Summer Days to An End

Chapter IV.

"Alright, now that we're all here, can someone please explain what happened?" Selah started as they all gathered at the front gate of her house, after collectively deciding to meet up there before going their separate ways.

"Miyo, I think if any of us has to say something, it should first be you," Finn said as he turned to Miyo, whose countenance had remained downcast since the moment they left the party.

"I, I had just come out of the bathroom, and when I was heading back to Selah and Lo, Nick stopped me and we started talking for a bit," She paused in telling her story as she took a deep breath, before her eyes fell to the ground once again.

"At first it was okay, we were just catching up, but then when I told him I had to go, he grabbed my wrist and," Another pause came moments later, and Miyo lifted her hand to feel her cheek, which was sore from the slap she had received from Nick.

"It's okay Miyo, you don't have to say anymore. We understand what happened now." Lo interjected before she could continue, and Miyo nodded her head in agreement as she returned to her state of silence.

"With that cleared up, we can move on to the next issue: whose party it was in the first place." It was now Selah's turn to pick up the conversation, and Leo and Finn exchanged worried glances at her remark, as they both knew that there was only one way that this conversation could go.

"This one's on you, Leo." Finn's response was swift, happy as he was to not be the one to deliver the news.

"The reason we didn't tell you guys who was hosting the party was that we knew you guys would have never gone if we told you," Leo explained, though this speech wasn't enough to subdue Selah's persistence.

"Okay, but who was it?" As if she read her mind, Lo asked the question before Selah could.

"Aaron, Aaron Peterson," Leo said with a sigh of relief, though this relief didn't last long, as Selah's eyes shot warning glances at both him and Finn: a hint to the fact that her patience was growing thin.

"You know what? I'm not even surprised. I had a feeling it was his party, I just wanted to hear it come from you two, but that's not even the main reason why I'm upset. The main reason is that within the half-hour that we arrive at the party, poor Miyo is nearly raped by some ass that your "friend" considers good company." Selah's voice grew harsh as she lectured the two, before a gesture from Lo convinced her to go easy on them, as Miyo was still in a sensitive state over the event.

"But, I suppose I can let you off just this once, since we've all had a rough day in some way or the other." She continued, and Lo gave her a reassuring smile as Miyo's eyes finally left the ground.

"Still, I think you two owe Miyo an apology," Lo added, but before anything could come out of their mouths, Miyo spoke.

"Actually, instead of that, Leo, could I talk to you about something?" She asked, and he nodded slowly as the two walked a few paces away from the rest of the group, standing at the foot of the house's front door.

"Yes, Miyo?" He started, knowing very well the topic that she was going to bring up, just not how she was going to respond to it.

"To be honest, I don't expect an apology from you, after all, you only wanted to hang out with your friend. In fact, what I really wanted to say was thank you for saving me from Nick. I don't know what would have happened if you weren't there, and quite frankly I don't want to know." Her soft brown eyes glowed in the beaming light of the evening as she spoke, and although Leo had protected her from Nick, he couldn't shake the feeling that he owed her something more.

"You don't have to say thank you Miyo, I know how you feel, but Lo was right. I'm sorry that I let the whole thing with Nick get out of hand, especially since you two used to be friends." He answered, nearly choking on the last part as he could hardly believe that Miyo was actually friends with such a guy. To his surprise, Miyo had managed to let out a small laugh at his remark.