When The Bad Boy Hates You

Chapter 17

I gripped the wood planks of the tree house in my hands to prevent them from reaching up to touch Blake. His eyes were filled with curiosity as he tried to pry information out of my eyes. My heart began hammering like a jackhammer as I peered into his blue eyes at such a close proximity. 

Swiftly his gaze dropped from mine and he looked away into the roaring party below us. I released a deep breath and followed his gaze to see him looking toward the bomb fire. Luckily, we were well hidden from partygoers below as the branches of the tree around us had overgrown to cover our forms with stray leaves.

"How did you go from being Sarah's best friend to her favourite target practice?" Blake asked with curiosity burning in his eyes. My chest started constricting and I glanced toward the canopy of trees above, sighing. I didn't want to face his words, so I leaned back so I was lying my torso and head on the floor, trying to escape. Blake moved his head over me, so he could still see into mine and his expression was solemn, full of seriousness.

"Does it have something to do with the fire you spoke about?" He pried, not giving in. My eyes flickered from the tree tops into his face and my stomach jumped as his face was at an alarmingly close distance, he was almost over the top of me. "After you told me about it I asked around and the guys said one year ago the west wing of the school burnt down but didn't elaborate on that." He didn't move his face, or his eyes and it made me realise how serious about this he was, like it was important to him to learn this information.

I squeezed my eyes closed as I thought about that, Blake had been curious enough about me to ask his friends about my pathetic life story. And I wanted to tell him about me, but at the thought of elaborating on what he had already learned made my chest start to constrict and my breathing to turn shallow. Somehow his close proximity was no longer enticing but restricting, I needed to get out of here, but I didn't want to leave him, so I was left immobile staring at the trees above.

When I didn't reply for a long time he huffed in frustration and drifted back from me, so he returned to staring forwards to toward the party and away from my face. It allowed me to release a huge breath of air I didn't realise I was holding and my mind to start thinking properly. Rather than only thinking about the rising panic and immediate escape.

Blake had kept his promise and I still am in my possession every hair on my head that I walked in with, I guess I could keep my promise of doing everything he asked. I sighed in resignation and sat up so sit beside him. I glanced at him to see that he was watching my old group of friends around the bomb fire with his eyebrows kitted together.

"Everyone around that bomb fire, they were my group of friends too," I started, but my voice was choked like there was a lump forming in my throat. Blake's head snapped to me and that crease between his eyebrows relaxed and was replaced with an interested gaze.

"One year ago, when we were all hanging out sitting around that bomb fire just like they are now, and they all got drunk and decided they wanted to break into the school." I was speaking through pants for air and I wrapped my hands around my waist to hold myself together. I didn't think talking about this was going to be so difficult, bringing back such painful memories.

"I was hesitant and they all knew that. We arrived at the school and I decided I wanted to sit it out. So, I stayed out the front as watch while they broke into the school." Blake was silent as he listened with an unwavering gaze fixated on my face taking in every word I had to say. I kept my gaze locked onto his chest, so I didn't have to look in his eyes as I spoke, then I would lose my courage.

"While I was waiting something happened inside, I heard someone screaming. I tried to go inside to help them, but the doors were locked, I thought something happened to them, so I called the police," I revealed. I was panting now, my chest heaving up and down as the horrible memories crashed into me, I haven't told anyone else about this since it happened. Blake's expression had morphed into that of concern, his lips pressed together.