A Story Worth Telling

Chapter 15 (Alex)

Watching her run away from me, I can't help but feel as if she took my heart with her.

"I never should have talked to you that day."

"I regret it."

"We should've never become friends."

My own words keep playing on repeat in my head. I hadn't meant to say that, it's not true. I am grateful for that day. I just couldn't tell her the truth.

I'm doing this to protect you, Shorty.

There's no telling what would happen to her if he found out. He would use her against me for some stupid petty revenge.

Signing I slowly get up and head home. During the drive I couldn't get the look on her face out of my mind. She looked so broken. Like I had ripped her heart out and stomped on it in front of her.

Idiot. I probably did. I saw the tears as I called her by her name, something I have never done since meeting her, but I stupidly thought that if I did, she would see I was serious, even if I wasn't about the hurtful words I said to her. I truly only said them to protect her from Dayton.

Arriving home, I ignore my parents as I walk to my room. Closing the door, I shuffle my way to my bed and lay down.

Attempting to get some sleep, I'm interrupted by my phone ringing. Sighing, I know what's to come as I answer.

"Hello?" I say quietly not really up to have a lecture. "Hello?! You pull a stupid stunt like that and all you say is hello?!?" I hear Chase yell at the other end of the phone. She probably filled him and Em in on what happened. "I take it she told you?" I ask knowing the answer to my own question.

"Not exactly no. She told Emily, and I happened to eavesdrop on their conversation." He explains to me.

Of course she called Emily. They have become close friends. Before I can get a word in, he keeps talking. "Seriously what were you thinking doing that to her Al." He tells me like I'm child.

I close my eyes and sigh heavily. "I know. I hurt her. But it was the only way to keep her safe."

"Bullshit! You know that's not the only option and besides how do you know something will happen to her huh?! Maybe he actually grew the fuck up and got over it!" He tells me. I start chuckling before laughing at his idiotic thinking. "You know full well that wouldn't happen Chase, he's as childish as ever."

Nothing but silence comes from the other end as he knows I'm right. "Besides you know I wouldn't have hurt her if I knew there was another way." I say.

"There's always another way Alex. You just have to find it." I hear him tell me quietly. Shaking my head, I tell him. "As of right now there's not. Trust me if I could think of literally anything else, I would've done that instead."

I hear him sigh deeply as if talking to me is like talking to a child. Probably is at the moment.

"I can't tell you what to do. What I can do is tell you when you're being stupid. And Alex?" He asks me.
"Yeah?" I reply already knowing what he's about to say. "You're being extremely fucking stupid." He says back quickly. "I know." I reply softly. Everything I did back there after the kiss was stupid.

"Alex, have you even considered the thought of just telling her the truth? Maybe it would have saved you both from the hurt and pain you caused by doing and saying what you did." Chase asks me making me think over my response carefully. "Honestly I have considered it. For one selfish moment when I decided to lie and push her away, I thought of telling her the truth instead. I thought of telling her that Dayton was the one stalking her and my past with him."

"So why didn't you?" he asks me quietly. "Because, then I thought about her. I thought about, what if I told her. Would she see me for the monster that I am? Would she still have feelings for me? I couldn't face her if I did tell her. I didn't want to see the look of disgust on her face she would show if she knew." I explain to him. The other end is silent for a long second before he responds. "You're not a monster Al. No one thinks that of you. What happened was an accident. I'm sure if you would have given her the chance, she would have listened to you." I can't help but disagree with what he has to say. The accident was my fault, and I am a monster. "You don't know that." I whisper to him as I continue to think of her hurtful expression that will haunt my mind forever.

As our conversation comes to end I lay back on my bed and can't help but think back to what happened.

The kiss was amazing and I surely don't regret it, I just wish I hadn't done that before I knew everything with Dayton was sorted out. He still holds a grudge against me over what I apparently did. The thing is I don't think I did anything wrong to him.

However, I can't get her tearful expression out of my head. It's like a stain in my mind that won't go away and only hurts me almost as much as I hurt her. The words I said to her I'll never be able to take back. They hurt her too deep. A stray tear falls from my eye as recall our conversation.

I'm so sorry Shorty.

I love you.