Unrequited

She was naturally pale, that was for sure, but the sickly tint to her skin was not becoming.  Bent over a table, she was focused harder on this particular assignment than any previously.  He watched her, the worry pressed in her brow and the stress on her face that was completely unrelated to the assignment in front of her.  He knew the reason. It was the same reason she was hiding in this stale corner of the library, trying to do her work. It was the same reason she’d been refusing to speak to… well, anyone since late Friday or early Saturday morning, if you were interested in being precise. 

“Lia.” His voice was barely louder than the footsteps that alerted her to his approach.  She tensed, but didn’t look up. “Lia, I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t do anything.”

“That’s kind of my point.”  How he’d behaved was inexcusable at best, and like she said: it wasn’t even his fault.

“Then why bother?”

“Lia, what happened-“

“-is really none of your business.  So why are you still here?”

 “Running from your problems never helps anything.”  Because I care.

“Tell me something I don’t already know.”

“I just want to help you.”

“Why won’t you just let it go, Parker?” She shook her hair out of her face, revealing an ugly purple bruise in sharp relief against her fair skin.  Finally, she looked at him. “Well?”

“Because I’m annoyingly persistent?” The faint smile on his face was slightly inappropriate, but those were the exact words she had used to describe him a week ago.

“Annoying. Right.”

“And you’re stubborn, why won’t you just talk to me?” 

“Because I don’t want to!”

“You have to talk to someone. Maybe-“

“I swear to God Parker, if you’re going to tell me to see a counselor like some sort of head case. . .” Her threat trailed off indefinitely, her shout lingering in the stagnant, silent air of the library.  Someone unseen shushed her.

“That’s why I want you to talk to me.  What Jake did to you is just… wrong.”

“Or maybe it’s just what I get for being so stubborn.”

“What are you talking about?” He pulled up a chair.

“Nothing.”

“You didn’t deserve that. Nobody does.”  It was so tempting to wrap an arm around her slumped and defeated shoulders.

“Maybe I did. What do you know about it, Parker?”

I watched it happen. “Your bruise…” He gently brushed her hair away from it. “That had to hurt.”

“It’s nothing.”

“So there’s no reason you’ve been avoiding talking to any of your friends for the past four days?”

Lia sighed heavily, attempting to mask a yawn. “It’s… complicated.”

“How so?” Because your so-called friends are all going to take his side?

“I don’t know.”  Parker remained silent, waiting for her to elaborate. “Everything is fuzzy.  I think you were there on Friday, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. I was wasted, like out of my mind. I don’t remember a lot of what happened.”

“Tell me what you do remember.” 

She clenched her fists and hesitated.  “I don’t know what I was drinking. But I went to the party with Jake, Jason, and Emma.  There might have been another girl with us but I’m not sure.  Anyway, when we got there, Jake went and got me a drink.  I didn’t really think anything of it, you know?  Like, he’s my boyfriend. He should get me drinks. But anyway, I kept drinking whatever it was that they had there.  Jungle juice, I think.  I was getting really drunk and I wanted to stop drinking but Em was all like, ‘no no, you’re fine’ and I listened to her because she’s my friend. I think I talked to you for a bit? This is where everything gets a little sketchy.  I remember playing flip cup. I’m really bad at it.  Then Jake wanted to go dance so we did and that was fun but he was really like, grabby, you know, like I started to get uncomfortable because everyone was right there.  And then I think I went to the bathroom. I don’t remember what happened between then, it’s kinda hazy. Then Jake was just there and he was being a dick like he always is when he’s drunk. I told him to leave me alone ‘cause I hate him like that and the next thing I know he was like on top of me and I just wanted to go back downstairs-“  Parker knew enough to finish her sentence.

“Lia, did he hit you?”

“He must have. I don’t remember.”  Her eyes were closed, and she was taking slow deep breaths.  Parker shook his head, finally putting an arm around her fragile shoulders. “What are you going to do now?”

“What can I do?”

He laughed shortly, ironically. “I have no idea. It’s up to you.”

“That’s helpful.”

“Seriously, Lia, I’m here whatever you decide to do. ‘Kay?”  She looked at him with a tentative smile on her face, one that Parker hoped would be the first of many more to come.  He wasn’t sure what it was, perhaps her sarcasm or her temper, or possibly her auburn hair, but she held a fire that Parker couldn’t bear to see extinguished. She wasn’t fine, not by a long shot, but she trusted him.  It wasn’t what he wanted, but it was certainly a start.