The Sound of Silence (Previously I Know What You Did Last Summer)

{Eighteen} Misery

I had just finished unpacking my English textbook into my locker when I heard the sound of footsteps echoing through the quiet hall. My body grew rigid upon hearing them; there shouldn't be anyone walking the halls right now. Most days I waited until the last bell of the day sounded throughout the school and the three thousand students poured out the front doors to retreat back to the safe space of my locker.

Gently pressing my palm against the cold metal as it shut, I was prepared to find my overly optimistic best friend behind me. She had a bad habit of sneaking up behind people and scaring the ever living crap out of them without intentionally doing so. What I faced when I turned around was far more terrifying them any scare Isabelle could ever give.

Kevin Marshall stood before me. His large, calloused hands were tucked into the pockets of his hundred dollar jeans. The burgundy v-neck he wore hugged every muscle, stretching across his broad chest when he lifted his hand in an attempt to offer it to me. I stood, my back against the lockers, hands grasping the locks to keep from trembling.

"Hey." He flashed a weak smile. "I just wanted to see if you were okay after all the crazy shit that went down in Government on Thursday and Friday."

I shook my head, mouth hanging open as I tried to bring myself to say something, anything.

His hand brushed my knee cap and I straightened, my heart hammering against my ribcage as the image of the boy blurred. I suddenly felt his entire body pressed against mine, his cold fingertips cuffing my wrist roughly as he forced me further down into the hard, course sand beneath us. The warm trickling of blood along my hip had no affect on the hand that wandered beneath my red hoodie. I felt my hair fall back against my ear as the warmth of his heavy, alcohol ridden breath brushed my damp cheek.

"You're Landon Spencer's little sister, right? And Hunter's girlfriend." Kevin's voice drew me out of my daze, the little I'd eaten this morning churning in the pit of my stomach.

All I needed was a distraction. I needed some way to break passed his indirect trapping and run for the doors.

"Colton's not my boyfriend." The words escaped me before I could fully comprehend them. To my relief, the fact that it was the subject sitting in the forefront of my mind made it so I could breathe a little.

"Really?" Kevin laughed, almost provoking me. "Because I heard an entirely different story from him."

I was too lost in my head to try and reason with the boy in front of me, or defend something I wasn't sure of myself. After a moment of agonizing silence, Kevin pulled his right hand from his pocket and touched his calloused index and middle fingers to my chin, turning my head so I was looking directly into his lifeless blue eyes.

The same eyes that have stared back at me every time I shut my eyes the last two and a half months.

"Well, boyfriend or not, he was a great player. The school and my father miss the hell out those two." He said, breath tickling my cheek. "I guess I'll see you around then, Spencer. Feel better."

The moment he broke away and started down the opposite end of the hall, I raced to the girls bathroom and collapsed in the middle of the stall, throwing up the half of bagel and water I'd forced down this morning. With the food and excessive amount of liquid and vile came tears. My vision became so blurred that I had to reach for the handle on the toilet multiple times before my shaking hands hand a tight grasp and I was able to push it down. I rested my head against the cold stall, swiping the sleeve of my dark shirt across my mouth, biting into my arm to keep from screaming.

I reached over and flushed the toilet once more, this time slamming my fists against the wall of the stall and kicking it as hard as I could.

I knew it didn't matter how much I kicked and screamed, nobody would ever be able to hear the silent screams inside my head.

*

The minute I stepped through the front door, I whirled on my brother and Colton.

"Girlfriend, huh?" I snapped. "Do you want to tell me what the hell that's all about? Why is the whole school under the impression I'm your girlfriend?"

Colton stretched his arm behind his head and scratched at his neck, avoiding looking in my direction.

"It wasn't my idea." He eventually muttered. "I didn't want to do it."

I crossed the room, ready to shove him until he caved and told me the truth. Before I could do as much as open my mouth, Landon shook his head and stepped between us.

"I told him to do it, Ave. It kept the guys away from you, didn't it?" Landon confessed.

"What right do either of you have controlling my life without my consent? Neither of you thought of ever mentioning this to me?"

"I didn't think you'd care too much." Landon answered. "It wasn't that big of a deal."

I narrowed my eyes, making a gesture toward myself. "Not a big deal? So determining who I do and don't date is your decision? A lie about me being told to most of the school isn't an issue that should be discussed with me beforehand? Where the hell do you get off living my life for me, Landon?"

There was a fracture in my brother's calm and collected exterior hearing my response.

"I was trying to protect you, Avery. That's all I've ever done. Everything I do, my shitty job, ignoring chicks, paying the bills for Mom and Dad, and pretending there was actually an adult here so CPS didn't come and take you again, was for you. All that bullshit, Avery, I did it for you."

I felt a twinge of guilt in my chest as I stared guiltily at my brother across the room.

"You can't protect me from everything, Landon." I whispered.

Colton's head fell into his hands, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose, refusing to watch the scene unfolding in front of him. Landon opened his mouth, looking ready to speak, but shut it after realizing he was at a loss for words.

I stared them both down a minute longer before turning on my heel and jogging up the stairs, pressing the back of my hand against my mouth to keep my cry from breaking through.

*

I don't know what surprised me more; the fact that I wander aimlessly until I ended up back at the support group or that Bianca had saved me a seat on her left, as if she had no doubt I'd come back.

She offered a smile that faltered upon seeing my expression. The moment I sat down, she touched my shoulder gently, then grasped it a little tighter in a comforting gesture.

I lifted my head and looked toward Millie across the room, Bianca, then finally back at my hands clenched on my lap before sliding back in my chair and falling into an absolute silence. 

***AN***

*Unedited*

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