Misbegotten

Ten

In a rather numb and zombie-like state I managed to get back to the boardwalks. The full body sobbing had stopped and now only silent tears ran down my face as I walked to my door. I stopped short with my hand sliding halfway into my pocket to reach for my room key. Chelsea would be in there. I really didn't feel like talking to anyone. I didn't want her pity. I didn't want her to tell me that he didn't mean it, because no doubt she'd heard what happened by now. I didn't want to hear such lies. I was done with lies. I'd been lied to enough to last me a lifetime and I wished the whole concept of lying could be eradicated from the face of the earth. Pulling my hand back out keyless I wrung my hands together and put the on top of my head. Unsure of what to do next I paced quietly in front of my room as if a solution would come to me eventually when I was fully aware it wouldn't.

"Sofia?" a voice broke me away from my internal conflict and I quickly swiped away the reaming tears from my face as Declan made his way towards me. Although, my red eyes and puffy face would tell him everything he would need to know. With one look at me he knew. "What happened?"

"It's a rather complicated answer," I said, internally cringing when my voice came out croaky.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Why are you out here?" he asked looking around us. It was quiet, not another person in sight, everyone else had turned in for the night. I shrugged.

"Chelsea, I don't feel like talking to her," I told him quietly.

"Did she do something?" he asked, I could see him trying to put the pieces together. I shook my head. His brows crunched as a confused look showed through on his face.

"What can I do?" he asked after a while.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well you can't stand out here all night Sof," he replied laughing a bit even though the situation wasn't really funny. "You can crash in my room, I have a couch I'll sleep on; you can take the bed."

"What?" I tried to shake my head to clear my thoughts.

"Well you can't stay outside and you seem dead set that your avoiding your problems so come crash at mine," he said turning and walking away assuming I'd follow him. I did. I felt a surge of anger as his words revisited me. "Avoiding my problems? Is that what you think I'm doing?" I spat. He turned his head as I caught up to him and glanced at me before looking forward again. He shrugged. "No offense Sof, but from the moment I met you that's all you've been doing. You're a runner."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I could not deal with this right now. My heart had already shattered and I didn't know how much more I could take in one night.

"I'm sorry," he said softly realising he had upset me. He said nothing more as we had reached the door to his room. He pulled out his card and quickly swiped it through opening the door and holding it open for me. I stormed past him and into his room. It was much the same as mine and Chelsea's but with only one king bed in the middle of the room. His balcony - while it still on the water - faced the beach, not the open expanse of water like mine. It made me feel more closed in and I found myself pacing again running an agitated hand through my brown salt-stained locks.

"Would you stop pacing, you're freaking me out," Declan said watching me nervously. He came closer leaning on the side of the couch. I stopped moving and stood still placing my hands on my hips trying to steady my breathing.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. It was only an observation," he apologised again.

"I know," I said softly.