in which she swims to forget all the pain, but he sees it all because dallas edlen is not ok and, having loved her for years, seeing that was no task.
ONE BREATH
MINIMINTER
SIDEMEN
DEATHLIES 2016
[COMPLETED]
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TWENTY SIX d a l l a s
Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, the class was over and Dallas was free to go. She slipped her books back into her bag, pulled her jacket over her shoulders and felt a wash of relief as she began to leave the classroom. If she'd stayed another second, she would have exploded.
Only two more lessons before she could go home, but first was lunch and she wasn't hungry in the slightest.
As she strides down the corridor, someone calls her name.
"Dallas!"
She turns to see Simon coming after her, his bag in hand as if he didn't have time to put it over his shoulders and his book in the other.
Dallas stops walking, waiting for him to catch up. "What, Simon?" She snaps, folding her arms across her chest. She can't bare to look into his eyes.
"I think we should talk because-"
"Why? So you can turn around and ignore me again? I didn't do anything wrong," Dallas huffs, turning to walk away from him like a sulking kid. As she storms away, he jogs to her side and keeps up the pace. "Simon, I don't want to talk to you."
"No," Simon firmly says, gripping onto her arm suddenly. Dallas flinches out of his touch, cradling her arm to her chest and looking at him with a frazzled look in her eyes. Her reflex had been so quick, so involuntary that she had even surprised herself. "Sorry, I just-"
"It's ok," She breathes, the air escaping her shook and her ears reddened. "I'm ok."
"But you're not, are you?"
"Not here," She says. "I don't want to talk about this here or now. I'm sorry, ok? But come find me later and I'll answer any questions, just not now, alright?"
"Ok," He replies and that simple answer caused a smile on her part.
"I'm still mad at you," She tells him, shaking her head as she tries to supress the smile that burned brightly. "Sometimes I wonder how you can be so ok with a lack of answers."
"I don't have much of a choice," He answers as they walk into the canteen, bee lining over to the far table. "You're not exactly an open book."
"Shut up." Dallas elbows him, but then her smile falls as she sits down beside him. They face one another, their knees touching and her hand slips across, taking his hand in hers. She runs her thumb over his hand, looking down. "Simon?" She asks.
"Yeah?"
"Why did you ignore me before? Was it something I said?"
"It was something you didn't say," Simon tells her and she looks up at him, confusion melting though her brown eyes. "Why didn't you tell me about your parents?" He says lowly, not wanting everyone to hear.
"I didn't want you to know," She admits, swallowing the sickening lump that rose into her throat. Simon turns his hand, wrapping it around hers and squeezing it lightly. "It's embarrassing, you know? I'm supposed to have this perfect rich life, but it's all falling apart."
"It's not embarrassing," Simon says. "You could have told me. You can tell me anything."
"No I can't," She replies sorrowfully. "But maybe in time." She turns away from him, pulling her hand away and folding it into her lap. "Look, I said I didn't want to talk about it right now. Just drop it, ok?"
