The Story of Thia

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Landon's POV
Thia confuses me more than anything. Why would she tell me something like that and then order me to leave? Josh didn't even comfort her!! I can't believe that!! If I were her boyfriend I would have done anything to help her get past that. Hell I would have done anything for her even if I wasn't!!
Did I just hear her door open...
I went over to my door to open it and see if I was right, but before I could place my hand on the door knob I heard footsteps heading towards the front door. I started followed Thia to where I thought was going to be Philia's and soon found my suspicions were right. I stood outside peering through one of the windows to watch her.

Thia's POV
I was here, at last I felt at ease again, I let out a breath before I began, trying to let out some of my fatigue from my run here. I moved to an internal beat all throughout the barn just letting my thoughts go into my dancing.

Landon's POV
I should video tape her dancing. It would be kind of weird that I would have videos of her unaware of my presence dancing for no audience, but I couldn't resist. I wanted to have something to remind me of her if she eventually wants me out of her life for good. I don't know if my hand can stay up this long. How long can someone dance without getting worn out? As if Thia was answering my question, she stopped to take a break. She grabbed her stuff and started to head home. I trailed behind her from a distance, close enough to run up to her if something unexpected were to happen. She didn't know this, but every time she had gone to Philia's, even before she told me the story behind her scars, I had followed her there and stayed until she finished and then I would follow her back home. Tonight was the first time I had thought to take out my phone to record her dancing.
When I woke up I put on cologne, but I decided to try a new scent. When I arrived at school I noticed it was much appreciated by Sophie who couldn't keep her nose away from me. "Oh my god you smell soooo good" she moaned, attempting to draw a lot of attention from everyone in the hall as she continued to sniff me. "Thanks..." I said uncomfortably "I got to get to class though, so bye."
"Noo don't take your smell away from me!!" she begged. "Ummm give me your shirt!!!" she demanded. "Soph, I'm not giving you my shirt. I'll give you a hug if that will satiate your obsession with the smell. Then you'll smell just like me." In response to my suggestion she wrapped her arms around me tightly and started to rub her hands all over my back to capture the scent where ever it may have been hiding on me. "Uh Soph...." I said interrupting her quest to capture all the cologne possible "I think you got it..."
"Oh right..." she flirtatiously said as she drew out the last word, then spun around heading to class happily chirping "bye Landon" as she disappeared down the hall.
Just as I was leaving my last class for the day I realized that the band had booked a gig for a party tonight. I went home to put something a little nicer on for the gig, put another spritz of the 'Sophia attractant', and drove to meet up with the group.

