Skinny Love

Chapter 14: Carry Me

Matt's P.O.V

___________________________

"Hi my name's Tyler and I'm gay and I'm single so hit me up if your ready to flamingle!" Tyler said shaking my hand. I giggled as Avi rolled her eyes. He continued,

"Okay honeys I gotta get going but please call me, text me and don't be strangers." He said winking and just as quick as he had come, he had gone.

"Sorry about that. Old friend, long story." Avi said getting up to walk on the side walk.

"It's okay, we have time." I said, grabbing her hand. She smiled.

"Well not here."

"Let's go to my dorm then." I said grabbing my helmet and offering it to her. She looked up at me and shook her head.

"I'm not putting your helmet on. It is your helmet and you have to wear it because safety first and you're the driver and--" She said moving her hands around as she spoke. I chuckled darkly and looked down at the side walk.

"All you had to say was you want me to wear the helmet because it makes you nervous to see me without a helmet." I said looking at her.

"I-I Okay. Yeah, we'll go with that." She said lightly punching my shoulder. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her blushing.

...

We walked up the stairs to my dorm. She had told me science joke which I was apparently one of the first people to understand her joke without her having to explain it. I opened the door while she was laughing and we entered the surprisingly clean room and she sat on the couch. I followed after her and sat right next to her.

"So?" I said waiting for her story on Tyler.

"Sorry?"

"Your story?"

"Oh right." She said looking at her hands. She ran her hand through her hair and took in a deep breath. Then she let it go.

"Okay, so, errm, basically, when I was in the second grade, I went around outside collecting flowers. then I'd sit and make them into flower crowns. The thing is, no one liked me. I was a chubby little girl with no friends and a shit ton of books to keep me happy.

"What happened was, I was reading The Chronicles of Narnia and was making a flower crown. One of the snobby girls came over and called me a weirdo. I told I didn't care and she could go now if she didn't have anything else to say. She flipped shot and grabbed my book and ripped out all of the pages. She trampled my flowers too. All of the kids were crowding around and laughing at me and pulling my hair and pushing me down when I tried to get up.

"Then there he was. His blond hair and purple glasses shouted at them to back away. They all did as he said.

"I tried to wipe my tear stained cheeks and he took me to the nurses office to get my scraped knees cleaned up. that's the story of my best friend Tilly." She finished. Her eyes were tear rimmed.

"Oh Avi, I'm so sorry you had to live through that." I said hugging her tight. She sniffled and sighed.

"Pretty Boy Smith. You don't even understand the hell I went through. Torment everywhere. Elementary, Middle, and it followed me here. Different girls, different guys, pain more intense with each and every blow." She whispered into my chest. She was shaking. I hugged her tight and felt her breaths even out. She pushed away after a bit.

"Okay Matt, I gotta go."

"I'll walk you to your dorm, if you'd like?" I offered. She shook her head.

"I've bothered you enough."

"No way darling. Everything is totally fine." I said. She smiled weakly. I led her out the door and down the stairs.

Up until the last 5 steps.

Her ankle twisted and sent her plummeting down the last 5 steps. She was laughing on the ground while I nearly shit my pants watching her fall.

"How fucking clumsy can you be, love? Are you okay? Can you walk?" I asked, giving her my arms so she could pull herself up.

"Errm no." She said wincing as she tried to put weight on her left foot.

I lifted her bridal style and she gasped.

"Matt, what the Hellen's house is wrong with you? You can't carry me all the way to my dorm!" She yelled wrapping her hands around my neck.

"You'd be surprised." I whispered back with a cheeky wink. She laughed.

"Cheese and sprinkles."

"Fish fingers and custard." I said. She giggled her fairylike laugh and I started the walk to her dorm.

...

She had fallen asleep in my arms while I was walking. She still smiled even in her sleep. I unlocked her dorm door and set her on her bed. I could tell it was hers because she had her Panic! at the Disco t-shirt neatly folded at the foot of her bed.

She looked so adorable when she was asleep. Almost childlike. Her hands clasped together and her legs folded up.

I pulled her shoes off carefully and set them on the floor. I walked to the small kitchen and pulled a ziplock bag out of a box and grabbed some ice from the freezer and put it in the bag. I extended her left leg and put the bag on her ankle. She barely stirred.

"Goodnight Avi darling." I whispered. I leaned over and kissed her forehead.

"Sweet Dreams." She whispered back.