Sempiternal

Chapter 11

--Andy's POV--

I walked with Dylan held closely to my chest. When I reached the bus, I realized I wouldn't be able to open it. I closed my eyes and scrunched my nose and hoped someone was in there. It was close to lunch by now. Using my elbow, I knocked on the door. A minute later, Jinxx opened it. He was confused but I moved past him. I sat on the couch and laid Dylan down, her head on my lap. Jinxx raised his eyebrow.

"So what happened here?" He asked. I sighed and tipped my head back so it rested on the wall. 

"Creepy dude tried to pull shit, I knocked him out, she passed out, now we're here," I put it simply. He nodded in understanding. He walked into the kitchen, and came back out a minute later with two water bottles. I took one and put the other on the table for Dylan when she woke up. I sighed again and looked down at her. I ran my fingers through her hair, and a warm feeling came up in my chest. A small smile formed on my lips. Damn, this girl is going to be trouble.

--Oli's POV--

I ran my hands through my hair and paced around. Aideen watched me. She looked worried. I buried my face in my hands and crouched on the ground. I felt a hand on my back and looked up slightly to see Aideen. She rubbed circles in between my shoulder blades. She looked to the distance. 

"I shouldn't have let her go out there," I said and sat down. I crossed my arms on my knees and shoved my face into my arms. Aideen sighed. She lifted my head up. Sympathy filled her eyes. It made her look motherly. 

"Oliver, it's not your fault," she said in a soft, comforting voice. Her accent made it all calming. 

"It is, though. If I kept her back here, then that guy wouldn't have tried anything, and-" 

"Oliver, stop it. It could have happened to anyone. It could've been me, it could've been any girl in that crowd. The fact that it happened to be Dylan was just bad luck. It's not your fault," she said sternly. I felt tears well up, and I opened my mouth to protest, but closed it again and nodded. Her face softened. She smiled.

"Good. Now, come here. It'll be okay," she said and opened her arms. I sighed and crawled over, allowing myself to melt into a hug. She stroked my hair, helping me to feel calmer. I fell asleep like this, with Aideen softly whispering comforting words into my ear.