The Dark Willow (A Matt Smith Fanfiction) *SLOW UPDATES*

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

(Brooke’s POV)

 

Dustin’s brown eyes gazed over me and he let out a subtle smile. He had semi-straight teeth, that where perfectly whitened. He wasn’t bad looking, actually. Probably the most attractive guy I’ve seen in a while.

What are you talking about, Brooke? You haven’t been out of the house in ages. What do you know about this world beyond your bedroom walls?

I tried to keep the voices in my head quiet. They’ve been bothering me ever since I became a low self-esteemed teenager. That was a long time ago, but even to this day I still have conversations and arguments with them on a daily basis. Sometimes I worried that I was actually going crazy.

Dustin interrupted my “argument”.

“Your hair.” He had a soothing and seductive voice.

“My hair?”

“Its auburn red. It’s the kind of red that is subtle and calming, not the eye popping fluorescent red that can usually only be obtained through hair dye. I despise it when women pour that abomination on their heads. It looks like they washed their hair with ketchup.”

I couldn’t understand the meanings of half of the words that he spoke, but they were beautiful. Poetic even.

“Thanks. I was never really a huge fan of my red hair. I even hated it at one point. It wasn’t until recently I started to embrace it more. It reminds me of…” I mentally slapped myself. I can’t bring up my mum. If I tell him she’s dead then he’ll feel sorry for me.

I could make up stories about her and tell him she’s still alive, but he would know for sure I was lying. I’ve always been a bad liar. The person with the lowest IQ could tell I was lying. It’s always been that way since day one.

“Reminds you of whom?”

“My…mum.” I choked out. “She has…um…had red hair as well.”

“What do you mean ‘had’?”

I hesitated for a moment.

“She passed away when I was four years old. From a car crash. My aunt was watching over me at the time while she was running errands. When she was coming to pick me up she was hit by an oncoming vehicle. She died on the scene, and the other driver lived with a few minor injuries. He was also discovered to be drunk.”

Dustin had sorrow in his eyes, but it was a strange kind of look. More like it was fake. Staged. Like he didn’t really feel that way.

“I’m greatly sorry for your loss. Did the authorities ever arrest the guy?”

“They did, but only for a short time. A few months at the most.”

His eyes stared off in the distance as he let out a small grin.

“Brooke, you remind me of a close friend from my childhood, you know that? So shy, almost coming off as unconfident.”

Who the fuck responds like that? I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I haven’t known this guy for an hour and he’s already trying to tell me this.

“What do you mean ‘unconfident’?”

“You just come off that way. Your voice is quiet and you have limited eye contact.”

I ought to just tell him off right now. He has no right to be saying this. No Brooke, you can’t do that. What if he hurts you? Pain is what you’re trying to escape from, not bring on yourself.

“…Brooke?”

Great another one of my “arguments.” I couldn’t hold my tongue anymore.

“Listen, just because I have a quiet voice and limited eye contact doesn’t mean I’m unconfident. It means I’m shy. It’s a trait I got from my mother, who if you don’t remember, is no longer with us. Confidence has nothing to do with being shy, it’s just a personality trait. Nothing more.” I felt my voice becoming more amplified than normal.

Dustin looked at me with a hint of satisfaction on his face.

“…I’m proud of you Brooke.” I was confused by his remark.

“What? I don’t understand.”

“You just stood up for yourself. You stood up to a strange man you haven’t known for over an hour. I think that takes guts. From anybody, honestly. You sure are something, Brooke.”

“Um…thanks I guess?”

He said something that I didn’t quite catch. I honestly decided against talking to him for the rest of the trip so I didn’t get myself into trouble. I didn’t truly know him, or the outside world, for that matter.

Which reminded me, I still needed a plan for when I actually arrived in Cardiff. No friends or family to turn to. This is going to be tough.

That’s okay, though. My mother always told me I was the toughest girl she’s ever seen and I could make it through anything, especially with the power of Jesus. I missed her so much.

LOL bad chapter :(. Sorry. It'll get more interesting I promise :D

Taylor