This Girl I Met

11

"Yes, last night you told me you had a younger brother" I explain, frowning.

She sighs. "He's dead too."

I must be looking pretty ridiculous right now, because my jaw is wide open. Wow. She lost her little brother too. And her sister is fucking brain dead. Something inside of me makes me want to hold her in my arms again, but I restrain myself from doing so. Instead, I just look at her face, and that makes me angrier. 

When I realize I haven't said anything yet, I feel even badder. But she is already looking at her mom, that is now sitting on the police car. 

"Can I crush in your place tonight ?" she suddenly asks. 

I raise my eyebrows. "What ?" 

She looks down, slightly blushing. "I am keeping my promise." 

She's speaking about the fact that I made her promise that next time things get messy in her house, she had to come at my place. I silently look at her, while she is trying to avoid my gaze. Something in me is yelling. 

"Of course you can." I then think. "I'm just surprised you don't wanna go with your sister, that's all."

Emily sadly looks at the ambulance leaving. "There's nothing they can do anymore."

"But-"

I stop speaking because I see how hurt she is. Instead, I grab her forearm and lead her toward my house. When we walk past Allie and Bati, they just nod. The four of us just go home, and the couple immediately go on Allie's room to 'work', while I am taking Sonnett in my room. She immediately collapse on my bed, as I am putting my sweatshirt on, and throw another one at her, because it's cold here. She silently thanks me, as I am sending a text to Moe, telling her I can't come today. 

I have more important to do. 

**

"Why are you so secret all the time ?" 

That question of hers just surprises me. 

We've been studying for two hours, with only a few words exchanged. I don't really know what to say to her, because she seems to be so hurt and depressed, and I am not a good psychologist. All I wanna do is hold her in my arms, but I can't do that. I mean, I could, but I don't want her to think I am a creepy person that takes advantage of a hurt girl. 

I look at her, frowning. "Sorry ?" 

"The other day, when we talked about what happened to my dad, you avoided talking about yourself. Why ?" she asks. When she sees my face becoming whiter, she adds : "I mean, it's okay if you don't wanna talk to me about that, even though I thought that I opened my heart to you, by telling you my story, and I thought you'd do the same, but then I figured you do that with everyone. You shut people out." 

"That makes two of us" I say. 

She smirks. "Defensive position. Fine." 

I sigh. "Sorry, you're right. I don't like to talk about myself". 

"Why ?"

Is that fifty shades of questions ? I think, not sure what to answer. She is now sitting across from me, intensively staring at me. 

"I don't feel like what I have to say is interesting." As she is about to say something, I cut her off by saying : "I mean, you story is freaking horrible. I, on the other hand, just lost my parents and was adopted. That's it." 

She raises her eyebrow. "You are adopted ?" 

"Yup. Tobias found me in the foster system and brought me here after his wife passed" I explain, trying to not feel too awkward. I cross my arms against my chest. "Cancer" I add. 

"Do you know them ? I mean, who they are ?" she asks, curious. 

"No. And I never want to know." I bitterly let out. 

That makes her smile, and I feel the butterflies screwing my stomach up again. It's the way she moves her head to the side, and her forever sassy eyes that I find so attractive. She looks at me again. 

"We have more in common than I thought" she lets out, thoughtful. 

I smirk. "My story isn't as tragic as yours." I remind her. 

"What, is it a contest now ?" she asks, quite annoyed. "Every story matters. It's just... different, I guess." 

I nod. She's right. 

"I'm sorry if I acted like a bitch toward you" I say, sincerely beginning to feel like my head was burning. "I'm not the kind of girl to just... I don't know."

"It's okay, Lindsey. You don't have to pity me either."

"I never pitied you." 

My words come out as a surprise for both of us. 

The next second, I am lost in her ocean eyes. The freckles she's got on her face just appear clearly right now. She looks amazing, with only an old sweatshirt and a messy ponytail on. She catches my eyes staring at her, and stops what she's doing. I feel some sort of electricity between us, and the only thing I wanna do right now is grab her neck and kiss her with passion. But we both know we can't do that. 

I shake my head and go back to my books. But I feel a cold hand getting near mine, and when I look up she's looking at me in the eyes. 

"Thanks for letting me stay" she slowly says. 

I nod. "Anytime."

She removes her hand and goes back to studying. My eyes hardly leave her, only when she's also looking. I know she spotted me, but I can't help but doing it again. 

That's going way out of hands.