Crush My Heart

Chapter 4

Scribbling on the white crumpled paper, I looked at the list of names that was displayed vertically in a very messy way. Emily and my name was at the end of it.

Then I observed the names very properly.

There were only two girls in that list.

I inhaled in a ragged breath as I handed the paper to a tall, bulky guy who looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I blushed immediately, knowing what the guy is thinking. Why would two girls sign up for self-defense classes when they could just go for cheer-leading any time?

I wondered why myself too.

As we walked out of the classroom, Emily slapped my back and squealed in excitement. "We are officially in! That's so crazy!"

I rubbed my sore back and stared at her, frowning. "Em, are you sure about this? This is so weird."

"Cara, you're thinking too much." She reprimanded me.

"No I'm not. Didn't you saw the list back there? We're the only girls who joined that class!" I whispered nervously.

She just rolled her eyes and grabbed my shoulders, looking at me straight in the eyes.

"Cara, I'm suggesting this not because I want to check out the guys, but-"

"Liar." I interrupted her.

"-okay, maybe I lied about that part. But I'm serious about learning how to defend myself. I already think of this a long time ago, and I'm set. What if we get cornered or anything and no one is there to help you? This is a very serious situation and you'll feel helpless. What if someone tries to... do something... and... and..." Her rambling turned to ragged gasps and choked stutters, which made me alarmed.

Emily was now in the verge of tears, her face looked like she's terrified and her iron grip on my shoulders tightened painfully. I gently pulled her hands off my shoulders and held them firmly in mine.

"Emmy?"

I could see now that she's trembling slightly, her eyes glazed over like she's recalling a bitter memory.

"Emmy. Look at me." I turned her head so that her eyes are directly towards me.

"Emmy, you here. With me. Look at me." I coaxed her gently.

Her glistening dark brown eyes finally focused on my own light amber eyes, and her trembling ceased visibly as she threw her arms around me, clutching me tight.

I hugged her back and stroked her head, hoping to make her feel better. She let out a small sob, which was muffled in the crook of my shoulders.

We didn't say anything for a while, just stood there in the hallway beside the lockers. I was never good at consoling people, but I think that this was what she needed at the moment. Students looked at us curiously but walked past us without a word, towards the cafeteria. Amber was still inside there, probably waiting for us.

But what's more important was my best friend in front of me, who looked broken and shaken up.

This was not like her. The Emily I know was always smiling, and there was no other emotion than that besides anger. She would be angry when someone bullied me. She would feel annoyed at someone. But she was quick to forgive. And always smiling.

Sadness was the only emotion she never showed, not even once. Crying was out of option either.

It was obvious that something serious had happened to her that had her traumatized to the point of hyperventilating. I wanted to know, but I knew that she would tell me when she was ready. Forcing her to tell me only made me feel like a horrible person, and I respected her privacy.

Now we're the only ones in the hallway. Emily slowly pulled away from me, and rubbed her eyes with the back of her palm. She sniffed and looked at me with red rimmed eyes.

"Do I look like crying?"

I stared at her quietly, gauging her reaction. "You might need to wash your face."

She nodded, and chewed on her bottom lip in apprehension. Then she looked at me with hopeful but slightly wary eyes. "Can you not tell this to anyone?"

"Of course." I smiled at her.

"Even Amber?" Her voice shook.

"Even Amber. I pinky promise." I swore at her.

She let out a raspy chuckle, and grinned at me. "You're so cute Cara."

I gave her a small glare and huffed, "what's with you and Amber calling me cute all the time?"

She laughed, this time a genuine one, and ruffled my hair. "You're like a kitten, Cara."

I scowled at her in disbelief. "A kitten?"

"Yes, a very cute kitten."

"I'll have you know this 'cute' kitten have sharp claws!"

She laughed again, louder and it echoed through the hallway and warmed my insides. At least I managed to make her feel better again.

Then all of a sudden a deep, stern voice rang out behind us.

"What are you two girls doing out here and not in class?"

Emily and I froze at the familiarity of the voice, and looked at each other with wide eyes.

Then we ran.

"Hey, stop!"

A/N: This chapter is actually a combination of the previous chapter. But its too long, so I decided to split it into two chapters. I'm trying to make it up to you guys by writing this. My updates take a long time as I'm a busy student, and I have my finals which is around the corner. So please have patience with me, I will try to make time for this story. Enjoy it. Please vote, comment and share.

Btw, Logan is gonna be in the next chapter. ;)