I could feel my cheeks burning. My face must've been cherry red. I backed up and bumped into one of the chairs, falling down on my back. The laughter grew louder, I saw fingers pointing at me, name calling.
He stepped foward and and tried to help me up, instead I stood up and quickly ran out the room. My eyes stung. My chest was heavy, my feet felt weak. I felt like I could crumble at any moment. My hands pushed open the roof door an I ran out. My tears were waterfalls, I couldn't stop. My back was pressed against the wall, my heart was thumping and for a second all I could hear was it's beat. Thump, thump, thump. I couldn't possibly go back...not now..."Josh-senpai?" The voice wasn't a whisper, more like a cry.
My mind raced, quickly I wiped my tears and mumbled a quick response. "Yes?" My voice cracked and then and there I wish I could've been a little stronger. Dylan's hand appeared on my shoulder, that's when I noticed he was really close. Too close. I could hear his breathing, feel it on the back of my neck. His gestures. I didn't need to turn around to see he was looking at me. "Are you alright?" He asked. A simple nod satisfied him. "Y-yeah I'm fine..." my voice went quiet. I couldn't trust myself to speak. Not without breaking down, I just hoped Dylan understood that. But then I noticed he didn't. With a quick tug, he pulled me back into an embrace. His arms wrapped around me, holding me tight, his face chin on my shoulder and I could feel his gaze on me. It happened too fast for me to react, so I stayed still.
For minutes, we stayed like that. It didn't feel natural, but his embrace was...relaxing. I didn't trust my voice to speak and my body wouldn't budge. My mind? It was frozen. I couldn't think of anything, just knowing he was staring at me made my mind stop, my feelings burst, and my face feel like lava. Was this normal? What was this emotion called? I have never felt it before, and it was confusing. Hmm.
"Your cheeks are cherry pink. Do you have a fever?" He asked me. It was startling but at least the sound barrier was broken."no I'm feeling fine" was all I said. My shoulders weren't as tense as before, my body was relaxed. Almost as if someone had left a warm blanket around me. Somehow, knowing that Dylan was there with me, knowing he was behind me, it helped me forget the troubles I had. I couldn't think of anything except...that he was there with me.
