Fight For Me ✔

Chapter 6

"And he just walked away?" Camille asks with wide eyes.

I've finally grown big enough balls to tell her about Liam. Kiss and all. The boy simply confuses me too much, I can't take it anymore! I need help! And since I don't have a mom or my old friends anymore Camille is my new go-to person.

I nod. "Got my name, shook my hand, introduced himself and walked." We looked at each other wide eyed in silence.

Then she asked "Is he a good kisser?" And I felt my face flame up like never before. She jumped up from the chair.

"Oh my gosh, he is! He so totally is! You liked it! Oh my gosh!" she's practically shaking with giddiness.

I shush her. "Keep it down will ya?" we may be alone in the school library but no need to yell like that, right?

She rolls her eyes. "I'm just excited for you. You got kissed by the hottest guy in school!" again with the giddiness!

"I don't care if he's freaking Brad Pitt or Channing Tatum! I didn't wanna kiss him! And he shouldn't wanna kiss me!"

"Whao back up honey, what do you mean you didn't want to kiss him? It's Liam fucking Paine!" she exclaims. "Every girls' wet dream and fantasy come alive! If he asks you to jump you ask 'how high' and if he wants to kiss you do the duck face and stand on your toes!"

"NO! He's scary! And dangerous! You run from dangerous things." Blood on the floor. The feel of a gun against my temple. Mom screaming. Dad's dead eyes. They're gonna kill me. "You run."

Camille looks at me, worry clear in her eyes. She reach over and takes both my hands in hers. "Caia? Is there... is there a reason why you're so scared? Of... everything that's happening with Liam?"

I'm deeply touched by her concern, but I also know what she's thinking happened to me. I wasn't raped or sexually assaulted or anything like that. I'm not ready to share what has made me so wary of... well of pretty much everything.

"Something happened but not what you're obviously thinking. But I can't be close to Liam. I need something safe, stable and... normal. I need things to be normal and boring. You have no idea how much I need boring." She's looking closely at my face and I know she sees the resignation, sadness, fear and desperation. Feelings that have been my constant companions for the past two years.

"Okay." She says slowly. "If that's what you want then that's what I'll help you get. We'll keep Liam away from you, but..." she points a finger at me. "...if you ever feel like you can be around him you tell me immediately, right?"

I sigh in relief. "Right. But don't hold your breath."

*****

When we exit the library three hours later, the rain was coming down heavily and several large puddles had already formed. Great. It was late and the bus stop didn't have a shelter.

"Shit." Camille whispered. "I'm sorry Caia, I would offer up my big sister as a taxi service for you, but she's visiting her boyfriend today." Camille lived only a block away so she walked to school every day. "Do you want my umbrella?"

I considered her offer. The next bus could come in two minutes or half an hour, there was no way to tell, the bus sign had been vandalized before school started. And in this weather I would look like a drowned rat within minutes. "Yeah if you don't mind?"

"I don't. Here you go." We walked together to the side of the road under the umbrella. "Well, I'm gonna make a run for it. See you tomorrow."

"See you." And then she ran. I watched her until she disappeared from view around the corner, before I turned to the bus stop.