Chapter 12
Ella's P.O.V:
"No, she said 'I just don't like you' and then she walked away."
"No, he told her to walk away."
"NO!"
"YES!"
I rolled my eyes and punched Simon to get him to shut up. He pouted but his eyes shone in victory so I punched him again.
"What's going on?" A very familiar voice said from in front of us and I snapped my gaze to him.
Kane.
He's here.
At our table.
He took a seat opposite Simon and they nodded in greeting before turning back to me. I glanced around us in fear and saw the entire cafeteria staring at us as if we were hiding a dead body or something. I sunk into my seat and wished the floor would swallow me whole. I pulled up my hood and lowered my head so my hair created a curtain between me and the school.
"What are you doing here, Kane?" I murmured so the entire school didn't hear. I made sure to add an angry tone.
"Eating my lunch," he replied. Simon's mouth split into a grin and I could see he wanted to high five Kane. I gave Simon a warning glare and his raised hand fell to his side. Kane may have helped me yesterday but he was still drawing way too much attention to us. I wasn't use to it and I didn't want it.
"Go eat it somewhere else," I growled to him. He was starting to irritate me and I was really not liking the staring. Simon noticed the way I was shrinking into my seat and looked up.
"What's wrong, never seen someone eat their lunch before?" he called to the cafeteria. The school reluctantly turned back to their food. Kane simply shook his head at my request and turned back to Simon. They started talking about the newest cheerleader on the team or something else I wasn't really paying attention. My attention turned to the food on Simon's tray. We didn't have enough money for me to afford lunch this month, or last month... now that I think about it it's been a while since we could afford for me to buy lunch.
Simon finished his share of the lunch and passed me the tray. I grabbed it hungrily and started eating the rest of the lunch. I didn't bother paying attention to the boys, the food was more important. Kane probably found it funny that we were sharing lunch because he gave Simon a questioningly look.
"We're practically siblings," he laughed.
"I'm definitely not related to that." I said teasingly, slapping Simon and started to stuff my mouth with the next piece of food on the tray. My gaze snapped to Kane when I heard him laugh. I haven't heard him laugh in almost ten years. His laugh was deep and I felt a smile grow on my face. I quickly replaced it with a scowl and told Simon to shut up. He gave me a mock hurt look and raised his eyebrows. He must've seen my almost smile. I rolled my eyes before glancing back at Kane. His gaze was locked on mine and for some reason I couldn't look away. I got this strange feeling in my stomach, like I swallowed a million butterflies and they were all franticly flying around in there.
The power of his gaze intensified and suddenly my mouth was dry and my throat felt tight. That strange flight-or-fight instinct humans inherited bubbled up inside me and before I knew it I pushed myself up on my elbows and my chair fell to the ground. The cafeteria froze and slowly turned to face me. Warmth spread through my face and I buried my hands in my pockets and looked down at the ground.
"I have to go," I told Simon. I hitched up my backpack and grabbed the leftover orange on his tray. I forced myself to walk as the school stared hard enough to leave a hole in my back.
He just had to sit with us at lunch. He just had to draw the attention to our small group. He is such a...
"Careful," Kane's voice called. There's a sharp pull on my jacket. My gaze lifted up and I stared into the wall I would've walked into face first.
Oops.
Then the dread of this situation creeped up on me and I drew in a sharp breath.
Kane was walking me to class.
"What did the floor ever do to you?" he asked with a low chuckle of amusement when I stomped ahead of him.
"It made you able to follow me," I retorted sharply as my anger spiked. He was doing this to irritate me, I knew it. I sped up and he lengthened his steps to keep up with me.
Damn my short legs.
Out of frustration I blew my black hair out of my face and with a growl tried to walk faster.
Keyword would be 'try'.
It didn't work.
"Where does your dad work?" he piped up.
"Gosh, do you have a stack of random questions you use to irritate people?" I asked him with a sharp tone.
"You're avoiding my random question," he snapped back.
"My father sits at home and watches television all day," I barked. My hands quickly covered my mouth. I didn't mean to say that out loud. I saw his surprised expression out of the corner of my eye and waited for the moment when he would laugh at me or insult me but he didn't. He kept quiet.
"Dad! Dad stop! Please!"
I desperately tried to keep the memories at arms length. I tried to shut out the voices. I would not think of them.
"I'm not your dad, you stupid girl! You are a disappointment, an accident, a joke, a mistake. Never call me that lie again!"
I clenched my eyes close and begged the voices to keep quiet. I prayed that the memories would disappear, but thoughts of that first day still rang loudly in my mind. I was forced to grow up that day. I became the barrier between my sister and the horror that was our father.
"Why do you call him your father? Isn't that a little... formal." Kane asked. We reached my next classroom. It was still empty but I decided to wait inside for the bell anyway. Kane wouldn't follow me in here.
I hope. I decided to answer him. To give him one more puzzle piece. Maybe secretly I was hoping that he would fit the puzzle together, maybe...
"A dad is someone who raises you, someone who cares about you, someone you can talk to, someone you get ice cream with after school. My father stopped being a dad a long time ago. Goodbye, Kane," I closed the classroom door behind me just as my legs gave in. I fell against the door and I slowly lowered myself to the floor. I curled my arms around my legs and rested my head on them.
That was risky. This was getting dangerous, way too dangerous. As much as I wanted him to understand my situation I refuse to let him get hurt. Yeah, I didn't like him, but still he didn't deserve the torture I go through. That wouldn't be fair.
'No more sharing secrets with Kane, bad Ella,' I scolded myself.
"Keep away from Kane. It's safer. For both of us."
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
YOU ARE READING
Internal cry
Teen Fiction"How long has he been hurting you?" There it is. The question I dreaded, but I promised him I would be honest, so I took a deep breath and answered. "Seven years." I didn't look at him. I waited for him to pull his hand away, to hit me, to say I was...
