Pieces [Wattpad's Editor's Choice]

22: OuT oF ArM's ReAcH

We took the light rail back to the dorms where Arrow grabbed his green Nike backpack and I grabbed my miniature convertible purse/backpack Luna got me for my nineteenth birthday. From there, we headed out to explore. And I mean beyond our college campus.

We jumped light rail to light rail to get through the towering buildings and heavily congested streets, laughing and play-shoving and stopping to admire the occasional street performer or mural. I always loved the walks through town, especially in the evening when no one was in a rush to get to class or work. I could walk these sidewalks forever.

"Luna brought me here my first semester of college." I looked over my right shoulder as we crossed over the highway, following the narrow sidewalk close to the railing. Cars sped below us, the sound nearly drowning out my voice. Sweat dripped down my temples as the sun shone down on us. "I didn't know a single place besides my own dorm. I got lost every day the first two weeks here. Can't read maps, and I guess not GPS's either, but I wanted to explore. So Luna showed me around since she's been here two years before me."

Arrow walked on my left, his gaze fixed on the other side of the bridge. The sun loomed in the distance and golden hour was upon us. Would his eyes glow again if they caught the light just right?

"You know, I used to live in such a box," I continued. I needed to shut up; times like this when the sun shined rbight and the air felt secure around me, I wanted to share everything. I wanted to tell my lovers every freaking thing about me. The nitty-gritty, personal stuff that might scare them all away. Yet I couldn't ever keep my mouth shut. "I never went anywhere. Growing up, I liked to watch on the sidelines. I liked my comfort zone. Change scared the hell out of me. But I also was excited to see where change took me, because I got bored of things so quickly." I glanced at Arrow to see if he was still listening.

He wasn't looking at the sun anymore. He was looking at me.

My heartbeat intensified. It felt like I was suddenly on stage in front of a million strangers. I looked back over the bridge.

"You know how many high school parties I bailed on?" I continued. "How many trips I missed in high school because I was afraid of traveling with classmates and teachers? How many crushes I never capitalized on because all I did was choke on my freaking insecurities and fears?" I stopped dead in my tracks. Arrow did the same. "I was lame. I was such a freaking cliché, Arrow. I was the book-smart girl who never gained any knowledge beyond the books. And then...and then Phillip left."

I didn't realize my eyes filled with tears until I glanced up at Arrow and his whole body rippled. I blinked them away, but held his gaze. What good was our relationship if I couldn't let him see me cry?

I cleared my throat. "Phillip left all the time for days on end, but when he left and didn't come back, even after the police got involved and they told us he ran away..." I shook my head, the memory stirring up my insides and making me sick. "I had to get out of high school. I needed that change. I didn't make any long-term friends so it wasn't much of a loss. I worked hard. I graduated early. I wanted a fresh start so freaking bad, one where I could be bold. I guess if anything, it taught me to do things on my own, without an older brother to guide me."

"Phillip's your older brother?"

"Oh, yeah." I forgot he never met Phillip. "You slept in his bed the first night. He's also Isaac's roommate. And friend, I guess."

"Is he like you?"

I...honestly didn't even know the answer to that question. Once upon a time, he was the exact opposite. "Wish I knew."

"You don't talk anymore?"

"Not like we used to. We did everything together. He protected me all the time. We told each other everything, gave each other advice, he taught me how to ride a bike, swim, he even helped me collect insects for my collection." I laughed at the memory of Phil almost falling off a roof to capture a Praying Mantis for me. "But he ended up liking drugs more."