The Silence Between Us

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Chapter 27:

"Louisa, are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened?"

I expected it to be Alex's voice that I heard. A pang of disappointment hit me when I realized that it wasn't. I thought that the recent turn of events would allow that distance between us to cease to exist and he would come over here and help me, comfort me. You know, just something...anything I didn't care I just wanted him next to me.

When I heard Finn talking to me instead, I think my emotions just shattered. I shook my head, trying to cope with everything that just happened and not having the words to express how I was doing right now.

After a few deep breaths, inhaling in and out, trying to calm down, I raised my head acting better than I felt. "I'm fine." I said, everyone knowing that I wasn't.

Finn let out the breath I didn't realize he was holding. He crouched down next to me, clutching my shoulders and turning me to face him. "Where did he hurt you?"

"Finn, I'm fine don't-"

"Dammit, Louisa! Stop doing this; stop acting like everything is okay when it isn't. It's not okay for people to do this to others and I can't just stand by watching it happen anymore." Finn snapped at me, turning his head away from my face as he muttered. "I know what I told Alex, that he shouldn't fight them but I want to punch the living daylights out of them right now for hitting you. What right do they have hurting a girl like you?"

I could feel Finn's hands shaking violently and I cupped them into my own, trying to stop them. "I'm sorry. I'm..." I trailed off, willing to say the words that I haven't said in a while. "I'm not fine. I just don't know what else to say. I don't want you guys to keep worrying about me. To keep watching over me like someday I'm just going to burst."

I didn't want to tell him that I did in fact burst a week ago. Mae was the only one who witnessed the aftermath of that. I hoped she didn't tell anyone about what happened, I knew she wouldn't because she's not the type to gossip about her close friends.

Finn took his hands from mine and wrung them out, letting the tension out of his fingertips. From what he just told me, I knew he was just itching to go after them. I knew he wouldn't because of what he told Alex and the fact that he was the one here with me right now trying to comfort me.

"Louisa, we're all never going to stop caring for you. It's a plain fact. No matter what happens, you're our friend, and every time someone tries to get to you, it impacts us too. So don't be thinking that we won't worry about you and pretend that we're just one big happy family. I can tell that you always worry about us too, so how can you expect us to not return the favor?"

I nodded, tears shining in my eyes. Finn knew exactly what to say, always. He was the one in our group to always bring out the best in other people, to tell them exactly what they needed to hear in order to help get the positivity back in every situation. This time, I was extremely grateful that he was talking to me.

Then again, I felt like there was something else that he was trying to say in that statement. We're never going to stop caring for you... did he mean to say that because of Noah and Alex? Because both of them weren't talking to me? I didn't know if that's what he meant, but it meant a lot to me since especially right now, I was feeling lost without them.

Finn wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug. We stayed like that for a while before I pulled away, suddenly not being able to take the absence of someone else in my life. Now with my thoughts revolving around him and with him standing so close to me, I couldn't help it.

"Finn, where's Alex?"

I knew he wasn't far from me. I could hear him shifting his weight from foot to foot, occasionally pacing. I recognized the sounds of the way he walked, and his heavy and loud steps didn't match Mae's. I also knew that he wasn't far because he could hear what I said, stopping dead in his tracks when he heard me ask for him.