A Different Kind of Love

A Different Kind of Love: Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX (Dallas)

         I watch Clarity walk up the steps to her house. I have never felt this way about someone. No, you don’t like Clarity. She is a nerd, you are you. It would hurt your reputation! My inner voice says. When he comes out of his corner, I just want to slap him. Before I pull into my driveway, I get a text from Jason.

            ‘party on Friday night at Collin Nichols house. U in?”

            ‘hell yeah.’

            I think I will invite Clarity to this party. You know, to break some rules. Not that I like her or anything like that.

            I almost immediately text Clarity asking if she would like to go. It took her almost ten minutes to reply. But the good thing is, she said yes. When I got home I went straight to my room. The one place I can think. The one place where I don’t have to worry. I know, it’s stupid, but it’s the truth.

            Sometimes, hearing the truth in life is hard. But it needs to be said. The truth about my life is that, I’m falling for the nerd, Clarity. She is just sweet, sarcastic, stubborn, and funny. She doesn’t treat me like other girls do. Other girls drop at my feet, but Clarity treats me like a normal guy. This is something I have hoped for since my early badass days, in first grade.

            Now, I feel like Clarity needs to know my story. I think about this as I drift off into sleep.

            ‘Dallas, I love you.’ Clarity tells me as she brushes her lips across mine.

            ‘As do I’ I reply to her. Then our lips crash into each other’s. Our lips move in sync. Just like we have done this forever. My lips leave hers and trail down her neck. She lets out a small moan, only to make me want this more. All of a sudden, she gets up out of the grass we were sitting on and starts walking away.

            ‘Clarity!’ I call to her as she walks away from me.

            She turns around with anger in her eyes. ‘Dallas, I can’t have you. You will play me like every other girl. My heart can’t take that.’ She yells at me in frustration.

            ‘No, Clarity. I love you.’ I say to her.

            ‘I know, and that is why we can’t have each other.’ And with that said. She is gone.

            My eyes snap open. The dream I just experienced was so weird and unexpected. I have never dreamed about a girl before.

Today is Thursday. Tomorrow is the party, tomorrow is when I will tell Clarity about my earlier badass days. My really bad days, at the beginning of my high school years. Those were the days when I started doing drugs. I got into some bad stuff my freshman year. I started with drugs, but soon it escalated to things much bigger. I started stealing, that was what my first arrest was. Theft. I stole $500, from my mom’s corporation. The only reason I didn’t go to jail was because my mom convinced her company not to press charges. Which saved my life.

As I get in my car to go to school I get a text from Jason:

‘hey, need a ride to school. Can u come get me?’

‘yep, be there in five min.’

I pull into Jason’s driveway. He walks out of the door, anger boiling in his eyes.

“What happened?” I ask as I pull out of his driveway.

“My dad and my mom got in another fight.” He replies pulling his seatbelt on.

“Sorry, man.” I state. Jason has a really bad home life. His dad will come home completely drunk and start arguments with his mom. Jason will end up getting involved and end up getting hit. Jason tries so hard to not show how messed up he is.

We pull up to the school about the same time Clarity does. She gets out of the beat up old Ford. She is wearing a blue sweater and black leggings, her normal outfit. How many pairs of leggings did she own? Never mind that.

“Clarity!” I yell as I jog towards her.

“Hey Dall-“ But she was cut off by a nerdy looking guy, who looks about twenty.

“You must be Dallas.” He says getting out of the driver’s side. This boy must be Daniel, Clarity’s brother.

“Yeah, I’m Dallas. You must be Daniel.” I reply, stating more than asking.

“Clarity will you give us a second.” He says turning to look at her. She looks to me and back to her brother. I think she can feel the tension in the air, hell everyone within a sixty mile radius could.

“Umm, yeah.” She says, turning to walk in the school. Daniel turns back to look at me.

“You don’t deserve her.” He says crossing his arms.

“Yeah? Why is that?” I ask him, wearing my signature smirk.

“She deserves someone who won’t hurt her, someone who will treat her right.”

“Oh, I think she can take care of herself. Especially when she had nobody else to turn to when your dad died, and guess what? You weren’t there.” I reply to him. I walk into the school to see a red headed girl with piercing green eyes pushed up against the wall with a blonde boy yelling at her. Alex.

“Get away from me Alex.” Clarity says in disgust.

“No, Lara broke up with me because of you!” He yells at her. Clearly frustrated.

“Alex, I don’t know what you are talking about.” She says calmly. When she said that he drew his hand back and slapped her across the face. When he did that something inside of me snapped. I charged at Alex’s side and tackled him to the ground, where I then proceeded to punch the living shit out of him.

“Dallas! Stop!” I heard a girl yell from behind me. She lightly tugged at my arm, and I got to my feet.

“I’m sorry.” I said looking at my feet.

After I said that I saw Alex get up from the ground, wiping blood from his nose.

“Your knight in shining armor isn’t always going to be there for you.” Alex says.

“Stay away from her, and Lara.” I reply pushing Clarity behind me.

“Or what? What will you do?” He challenges, bad idea.

“Much worse.” I state, grabbing Clarity’s hand. We walk in silence to her locker.

“Clarity, are you okay?” I ask looking at the red mark across her face.

“Dallas! Why did you step in and beat the shit out of him? I had things handled!” She yells in frustration.

“Clarity, he hit you.” I reply looking at her.

“Yeah what’s new?” She asks, looking down.

“Wait, What? Alex has hit you before?” I ask, wishing I did more damage to him.

“Yes, quite often in fact.” She says.

“Why didn’t you tell anyone?” I ask, lowering my voice.

“Because, it isn’t something I like to talk about.” She says, walking away from me.

“Clarity, wait.” I say, grabbing her arm. She turns around to look at me, sadness in her eyes.

“I wasn’t going to just stand there and let that asshole hit you.” I say, looking her dead in the eye.

“Why? Why do all of a sudden you care about me?” She asks.

“Because you are different.” I reply.

“Dallas, I know you like me. I like you too. But I can’t be with you. I just can’t, I’m sorry.” She says before walking away.

My worst dream just came true. I was losing one of the only people I cared about.