Silence

Still

"Just because your talking now you think your a better person? you think we will treat you better?" Carrie spits before pushing me against the lockers.

I yelp as the pain shoots through my back. "Get off me!" I screech

"Oh I'm sorry did that hurt?" Carrie says as she goes in for a punch, it hits my temple causing my vision to go fuzzy.

I push her off and start to walk down the corridor. I can Hear her coming after me, quick heavy foot steps getting louder and louder.

"Hey freak" she says.

I turn around and she sticks her leg out and pushes me, I land face flat on the carpet. I don't know what to do, do I get up? do I stay here? I don't know so I curl up in a ball and start to cry, after a few minutes I hear her leaving, her footsteps getting quieter and quieter as she walks into the distance.

The bell rings and people start to pile out of the classrooms and crowd around me, I mean, the freak on the floor, why would guy not watch as she cried?

"Summer!" I hear Evan cry, I want to look but I can't.

In a number of seconds I feel two hands reach down underneath my back and pull me up like you would hold a baby, I take a deep breath in and I smell the fragrance I have now associated with safety and security.

***

Evan lifts me on to his kitchen counter next to a bowl and a sponge and a first aid kit.

"How did you get yourself into this mess then?" Evan asks calmly but with a slight edge to his tone.

"I didn't do anything wrong" I declare

"Ok whatever" he says before studying my face, my eyes, my lips, my hair.

He traces his fingers over my forehead and over the bruise on the right side of my face where Carrie hit me. "oh summer, you do scare me sometimes" Evan says softly. "sorry" I whisper as he pulls me forward into his warm embrace. "summer" Evan whispers. "yes" I reply. "why did you stop talking?" Evan asks pulling out of the hug, one hand on Each of my shoulders. "um, well I was bullied, a lot and I mean a lot more than I am now, they used to bully me about my weight and my hair and my looks and my personality, things like that. after school one day I heard a young girls mum say 'if they bully you don't respond because when you talk back to them they bully you more'I know she wasn't talking to me, she was talking to her daughter but I took her words and I used them but I guess because I got bullied so much I didn't talk at all"

Evan looks at me with his soft eyes, his beautiful warm eyes. "oh summer."

I begin to cry and he pulls me into his embrace again and I cry into his shoulder. "I really wish you would stop getting yourself into trouble" Evan says suddenly. I pull out of his embrace quickly. "what do you mean? Do you think I wanted this." I snap. "no summer but trouble seems to follow you everywhere you go." Evan replies.

" And!? what if it does? You don't even care!" I yell, tears starting to form in my eyes, I look up at Evan, he looks hurt, well he looks more than hurt, he looks devastated.

"Summer, what are you talking about ? I care! I care more than you can ever imagine summer, I want to keep you safe!" he cries.

"Why?" I ask. Evan looks straight at me and says " because I love you summer."