The Fighter that He Swore to Save

Chapter 8

Gunner

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I haven't talked to her all day, I haven't even tried.  Something is wrong, very wrong, and I'm kind of terrified.  I've sat behind her and starred at the back of her hood all day but I just can't bring myself to say anything after this morning. I had tried to figure out what was wrong, and it did not go well.

I met her at her locker and immediately noticed she wasn't her usual self. I asked her if she was okay and she looked up, straight into my eyes.  She had looked broken.  Her stare was distant and the burden she always seemed to carry was a thousand times heavier than before and I could tell by the bags under her eyes that she got maybe an hour of sleep.

"Stay away from me, I'm no good for anyone, okay."  She had begged me but it wasn't desperate.  It was a warning and the tone her voice had sent shivers down my spine. But somehow, I could tell she didn't want me to, not really.

Nonetheless, I haven't talked to her since then, I've barely even looked at her, but it was a constant war.  Every time I caught a glimpse of her I could see how distant she looked, like her hoodie was slowly sucking her deeper and deeper into nothingness.  And it was killing me slowly to watch.

I shook my head and looked up at the equation on the board that I was supposed to solve.  I knew the formula and I knew exactly how to plug in the numbers and find a solution.  I scribbled it down and had it solved in two minutes.  Why wasn't life as simple to solve?

Math ended and I went to lunch.  Tina met me in the hall and started chatting with me.  Gosh, she never left me alone.  Doesn't she already have a boyfriend?  I wasn't paying attention where I was walking and I bumped into someone.

"Hey, watch it, you clown." Laughed a familiar voice.

"I could say the same to you, Vi-Vi."  I said and my sister gave me a playful shove.

"Hey Vi-Vi."  Tina hugged her and I smiled.

"Hey, Tina, Mark was looking for you in lunch room.  He wanted me to give you this."  Vi-Vi handed her a key and she gasped before running down the hall.  Vi-Vi giggled and I looked at her. "Mark was complaining about Tina cheating on him, so he asked me to give her back her house key that she gave him."  Vi-Vi looked at me.  "I foresee a fight, a makeup, and a make-out."

"Gotta love high school."  I laughed.

"Speaking about make out, how's Everett?" I blinked.

"What kind of conclusion are you jumping to?"  I asked agitated.

"None, I just like to aggravate you."  She winked.  "But seriously, what's up?"

"No idea, she doesn't want me to talk to her."

"Hasn't stopped you before."  She said plainly. 

"Yeah, but this time it's different."

"That's a weak excuse if you can even consider it one."

"It's a reason, not an excuse."  I said and she groaned.

"Look, I can tell you care about her."

"I've only talked to her for a few days."  I said.

"Doesn't matter."

"Sure, it does."

"Does not."

"You can't truly care for someone after just a few days."

"Why not?"

"You just can't."

"Shut up and listen to me, will you?"  She cried.  "If she means anything to you, anything at all, you need to help her.  You need to.  There something wrong and you can't just sit around and do nothing.  What kind of person does that make you?  A terrible one, that's what."