This is Where my Demons Lie

Chapter 2

Chapter 2: There's something about her
Nathan Brady
Reverie stood up and walked inside, ignoring the shocked expression on my face. Why did she keep pushing me away? I was only trying to help.
"Why are you talking to my sister," Marie asked, tone edged with disgust.
"I guess I'm just trying to help her," I mumbled, looking down. You shouldn't feel ashamed for trying to help someone, Nat! I mentally scolded myself. But the way people talked about her made me worry. Maybe Reverie was right, reputation is all that matters.
"It's a lost cause," Marie informed me. Seeing my discouraged face, she patted my arm gently. "It's nothing you did, she's just weird. Trust me, I lived with her my whole life. I still have to."
"Okay," I didn't want to accept that though.
There was something that was pulling me to her. Something that told me she was in need of help no matter how much she denied it. Something that told me to not give up on her.
Classes passed, boring as usual. Reverie would show up sometimes, but I would still see her standing outside smoking. When lunch finally came around, I was lost in the riot of hungry high schoolers. A familiar voice turned my head.
"I'm not the freak, you're the freak!" Reverie was shouting at some senior, I'm guessing. She shoved past him and stormed out the door.
"Are you okay?" I rushed over to the boy.
"Yeah, little freak is just being a bitch, as usual," he shrugged, standing. I frowned at his words and chased after Reverie.
"Reverie!" I yelled her name. She was only a.few feet ahead of me yet she paid no attention to me. "Reverie Lark!"
"Don't use my last name," she snarled, coming up to me. "I'm not one of them, I'm not perfect or beautiful or good. I'm me and I'm disgusting. Don't use my last name."
She walked away briskly, leaving me stunned before I chased her. Why was I doing this? I didn't know, to be honest. She's a lost cause, my brain whispered. I have to try, I argued.
"Reverie," I grabbed her wrist. She winced and yanked her arm from my grip, making sure her sleeve hid the flesh. "I know you want me to leave you alone, but please, can I just buy you a hot chocolate?" I practically begged.
"Why," she seemed truly confused. "Why are you being nice to me, why would you want to buy me a hot chocolate?"
"Because you're a friend," I said nervously, anxious she would disagree. Reverie weighed the pros and cons of being my friend, of having a friend before reluctantly saying,
"I guess we can be friends. But you'll leave soon," she said the last part under her breath but I heard.
"C'mon," I chose to ignore her words and proceeded to drag her to the nearest Sunblox I could find.
I ordered us a hot chocolate and a couple scones too. The lady at the cashier handed us our drinks and scones.
"By the way, you two are a cute couple," she smiled. Reverie choked and I knew it wasn't from the temperature.
"Thanks," I said as she began helping the next customer. The trip back to school was silent and I didn't see her until the end of the day. Reverie was sitting on the stairs, casually smoking. Kids scoffed and glared at her, frowning upon her behavior. To which she responded with her own scoff and glare, mocking them.
"Hey," I sat beside her as she sat back down from throwing out her cigarettes. It was mostly empty now, only a few other people lingering.
"Mhm," I observed her beautiful ice blue eyes, freckles, and thin lips.
"You wanna come to my house?" I offered. She hesitated. "If you need to get home because of your parents, that's fine."
"I couldn't care less about them," she laughed. "I'm thinking of the consequences you'll face for having the freak at your house. But yeah, I'll go."
I beamed. Her posture was slumped with her hands in pocket and eyes focused on the ground. Mine was more uptight, straight back, head forward, hands clenching my backpack straps.
"I brought a friend," I said to Mom. She glanced at Reverie and smiled instantly.
"Hi, I'm Mrs. Brady but you can call me Jessica," Rev was obviously overwhelmed by the enthusiasm my mom possessed.
"Okay."
"What's your name, hun?"
"Reverie...."
"What a beautiful name! I'll let you two do whatever, just don't destroy anything," Mom left, humming loudly.
"That's your mom," Reverie was facing the after shock.
"Yup."
"Wow. She's very.... happy," she mumbled. I shrugged and led her to the basement.
"Mario kart?" I asked, offering a control. Reverie seemed to have a flashback in that moment before accepting it silently.
We played a few rounds, all of which she won, before Reverie set the remote down.
"I have to go, Nathan. Thanks for having me over here, I guess," she said, standing.
"Can I walk you home?" I asked. It was the polite thing to do. Reverie paled.
"No. Thanks, but no. I'll see you tomorrow," she said hurriedly, leaving the house quickly.
I was silent at dinner, my mind drifting. Currently, it was focused on Reverie Lark. She was indeed strange, but in a fascinating way. Mysterious too. What made her tick? Why did she act the way she did. Was she really a lost cause?
In bed, I analyzed her behavior and how she interacted with others. Going on that information, she really was a lost cause. But something was nagging me, telling me not to give up. That if I did, something major and irreversible would happen.
Maybe there were people who tried to help her before but all gave up. Maybe there was a reason to why she acted the way she did. I didn't know, but I was attracted to her like a magnet to metal. And I couldn't pull away.
"There's something about her."