When I was 10 I ran into her at a fair, she was with an older lady and she didn't recognize me until I spoke. I went into the system and she didn't talk to me. When we were 12 we got adopted by the same cop that told her they were dead. We moved here, we get along but she's always been distant." I nodded, "My brother is like that. Listen, Alice will never be the same. But she loves you so much, and trust me, you two are gonna be just fine." He smiled but still his eyes were still glossy, "thanks, for that and for the second chance. I really don't want to mess up with you."