Forbidden

What Now

I sat myself onto the branch where the kitten was at. He had his little claws stuck deep into he wood and his fur was fluffed up. I yanked the poor pathetic thing and set him on my lap, and began petting him comfortingly.

The little thing just slightly started to relax.

My phone had rung several times. A few times it was LeAnn. Once it was Felisha. Two times it was my dad. This whole time and now the neighbors started to crowd around to see what was going on. I smiled. I never liked this much attention. But this was awesome.

When I looked at my phone. This time, though, it was Liam.

Answer.

"Hey, what's up?" I said cheerfully as if this wasn't happening.

"What's up?" he repeated me in disbelief. "You are! Like, really high up! Come down, Morgan."

I giggled. "Sweetie, if I'm coming down, so is the cat."

"No, Morgan," he said seriously. "Your life is more important than that cat's. I'm not letting you risk your life for it."

"I know," I said, trying not to sound too excited that he said that. "So you tell those firemen that if they want me to come down, they're gonna have to come up and get me...AND the cat."

***

It was nightfall before the firemen finally came up and got me and the cat. When I got to the bottom, I handed Felisha her cat and she squeezed me tight. Then I faced my angered dad.

"Just what did you think you were doing?" he yelled.

I shrugged as if it weren't a big deal. "Helping."

LeAnn almost hugged me but I dodged her and she looked at me with sorrowful eyes. Dad grabbed my arm with such force that I thought he'd bruised it.

"Ow, that hurts!" I said.

"Listen to me, Morgan," my dad started.

I tugged my arm away and fled. Ran away from the chaos. Ran away from the park. Ran away.

Until of course Liam had to stop me. He pulled me back and wrapped me into a hug. I could feel his tears on my cheek. I sighed.

"Please don't do that," he sobbed. "Just stay down here with me from now on."

I pushed him away. "Why? Because you don't want your SISTER to get hurt? If I stay down here, all I will ever be to you is your sister. At least now I've gotten your attention."

He wiped away his tears and stared at me before I turned and walked away. I was going to lock myself in my room, like the immature sixteen-year-old I was. My new room.