Impulse

Chapter Three

"Thanks." I say, not too thrilled to have company right now. Liam walked a few feet to my right, between me and the road. His arms swinging ever so slightly at his side. The moonlight created an eery shadow across his face, making his bruise darker. Every once in awhile, a street lamp would encircle us with light. We walked in silence. Liam was the first to talk.

"Why did you leave early?"

I didn't answer right away. "Well, it's a long story. I don't want to bore you." Truth is, it's a very short story.

"You won't bore me. I don't mind. I mean, if you want to say why." He added quickly.

Is he trying to be like a friend? "Well, I guess it won't hurt." I waited to see if he'd say anything, but he didn't, so I continued. "Um, I wasn't planning on leaving early, but then I saw my boyfriend with some other girl."

"I take it he wasn't just talking to her."

I looked up at him as we walked, fighting back tears. Thankfully he looked over when we stepped out of the light. I just nodded.

"I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me what he did." He looked forward again. If i wasn't mistaken, he looked almost mad at that. I shook that idea from my head. It was probably the way the shadows were.

"Thanks." I managed to mumble. We walked in silence for a little bit longer. Then I remembered he was on the street. "Why were you in the street? I mean, outside."

"Just walking. On my way home actually, then saw you and well.." He paused. "It's not safe after dark around."

Wait, did he actually care about me? "Oh, why thanks." I smiled, looking down at my feet.

"So... You're not from around here, are you?" Liam asked, startling me with such a question.

"What gave me away?"

"The way you talk and dress." He paused. "And I've never seen you before and I have seen just about everyone at school."

I didn't say anything right away. "I'm not. I came here about six months ago."

"Oh? Parents got transferred or something?"

Why does he want to know so much about me? "No. I'm an exchange student from America. I live with Sammi. You know her then, right?"

His brow drew down a little. "Yeah, I do." We walked a little in silence again. I noticed he was favoring his right side a little.

"Your from America." I nod. "Where at in America?"

"Michigan."

"Why here?"

"Because I didn't have to learn a new language. And I love the accents."

Liam laughed again. "So you like the British accent."

It was more of a statement than a question, but I answered anyway. "Yeah." I smiled.

"You came here alone then? Like no friends or anything?"

"Actually I didn't. But how the exchange program works is you go where there's an opening kind of thing. Two of my friends and I decided to do this, and ironically enough, they were put together."

"What?"

"The family had twins and so they took two exchange students, or something like that."

"Oh, sorry you got left out of that."

I waved my hand, dismissing it. Then remembered he probably didn't see it. "Eh, it's fine. I met Sammi this way!"

Liam laughed, this time a longer brighter laugh. "Do you have sister's then?"