Dont Blame Me

Chapter 27

I'm just drifting off into a deep sleep when I hear the creak of a door, my body jolting from the disturbance.
When I turn to look at the door, it's firmly closed. My brow crinkles in confusion. Just when I convinced myself I was only hearing things, I see a movement out of the corner of my eye. Sucking in a sharp breath, I turn and see Lisa standing outside my balcony doors, a red cherry pulsating in the moonlight.

Wide awake, I sit up and glare. "How long have you been out there, you creep?".

Lisa opens the doors the rest of the way, smoke billowing from her mouth.
"Awhile," she answers flatly.

She flicks the butt of the cigarette out over the balcony and then reaches up and pulls her hood down from her head. The moonlight shines directly on her, making her glow beneath the soft aura.
Such a contradiction that something so dark shines so brightly beneath the light.

"Stop littering."

"You're much more pleasant when you don't know I'm around," she murmurs, her voice subdued as she walks in and closes the doors behind her.

I frown, squinting my eyes in an attempt to see her face clearer. There's something off about her right now. She's not her usual smirk-y hoity-toity self at the moment. She was here just a couple of nights ago, going through more training with me. I finally got the hang of several of the moves she's taught me.
I'm going to be a badass pretty soon.

"What's wrong with you?" I snip, though the heat is missing. It's almost like I'm feeling actual concern right now.
I raise a hand to my forehead and feel for any warmth. I must have a fever and be delirious from the sickness.
She steps from the shadows and comes closer. My body locks as she trudges to the bed and sits down on the edge. It's not unusual to see her muscles straining against her clothing. I think she purposely shops for shirts and hoodies two sizes too small. But right now, her body looks rigid, and the muscles in her neck and shoulders appear bunched up.

"Just tired today," she says quietly.

I frown harder, not liking this side of Lisa. Or rather, not liking how much it bothers me seeing this side of her. A battle renders me frozen as I try to decide what to do. Kick her out of my house, attitude be damned. Or pry into her odd behavior and show her that I just might care.
Her head rolls, cracking her bones and making me cringe from the disturbingly grotesque noises.

"You uh, gotta lot of tension going on there, buddy," I say, awkwardness dripping from the words. That makes me cringe harder.

She huffs out a laugh, but the amusement is missing.
Sighing, I relent and push the covers back. With great reluctance, I crawl towards Lisa and kneel behind her, her body tenses, and I never thought I'd see Lisa wary of me.
That concerns me more than anything.

"Take this off," I demand softly, plucking at her hoodie. Her head turns, presenting me with her side profile.
Very few people have attractive side profiles. That's something that most people just don't possess. But Lisa looks beautiful, no matter what direction you look at her from.

"Why?" she asks, her tone flat.

Bristling, I open my mouth and begin to snap something at her. I'm trying to be nice, and she's actually being difficult when this is already hard enough as it is. What's that saying, don't bite the hand that feeds you?

But I stop myself, the harsh words dangling from the tip of my tongue before falling to their death. This isn't about me and how I feel, getting defensive isn't going to solve anything. It'll only result in making her feel worse and probably end up leaving. And oddly, that would just serve to make me feel like shit.
It shouldn't. But it would.