Forbidden

~Chapter Thirty-One~

A/N: Here it is, y'all! :-) I finally hit the 100-page mark! That makes me feel rather happy and accomplished. ;-)

Also, I got some absolutely fantastic news recently. This story is one of the Round One winners for "2012's Best Young Authors." I was majorly shocked, but--needless to say--elated when I discovered this. Now, obviously, I haven't won, but that made my day. Thank you all for supporting me, and being the wonderful people that you are! :-)

This chapter is dedicated to ManchestersBottlePop. She is such a sweet, beautiful girl, and one of my biggest heroes and inspirations. Though I've never met her, she feels like my sister; she never fails to make me smile when I'm down. She's nothing but kind and sweet to everyone, and always lifts everyone up when they're down. Plus, she lets me bother her without telling me to disappear. (Which, admittedly, I've been told before.) So, thank you, El. I love you, lovely girl! :-)

ENJOY! I LOVE YOU ALL!!! :-D

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~Chapter Thirty-One~

Without hesitation, without any rational thought at all, I whirled and ran, pounding loudly down the stairs. My mind was a blank as I shot out the front door, slamming it behind me and running into the deluge. My mouth was dry, my lips desiccated; my tongue felt like a desert. The chill of the rain felt relieving, slipping gloriously down my flushed skin, snaking down my spinal cord and causing me to shiver. I was numb to the thought that I could become sick, catch pneumonia or something equally as dangerous; instead, I merely hoped that the cleansing water would wash away my unadulterated idiocy.

            How could I have thought that Erin loved me…liked me, even? She was far out of my league: a gorgeous girl with a beautiful, angelic personality to match. She was mysterious with her introverted ways, commanding with her beauty, unintentionally seductive with her intelligence and bright gaze…everything I wasn’t. I was common compared to her, a member of the third class while she dominated the first. I should have known that she was only playing with me; I should have known that someone—her male equivalent in looks and personality—was waiting for her. I bit my lip, fighting back the pathetic tears.

            My own stupidity didn’t hurt the most, though. It was the fact that Erin had never seemed like the type of girl to do that, to lead someone on only to shatter them, a cruel prank. She had just never appeared that way to me. But what did I know? She had just proven how naïve I truly was, nearly as terrible as Layla’s own childish innocence.

            But she had an excuse. I didn’t.

            I saw the silhouettes of two windows suddenly splayed onto the grass: Mom must have flicked on the light as soon as she had heard my pounding feet. I leapt stubbornly away from the illumination, not wanting to be revealed to my family. Fresh, weak tears, trembling limbs, and a broken heart weren’t the best ways to comfort my sister, especially after the talk Mom had just had with us. I inhaled deeply, choking on droplets of rain for a moment, failing in my attempts to calm myself down.

            How could I have been so stupid?

            “River!” I heard Erin call behind me, the creak of the door emphasizing her point. “River, listen to me! I can’t see you, but I need to talk to you!”

            “What’s there to say?” I whispered to myself, gulping down the lump in my throat. “I saw enough.” Shaking, the cold seeping into my drenched clothing and attacking my skin, I flew across the lawn, the wet grass creating obnoxious sounds as I sprinted away. I felt numb: unaware of time, space, and direction. All that mattered was the fact that that had hurt. It had burned like fire. It hurt too much to be natural, it seemed.