Rupture

Chapter 9

                                                                       Angelica's POV

"Hey."

I looked over my shoulder and saw Xavier heading toward me in the woods. We had planned to meet up here the day before.

"Hi." I smiled. 

He settled down beside me. Usually he gave me a respectful distance, but today our shoulders were only seperated by an inch.

He must have realized I was feeling uncomfortable, because he said, "Too close for you?" He grinned when he said it, then scooted even closer next to me on the ground.

"No, of course not!" I lied, my voice sounding much weaker than I'd wanted it too.

Our shoulders and knees were touching, and I was distracted by the tingling sensation, like what always happens whenever we touch.

"Then...I guess you wouldn't mind this either," he said as he slipped his arm around my shoulder.

"Um...of course not!"

I suddenly felt his warm breath as he whispered into my ear. "Too close yet?" He teased.

I was afraid of what he would do next, so I did what any normal girl would do...

I elbowed him in the ribs.

"Ow!" He yelled, rubbing his side. "What was that for?"

I scowled at him. "Oh, you know."

He muttered something I couldn't understand and I smiled innocently.

"So, what do you want to do?" I asked, pretending I hadn't just elbowed a boy.

"Well, when I tried to do what I wanted, I was given a jab in the side. I think for now the best way I won't get hurt for awhile is if we do what you had in mind." He grumbled.

"Okay...um...what's your favorite color?" I blurted out. Why did I just say that?

"Green," he said without hesitation.

I blushed because he was looking at my very green eyes as he said so.

"What's yours?" He asked in return.

"Red." I responded just as quickly as he had.

"Why?"

"It's just so...bold. It won't be ignored, they say if you close your eyes and open them, if there's any red where you are looking at then it will be the first color you see."

"So it's a fighting color? Rebellious, almost?" He asked, his grin getting bigger as he said it.

"Uh, I guess. I never really thought of it that way." 

Suddenly he looked straight into my eyes, his gaze serious and hopeful.

"Angel. I have something to ask you," he whispered, his gaze so intense I wanted to break eye contact, but found I couldn't.

"Do you ever...feel?"

"Well, I do happen to have all five senses, the sense of touch included, so yes. I can feel quite well that there are electric shocks channeling into my knee and shoulder, where our skin is in contact." 

Why was he asking such an obvious question?

"I know that," he said. "I meant do you ever feel...emotions?" 

I hadn't expected that. 

"Xavier...almost no one does. Plus, those that do often end up dead or in jail," I replied.

"Yes, I know," he said tiredly, "But the question is do you?"

"I don't know..." I whispered, genuienly not sure. "I mean...how would I know?"

"Oh, you would know, trust me," he assured. "Anyways, sometimes I notice emotions in you, but they usually disappear quickly and then come back a while later. It's like you feel emotions, but you know that most of the human race thinks that they are wrong and so you pretend not to notice them, or your mind hides it from you," he added.

"But your heart wants emotions. Follow that, not the mislead society," he whispered, staring so deep into my eyes I still couldn't look away.

"Ca-can you feel then?" I asked.

He laughed, but it didn't reach his eyes.

I hadn't expected the conversation to turn so deep so quickly. 

"Yes, I feel, Angel."

"Where are you really from?" I asked, not sure if I wanted to know the answer.

"Not from here."

"Then what part?"

"No part, I come from somewhere else."

I suddenly felt the urge to flee, feeling something I had barely ever felt before for the second time this week. I guessed it was fear.

"I-I have to go," I whispered, standing up quickly.

His eyes got dark as he realized what I was doing.

He narrowed his eyes at me. "You're scared now, aren't you? Actually, I'd rather you be scared than blank. At least it means you really do feel stuff sometimes. What I wasn't hoping for was for you to be scared of me."

I didn't reply, I just ran off out of the woods and started on my way home. Before I got out of sight, I looked back at Xavier. He was staring off into space, his face betraying no emotion. Numb.

The only way you could detect it was the way his hands were clenched, his knuckles white.