Thia's POV
I was awoken by a nightmare/dream only just an hour after I had fallen asleep. 'It started out at Philia's. Josh was there and we were dancing like we used to. All of a sudden he disappears. The roof starts caving in, boards are falling all around me with splintering wood and sharps nails. I race out of the barn entering the pitch black night, crying out "Josh?!!---Hello!!---Anybody!!!!??---Landon!!---hel--." I was cut off by a gravely, disgusting male voice behind me. "You're right, it's me Landon..." the voice informed, but I knew it was a lie. Landon would be holding me right now, his voice would be dark and mysterious. That voice sounded worse than nails on a chalkboard, it couldn't be him... "Give me a brotherly-sisterly hug..." the dark blob of a person said as they started walking towards me, then I saw Landon's hair cut, clothes...Everything was styled like him. Then the face appeared inches from my own as the arms approached me, outstretched, ready for a hug. 'Ehh yuck!' The face was not Landon's. It was an impostor pretending to be him. I soon was being restrained by the deathly tight hug of the stranger. "Let go of me!!" I demanded. They only responded by holding onto me tighter. "You heard her. LET. GO. OF. HER." a second voice growled from behind. It was familiar, but I wasn't sure if it was Landon like I suspected. He wouldn't be around this area, he'd be home right now...
Then I felt all of the pressure from the captor release, followed by sounds of punches and moans of pain. A minute or so later I was pulled into a Landon hug. It was familiar and felt nice, then he whispered "I'll protect you from anything Thia. I never want to see you hurt. You can trust me baby.." 'Baby? Why was Landon calling me baby..'. The questions in my head were answered when Landon pressed even closer to me and kissed me. Sensations in dreams must be multiplied by a million because that kiss was amazing...
After the kiss, the ground beneath us opened up and we started to fall into a dark endless pit. I woke up mid fall, freaking out about the nonexistent impact against the ground I was about to endure.'
What do dreams mean?!! All I could think of was maybe it was my mind unconsciously telling me to be careful when I go to Philia's so late...But why was Landon in it... It was like he was ready to protect me from any danger, just waiting until I needed help. Then that kiss....if we had another kiss and it was like that, I don't know if my efforts would be strong enough to keep me away from him.
I went to school and then Josh's house after that. I walked into his room like usual, but found his bed empty. Maybe I came at the wrong time? Just as I was walking out of his room he appeared at the door, standing there. "I-can-walk" he murmured as fluidly as he could before taking me into his arms in a gentleman ish way, respectful and romantic. It just didn't feel like one of the usual close hugs that I found myself in with Landon. It's like Landon never wanted any space in between us. Josh looked into my eyes registering my happiness and confusion. He just didn't know that I wasn't confused at how physical therapy helped him walk. I was wondering which way a hug should be. Shouldn't Landon's hugs be less close, and Josh's closer.... Josh could've just been being thoughtful not wanting to lean all of his weight on me. Yeah, that was it, he knows I like physical affection like cuddling, hugs, kissing, pretty much anything that was a loving gesture. He knows that. I know he has the potential to be just like he used to be....
"Joshy!!!" I squealed in excitement of finally acknowledging the fact he was standing alone. "Baby you can walk..." my eyes started to glaze over as I ran my finger along the heart shaped pendant on my necklace out of impulse. Streams of tears rolled down his face as he brought me into a fully approved boyfriend like hug. It's happening, I'm finally going to get my old Josh back. Cheating with Landon must have meant nothing, just like my dream the other night, other than the bit when Josh and I were dancing like we used to. It must have been a sign he was going to get better.
He had pre-written a note on a dry erase board that said "you're always telling me about our old stories we had together, so for today I wanted to create a new one: the day where we go to the park for a walk. The more I walk, the more muscle I can build back up to be capable of the things I used to do."
We walked out his front door to the car with his dad in the driver's seat. We got in the back seat, nuzzling into each other. I knew why Josh chose his dad to drive--- his dad was numb to all of the affectionate gestures, not even caring to comment, just leaving us be. Whereas his mom would gush at everything we did, becoming way to much of a nosy one-person audience smiling at every single thing we did.
We were dropped off at the sidewalk that snaked all around the park. We started to walk and I realized that Josh may be able to walk fairly well, but couldn't speak very easily. So I proposed that I tell him memories of our past while we make new ones by just the fact that he could walk because that on its own was a true miracle.
' "Just follow me, it's only a little farther" Josh directed as we crawled through cement tunnels that were a few feet short for us to be able to comfortably walk through them. Soon we entered a huge dome-like room created from so much junk it was disgusting to think about. There was an old fridge with some seat cushions that were ripped off of chairs laid on top. "Wow, this place is actually pretty cool....but kind of gross." His face lit up when I said it was cool, but dimmed slightly as I pointed out its sanitary state. "Yeah...it's not the cleanest...but that makes it perfect for us..." He walked over to me placing his hands on my hips pulling me closer and closer to him, then placing a smooth kiss on my lips. "You know this place isn't that bad after all.." I stated in a 'it's a pretty good piece of junk kind of way'. "But, that's not the main reason why I brought you here. You said things weren't going well with your mom a while ago, and you haven't mentioned her at all lately..." he sat down on the fridge seat and held me on his lap. I placed my head against him. "I don't even know if I should say she has gotten worse than before, cause that's what I thought last time, but she always manage to top it. She brings a new guy home every night, but they don't treat her right at all!! They hit her!! And I'm pretty convinced getting drunk is their only career!  She is too wasted to see it. Even when I explain it to her, making it as simple as I can she doesn't seem to get it," I exclaimed. He saw in my eyes that I was getting agitated by the subject and that I wanted it to end, so he dropped it. I ran my hands through his hair and he lifted me up and laid me over his shoulder walking over to a wider and taller exit than the entrance we had entered through. He placed me on top of a really high crate and jumped up onto it as well. Our feet dangled of the edge as we sat there talking about anything that came to our minds. His little switching spots proved to be a very good distraction to get us to a new topic. It caused me to ask "how did you even know about these spots at this dump?"
"Well you're not going to believe this, but I was a rat in another life. This was my home and it hurt my rat heart when you told me that it was a rather disgusting living environment because I found it rather suitable for my situation being as I was, eh hem..., a rat," he ended his explanation with a huff of finality as if I actually would have believed his ridiculous story to be true. "Ahuh....a rat you say? Well that's a bummer, this relationship won't work out, cause in a past life I was a cat!!" I pretended to be a crazed cat as a clawed through the air with my 'claws'. "Hiss, hiss" I ended my clawing spree with one long playful clawing motion in his direction as I said "meeeeoww," like a cat. "Okay, so I lied...I came here with my dad when he once worked here in between jobs. I explored all around and decided to build a fort out of all the junk, it was like building a house. When I was finished I was so proud of it I would have slept there if my parents would have let me. You know this place hasn't changed at all. I swear it is all the same junk that was here a few years back" Josh said letting his words trail off into the distance as he looked around at all of the pieces of trash as if they were sentimental. Then Josh started to chuckle to himself, making me smile. '