Blinded by the Light

six

I jumped up on the ledge of the bridge. I cried as I stood up on it. It was the only thing for me to do, it's not like anyone needs me in their life. It's for the best. I took a deep breath as I felt my weight shift off the ledge.

As I started to fall, I felt someone's arms wrap around me and catch me. They pulled me off the ledge as I struggled to get out of their grip. I was too weak and just fell on the ground as they let go of me. I looked up. It was the blonde kid again.

"God, are you like a stalker or something?" I asked in an annoyed tone. I wiped my eyes and sniffed as I sat against the wall with my knees to my chest. "No, I live around here. What the hell are you doing?" he half yelled. I sighed and looked at him as a tear rolled down my face.

"Hey, are you ok?" he asked as he sat down next to me on the sidewalk and wiped the tear off my cheek with his thumb. I half smiled at him and looked at my lap as I sat up.

"Well, my mom died this week. She was the only person in my life who actually cared about me. And now my stepdad, Andrew, is turning into an alcoholic and has been coming home every night drunk and beating me. He kept telling me that my mom wanted to die because of me, and I guess I started to believe him." I explained as I began to cry. He was silent.

"I know what it's like." he said as he scooted closer to me. "How could you possibly know what this is like?" I glared at him. "I used to live in Texas. After my parents got divorced, my mom moved away and never spoke to us again. My dad became an alcoholic and used to beat me."

I stared at him as he explained. He took a deep breath and started again. "One night he was screaming so loud and I ran out into the street, and he followed me. The family two houses down from us called the cops and they arrested him for child abuse, so I came here to live with my uncle." he stated. I was silent.

"I'm sorry." I said after a while and looked at him. He sighed and leaned his back against the wall next to me. It was silent for a few minutes.

"My name's Reed." he said. I glanced at him and then looked at my knees. "Ali." I replied. "So what are you gonna do? I mean obviously you can't go back to your house because of your stepdad." he said. I heard the slight Texan accent in his voice. It made me smile a little.

I started to think. Where could I possibly go? I started to say something, but was interrupted by Reed. "You can stay at my house."

I looked at him and furrowed my eyebrows. His facial expression was blank. He was serious. "I don't even know you." I said. I just met this kid and he's inviting me over to his house. I looked away and stared at the sidewalk.

"Look, I know you just met me and all but you need a place to stay so I'm offering one to you. You could either take it or sleep on the sidewalk." he stated. I was surprised and looked at him. "Ok, fine." I said. I can't believe I'm actually doing this.

We got up and walked to his house. It was closer to the beach. He turned into a pathway covered by a bunch of plants. I stopped and looked at him. "You coming or not?" he called. I started following him.

We stopped at some steps leading up to a doorway. "My uncle's on a business trip in LA so we're the only ones home." he said as he unlocked the door. He walked inside and I followed him. I looked around at the huge house around me.

It was gorgeous. The furniture was white and light blue and the walls were painted a darker blue. There was a gorgeous dining room with a crystal chandelier and a glass wall that showed the ocean behind it. I noticed a surfboard on the wall. It was painted all sorts of different colors.

"You live here?!" I asked him. "Yeah. It's pretty nice." he said blankly. I looked around awkwardly. "Are you hungry or anything?" he asked. I nodded. He walked into the kitchen and I followed him. He gave me a box of cheese-its. I opened it and started eating them.

"Here, I'll take you to your room." he said as I followed him through a hall. He opened a door on the end. It was a really cute little guest room. I walked in and sat on the bed. He looked at the ground and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Do you have a bathroom I can take a shower in?" I asked. "Yeah. It's upstairs." he said as he lead me out of the room and up the stairs. I followed him into the bathroom and he showed me how to work the shower. He left and I jumped in the shower.

I couldn't believe I was actually doing this. I'm in a house alone with a guy my age that I barely know. This whole situation is bad. Why am I even staying here? I could've said no. I could've just got up and ran away when he asked. But I couldn't have gone back to my house unless I wanted to get beaten again.

I turned off the shower and dried myself off. I realized I didn't have clothes to wear, so I wrapped the towel around me and went out into the hall. I saw a door that was slightly open and music was playing. I opened it and Reed looked up at me from laying on his bed.

"You look good in just a towel." he smirked as he looked me up and down. I  scoffed and rolled my eyes at him. He laughed at my reaction and walked over to his dresser. He pulled out a t shirt and sweats. "Thanks." I said as he gave me the clothes. "No problem." he replied. The music he was playing changed. The song was R U Mine by Arctic Monkeys.

"You like Arctic Monkeys?" I asked. "Yeah. Their music is really cool." he gave me a small smile. I did the same. I turned away and smiled as I walked down the hall. I didn't notice earlier how cute he was. The way he smiled at me just made me feel nice.

I walked into my room and changed into his clothes. It was an Iron Maiden t shirt that was really big on me and grey sweats. I looked at my phone and saw that I had low battery. I walked back down to Reed's room and saw him as I found him before.

"Hey do you have a phone charger I could use?" I asked. He grabbed one and got up to give it to me. "My clothes look good on you, Ali." he smirked. I scoffed as I grabbed the charger from him. He smirked at me.

"Look Reed. I know I'm staying at your house and wearing your clothes and everything, but don't get too comfortable." I stated. "Why not?" he asked, stepping closer to me. "Because I barely know you. It's not like we're gonna be close now. In the morning, I'll go back to my house." I said. "And let your dad beat you again?" he asked. "I don't know..." I trailed off.

"I know you think I'm just another guy your age looking for sex." he stated. I just looked at him. "Well I'm not like that, ok? I wanted you to stay at my house because I know what it's like to be in your position. To be honest, I care if you get beaten. I don't want that to happen to you probably just as much as you don't either. If you don't wanna stay here you can leave, but I want you to stay." he said.

I stared at him. I didn't know what to say. He sighed and sat back down on his bed. I walked back down the hall to my room and laid on the bed. He said he cared about me...