Rae just looked at Elissa; his eyes widened and looked about like saucers. "I'm sorry. You probably didn't want to hear that, did you?" Elissa apologized.
Rae was just silent for a little while. After a few minutes, he says, "No wonder you didn't want to tell anyone about your life." He comes to her side, and hugs her gently. "You went through a lot of crap in your life. I'm so sorry I couldn't have been there for you sooner," Rae apologized.
"You don't have to apologize to me. It's not your fault all that stuff happened to me." Elissa was a little confused. She had never seen someone act like this before, that she noticed.
"I know, but no one should have to go through things like that. Especially anyone with no one to talk with about it," Rae said, still holding onto Elissa. Elissa slowly started to bring her hands up, and wrap them around Rae. A little tear fell out of her eye, and down her cheek. "Why are you crying?" Rae asked, not moving.
"I-I'm not crying," Elissa denied.
Rae pulled back, and looked at Elissa. "Then what do you call that?" he said, wiping away her tear.
"How did you know I was crying?" Elissa asked.
"I felt it hit my shoulder," Rae explained, and looked at Elissa's eyes. "Don't worry, it's okay. It's all in the past now," Rae comforted her.
"I'm not crying because of what has happened in my past. They're more like..." Elissa trailed off.
"More like what?" Rae asked.
"More like...tears of joy," Elissa looked away from him.
"So you're happy?" Rae questioned.
"Yeah, I'm mainly happy, and probably will be as long as my dad doesn't find out where I'm at," Elissa sighed. "That most likely won't last long. He somehow always knows where I'm at."
"He won't find you here," Rae told her.
"He will. It will just take a couple of days. He will find me, and then beat me for running away," Elissa explained.
"Why did you run away then?" Rae asked.
"Because I knew if I kept moving, then he wouldn't be able to ever find me. Of course, I also wasn't expecting to run into you, and being invited into your house to tell my story to you," Elissa sighed.
"I'm sorry I stopped you," Rae sighed, thinking that if Elissa did get caught, then it would be his fault.
"No. Don't be sorry. I'm glad I ran into you, actually. Because of you, I know that there are actually some people that might care about me," Elissa smiled.
"I'm always here for you, when you need me," Rae smiled back.
Another tear ran down Elissa's cheek, and she leaned over and hugged him. Rae was a little shocked at first, but then smiled, and hugged her back, warm and close to him.
Right at that moment, Rae's mom came through the door, and said, "Dinner's ready you two." She saw them two hugging each other, and she smiled a sly smile. "Or are you two ready to eat?"
Elissa pulled away suddenly, and looked down, a little embarrassed from hugging him. "Yeah, I'm ready to eat."
"Me too," Rae agreed.
"Okay," their mom laughed. "Then why don't you and your girlfriend come down and eat?" She walked out of Rae's room, and down to the dining room.
"She's..." Rae started, but stopped, realizing that he did kind of like Elissa. He looked over at Elissa.
Elissa felt him looking at her, so she looked up at him, her face a little red. "What?"
"Oh, uh, its nothing!" Rae denied, and changed the subject. "You ready to go downstairs and eat?"
Elissa nodded, and stood up. Rae stood up, and started walking towards his door, while Elissa followed. Rae walked down the stairs, and went towards the kitchen, but turned before he got there. "The dining room is this way," he told Elissa. He walked into the dining room, and sat down in his usual place. Elissa just stood there for a minute, until Rae told her where she could sit, so she sat down.
"What's for dinner?" Elissa asked him.
Rae shrugged, and asked, "Mom, what's for dinner?"
"We're having chicken strips with macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, and a roll. Oh, is that all right with you, Elissa? I didn't even think about if you liked it or not, silly me," Rae's mom asked.
"Yeah, it's fine. I like chicken strips," Elissa nodded.
"When's the last time you had a home cooked meal?" Rae's mom asked her.
Elissa looked down, and answered, "Never..."
Rae looked at his mom, and gave her a 'why'd you ask that?!' look.
"Well I'm sorry Rae, but you didn't have to give me that look! How was I supposed to know?" Rae's mom asked him.
"No, it's all right, Rae. I'm fine," Elissa told him.
Rae's mom started bringing everything into the Dining Room, and setting it on the table. "Rae, can you get the silverware for me please?" she asked him.
"Yeah," Rae sighed, and got up, following his mom into the kitchen.
"Rae, why didn't you want me to ask her when the last time she had a home cooked meal was?"
"Because her mom died before she was born, and let's just say that her dad can't cook at all," Rae answered, getting the silverware out of the drawer.
"Oh, I'm sorry, but I didn't know."
"I know," Rae said, going back into the dining room.
"That boy has such an attitude," his mom sighed, and heard him drop the silverware on the floor. "Rae! Why did you..." his mom started, going into the dining room, and seeing neither Rae nor Elissa there. "Rae? Elissa? Where are you two?"
"Elissa!" Rae yelled, looking for Elissa. "Where are you?!" He went running up the stairs up into his room to see if she was there. "Elissa?" he said, opening the door. He saw her backpack sitting on the bed, where they had left it. He ran out of his room, and back down the stairs. "Mom, I'll be back in a minute!" Rae yelled, fixing to go out of the front door.
"Rae? Where are you going?" Elissa asked him.
"I'm going to look fo...Elissa? Where did you go?!" Rae was so happy, yet irritated from her just disappearing. He ran over to her, and hugged her. "I thought you had left!"
"I had to go to the bathroom, but I never found one," Elissa explained.
Rae sighed a sigh of relief, and said, "Oh. I'll show you where one is." Rae led her to a bathroom, and told her how to get back to the dining room from there. Rae went back to the Dining Room.
"Rae? Where'd your girlfriend go?" his mom asked him.
"She was looking for the bathroom. I thought she had left."
"Why would she leave?"
"Just don't worry about, okay?" Rae told her.
"Okay, why don't you pick up the silverware you dropped, and get some new, clean ones?" his mom suggested.
"Okay, sorry," Rae apologized for dropping them on the floor.
Elissa came back, and they started eating. After they were through, Elissa and Rae went back up to Rae's room.
"I meant to ask you earlier, if the policeman took your dad off to jail, then why is he at your house now?" Rae asked her once they got comfortable.
"Oh...well, there's more to the story than just what I've told you," Elissa sighed.
"Then did you find out if that guy had his way with you?" Rae asked.
"Yeah, he didn't, thank goodness. The police said that they got there, right as he was fixing to strip me down," Elissa smiled. "Thankfully they got their in time."
"I'm glad they did to," Rae smiled.
"Rae...thanks."
"For what?" Rae asked.
"For everything you've done for me. Letting me eat with you, letting me stay here, and showing me you care," Elissa explained.
"Oh, no problem," Rae smiled. "But you have to pay me back!" Rae joked.
Elissa laughed, and said, "I'm sure I will find some way to pay you back!"
Rae laughed along with her.
Once they both calmed down a bit, then Elissa said, "Do you want me to tell you more?"
"Sure," Rae answered.
