The New Boy

Chapter 25

I was standing in the middle of the living room, my dad and my mom were having an argument. They were speaking so loud, their voices were ear-splitting. I wanted to get my eyes off something so hurtful but I could not, I was forced to keep watching. Tears burst forward uncontrollably like water from a dam, spilling down my face and drenching the tank top that I was wearing.

"I hate you." My mother said to my father and I felt my heart sink.

"Not as much as I hate you, ugh! I can't keep doing this with you." He said. My chest tightened at his words.

"Yet you keep doing it." She said.

A while later I heard a sound of someone's hand against a cheek. My dad had slapped my mom. It startled me. My mom tried to fight back but she was not as strong as he was. He started throwing punches at her and as much as I wanted to barge in and help, I could not move any of my body parts.

His hand tightened around my mom's throat and my mom was struggling to breathe. Air was constantly leaving her body and there was nothing I could do about it.

My dad finally let go and I saw my mom gasping for air. When she was finally okay, she asked for a divorce.

"I thought you would ask sooner."

I could not believe that they would be splitting up. It was then that I could move, the first thing I did was run to Henry's house to seek for his comfort. He took me in for a hug and I let the tears flow onto his chest. I loved being in his arms, it felt great and eased my heart a little bit.

I looked over his shoulder and saw a hallucination of my parents fighting again, my dad had made my mom a punching bag. I started screaming out loud.

"Navia." Henry called out but instantly disappeared. He was out of reach then but I could still hear his voice.

"Navia." He called again.

I was drenched in tears and sweat, I'm assuming. I was hyperventilating, trying to catch my breath. I looked to my side and saw Henry and I calmed down a little.

"It was just a bad dream." He said. My eyes were wide open.

He handed me a glass of water and when I started crying, he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close, gently rubbing my arm. Despite the heaviness in my stomach, it fluttered at the feeling of my body against his. I sunk into the warmth of his side, appreciating that simple gesture. His touch made the room warmer somehow. My breathing had slowed down and the tears had stopped flowing.  My body melted into him as my muscles lost their tension into the air. I felt so safe in his arms that I was scared that if he let me go, I was going to tremble all over again.

"You want more water?" I wanted more water but that would mean he would have to stand up and leave me alone in that room. It wasn't weird that I felt safe in my best friend's arms right? I nodded and he stood up to get water. I was right, after I got out of his embrace, I felt alone and I actually started to shiver. I felt unsettled and I could not wait for him to get back.

I checked the time on my phone and saw that it was an hour past midnight, so I'd have to go back to sleep alone. I just could not do it. I saw my mom's twenty seven missed calls and fifteen from Kylie. I would call Kylie in the morning or talk to her when I got to school.

He came back a few minutes later and handed me the glass of water. I gulped it down within seconds. My lip started to quiver. He stroked my long brunette hair and pulled me into his chest. Something felt right about being in his arms. I did not want him to let me go. I felt safe in his embrace.

In his embrace, I felt my worries lose their keen sting . He brushed my hair back and he placed a peck on my forehead.

"Thanks for being here for me."

"Anytime, that's what friends are for. What were you dreaming about?" He asked and I looked up to his face with worry.

"You don't have to tell me if you're not ready." I pulled away from his hug and started telling him everything. He apologized and squeezed my hand. I felt calmer from his affection.

He asked me what made me leave my house and come there. I did not say anything to him, not that I did not want to, I just could not relive the whole thing.

I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out. My lip quivered and I felt a heavy pain in my chest at the thought of my parents. I let out a heavy breath, trying to calm myself down but deep down I knew that the only thing that was capable of calming me down at that point was just being in Henry's arms. It made it seem like everything was alright, I would stay there forever.

The tears escaped from the pool they had made in my eyes.

"It's okay, it's okay." Henry said as he squeezed his arms around me.

"You don't have to tell me now, just... go to bed okay, or try to." I nodded.

The further he moved away from me, the more the warmness that was in my body grew cold. My body shivered and I did not feel safe anymore. The memories of last night ambushed me like a hurricane ought to destroy my brain cells or every good emotion I had ever felt.

He shut the door behind him and it startled me. I tried closing my eyes but every time I did, I saw my parents talking about divorce. I felt like I was dumped into a nightmare. I tossed and turned and I could not sleep. I had school the following day and unless I got some sleep, there was no way I was going to school.

I stood up from my bed and went to Henry's room. I opened the door and he looked up to me.

"I can't sleep, uh- if it's not much trouble, may I sleep with you?"

"Sure, no problem." He said as he opened up his duvet for me.

I moved closer to the bed and I was starting to feel that warmth and comfort again with every step I took to get to the bed. It felt good to have somebody that made me feel that way, and because I had not fell in love, it just had to be my best friend.

I got into the duvet. What happened then? I would not feel completely safe unless I was in his arms. Luckily for me, he wrapped his arm around my waist, causing my heart to flutter. I felt a spark right there and it rushed through my entire body and I could not comprehend why. I fell asleep in Henry's arms and it felt really good. It was like my safe place.