Liar, Liar

Chapter Seventeen - Funerals & Lies

{17}

I knew I should be thinking of how I'm going to spend the next month in an orphanage eating vanilla ice-cream and drowning in self pity because I don't have a dad anymore.

But the truth is I never had even had a dad. Yeah, I had a father but not a dad. And plus, I don't like vanilla ice-cream.

When I arrived at the coffin, nobody was there. Not Leon, not Nick.

Maybe the ass hole took my advice and went to do a shot.

I knew I wasn't going to miss Jonny, or that stinking old house. Again, he was never a dad and that house was never a home. But now I actually have to wake up and realize that I don't have  parents anymore. No sober dads on a blue moon. No half-comfortable bed.

I looked over at the priest and sighed. It was starting to spit harder now. He was an old man, so I decided to let him go.

"Hey, um... You can go. I don't mind. Im the only one here and its gonna rain soon."

The priest smiled gratefully at me, picked up some damp soil and gently chucked it on the coffin that was now in the large rectangular hole. I smiled back, watching him turn and leave.

About five minutes after the priest left, it had started to fully rain and I fell to my knees next to the grave. My dress was ruined and my hair was knotty and wet now.

"I figured I'd find you here."

I looked behind me and saw James. I stood and faced him, surprised to see him here. "Hi, James. How've you been?" My voice showed the surprise. He didn't answer at first, just leaned down and wrapped his arms around me. I didn't hesitate to do the same.

"Its gonna be okay, An." I nodded, letting the tears out of my eyes. "Don't cry for him. Please."

I pulled back slightly to look at his face. "Why not?"

"His not worth is, and you know that." He removed his arms from around me and I felt cold again. "The way he treated you..." I noticed that James' hands were tightening into fists. "It wasn't acceptable.

"I didn't mean to do what I did; understand that, Andy. I just meant to scare him. Show him that if he hurts you again he'd have me to deal with..." James hung his hand. "I didn't mean to kill him. I'm so sorry."

I stared at James in shock. All this time I had believed that James didn't do it, and he had done it. At first I felt like I should take a step back, but then I realized that James killed the source of my unhappiness and pain. And he did it for me.

So I took two step forwards and went to wrap my arms around James, but he fell to the ground. Guessing he didn't want to get up, I sat down as well. Rain poured down on us, my arms wrapped around him. I couldn't tell if he was crying or if it was just the rain, but I assumed he didn't want me to know.

Finally when it stopped raining - although the sky was still gray - James and I were still folded into each other.

Then he started to speak. "Andy, you have to understand that what I'm about to tell you is so personal. I know I've only known you for about three months, but I really trust you with this... Its going to be hard to say it.

"You probably heard the rumours, right? The one of how I killed my uncle and spent a while  in juvie."

I nodded slightly. I remember getting angry at Colton for believing the rumors people were spreading.

"Well, it's true... Uh, do you know how you told me you didn't recognize me but I said I come from this town? That's because I was in juvie for three years." He looked up at me and seemed ashamed. "Because I killed my uncle. I caught him... He was... To my little sister and... And then when I walked in he threatened to kill her. I tried to save her... Little Cassy... But it was too late. He shot her. So I fought him for the gun and then, when I got it, shot him in the heart, and then the head.

"When I saw how your dad treated you, I assumed he did bad things... Is that true, Andy? Did he do bad things to you?"

I looked down, not able to face him. "Yeah..."

James stood up and pulled me up as well. I had a feeling he meant for us to end up this close together. So close that I could see the brown specks in his green eyes. So close I could feel his breath fanning out on my face. So close I could feel his accelerating heart beat. Our noses touched and so did our chests.

"This is fairly close." I commented awkwardly. He grabbed my hands lightly.

"You don't need to tell me anything about him. Tell me when you're ready. If that's ever... I mean, you don't have to tell me anything, at all. Just because I -"

"You're rambling, James."

He smiled, embarrassed. "Right. Where was I?"

He was slowly starting to lean in, and I let my eyes flutter closed and then -

My phone rang.

I reopened my eyes and backed away from James, feeling quite embarrassed now. "Uh, I probably have to take this."

He nodded in understand, but I swear I could've seen slight disappointment in his expression.

Still staring at James, I answered the phone. "Andy? Andy, where are you?"

I sighed. "Hi, Col. I told you I was going to the funeral today."

"It should've been over by now, shouldn't it of?"

"Uh, yeah. But I... Ran into Nick. And then stayed behind with the coffin."

"Did you stay behind with Nick?" Colton's voice was full of suspicion.

"No, I didn't. Do you think I'm stupid? James found me at the grave -"

"Davidson? What'd he want?" My eyes flicked over to James, who was staring intensely at the ground.

I knew I couldn't tell Colton what James had just told me, so; "He offered me a ride."

The other end was quiet for a few moments. I could tell he had many questions, but was holding his tongue for whatever reason. I heard a sigh, "alright, well, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yep, I'll see you later. Bye, Col."

Putting my phone back in my bag, I looked up at James who had his head tilted.

What he said next surprised me.

"Its so painfully obvious that that boy is in love with you, yet you just are either ignoring it or plain oblivious."

"What? No. Colton isn't in love with me. We're friends."

James smiled slightly, "trust me, Andy. I know what love looks like, and that's it."