Page 30 of Falling For Us Again

“What happened?” I asked, my voice full of concern. She averted her gaze, her eyes filling with tears. Did he hurt you again?

“Leave me alone, Dylan.” She snatched her hand back, slung her bag over her shoulder, and ran out.

I chased after her until I caught up with her.

“Why are you pushing me away? I’m just trying to help.”

“I don’t need your help,” she replied, her voice sharp.

“Unfortunately for you, I’m your friend, and that’s what friends do.”

“Leave me alone, Dylan.

“No,” I said firmly.

She kept walking. I followed her.

After a while, she sighed and turned back. Her exhaustion was apparent on her face.

“What do you want from me? Everyone avoids me like the plague. Why don’t you?” She asked, exasperated.

“Because I like you and I want to be your friend.”

“Well, I don’t want to be your friend.”

“Can I try to change your mind?”

“No.”

“I’m pretty resilient. I’ll keep trying.”

She scoffed, shaking her head.

I took a step closer to her. “Come on.”

We walked in comfortable silence. She didn’t say much, and I let her enjoy my company in whatever way she preferred.

“People don’t like me much here,” she said quietly.

“Because you’re too smart for your own good?”

“That would be understandable, but I think they just avoid me because my family is dysfunctional. Maybe they think a violent father is a communicable disease.”

She laughed, but I could hear the pain in her voice.

“It’s okay, though. I don’t like most people either.”

“Oh, good thing I made the cut, then,” I teased, trying to lighten the mood.

“No, you didn’t. You imposed yourself and followed me home every day. You should be scared, though. That only means I’ll bring you bad luck and ruin the trajectory of your life.”

I laughed. “I think, you give yourself too much credit.”

“We’ll see.”

“Where are we going?” she asked after I passed a different route to our spot in town.

“To my house. I want to look at that arm.”

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