The Bad Girl and The Good Boy (#Wattys2014)

~*~Nineteen~*~

*Annalisa*

“I have to leave.” I clench my eyes closed at how he tensed in my arms.

“Why?” And that’s how my heart broke at the same time his voice did, I feel his hands wrap around mine and pull them off me, turning around and stepping a few steps away from me. “How can you say that? How, why are you leaving?”

I let my arms drop to my sides and look away from him, “I need to find out, Kade.” I whisper, well aware of his gaze on me. “I need to know.” I add, looking back to him, swallowing a lump in my throat.

“Know what?” He questions, and I try to not look away from the fighter before me.

I watch him as he runs a hand through his hair in confusion ruffling up the brown waves/curls. “About my mum.” I shrug, mortified to hear my voice crack as tears begin to threaten to fall.

In less than a stride Kade’s arms are wrapped around me as I hold on to the front of his shirt. “Just come back to the house, so we can talk this out.”

I lean back as far as I can, Kade not relaxing his hold around me at all, “Kade, there’s nothing to talk,”

“Yes, there is,” Kade interrupts, leaning his forehead against mine and keeping his eyes tightly shut, “I know there is no stopping you from doing this, I mean give me one last day before you go.” He continues.

“You say it likes its goodbye.” I remark letting my hands drift up to hold his shoulders.

Kade pulls back and looks down at me with sad eyes, “No Anna, you say it like its goodbye.” He whispers before pulling back completely and stepping away. “When do you go?”

This time it’s my turn to once more look away, “This evening, at seven.”

Two hours.

“Two hours,” Kade echoes my thoughts. “You should go pack then. Say whatever you have to, to your family, I’m sure you need to talk to your father.”

“Kade,” I try but he holds a hand up, cutting me off from what I was going to say.

Shaking his head as he starts to walk away, “I’ll drop you off.”

The ride to my childhood house was silent, no radio and no words passed, by the time we pull up at the curb in front of my house it’s strange, the same house but I think I’m the one who’s strange, the one who’s different. “I’ll come see you before I go.” I whisper, gripping on to the door handle, but not opening it.

Kade’s eyes aren’t on me as I look over to him, he’s looking out the window, I look towards the house as well to see Erica standing in the window, she must’ve been there before we pulled up. When it becomes painfully clear that Kade isn’t going to say anything I push the door open and start to get out. “Anna.” He says so suddenly and so quietly, that when I turn to look at him I thought I was hearing things, “Don’t rush it.” Kade finally continues, not looking at me, but still looking out the window. “Say goodbye properly, I don’t trust Tanner, you know that and you also don’t know how long you’ll be gone.” He says, almost emotionless, his voice clean of any emotion.

I continue to get out the car once he goes silent, leaning down to poke my head in before I close the door, “I will come and see you before I leave, don’t doubt that. I,” I stop the four letter word on the tip of my tongue, Kade’s hands tighten around the steering wheel his knuckles turning white, the word I was going to say obvious and now floating around in the tense air between us. “I will.” I finish lamely instead, if possible his grip tightened around the wheel before I finally shut the door and walked up to the house.