Chapter Nine

Braydon Turner's POV:
I was sitting on a park bench in the middle of town. A small, quiet park seemed the best place to run to after everything happened the day before.Why was everything falling apart? Sure, no one's life was perfect; there's always going to be flaws. But I could not understand how anyone could deserve this. My mother, especially. She was a good person, a Christian, and loved unconditionally. She loved but was never loved in return.
I had it planned- today, I mean. Auria agreed to meet me here once she got out of school. I got to the park hours before the agreed time just so I could sit and think.
Think about Jordan, and how I'd hurt her. She called me almost once a week to see how I was doing, what I was up to, and if I still talked to the guys. I did, unfortunately. They were still pretty angry at me for how I ditched them all, mostly Jordan, for "Jesus freaks" - is what they called them - but I didn't ditch them for anyone. I never ditched them in the first place. It's just the desire to hang out with them wasn't as strong as it once had been. I was thankful for that, and at the same time, disappointed. Only disappointed at myself that I no longer had much of a social life and became somewhat of a loner. The only person who I mainly talked to was Auria, but besides this weekend, that stopped for what seemed like an eternity.
I finally saw her walking in my direction, her hair all wavy and nice, as usual, and her never surprising choice in apparel. But something she wore is what caught my attention the most: her contagious smile, no matter what kind of a day you had.
"Hey," I greeted her warmly.
She stood before me, smiling, but her expression was now showing concern. I assumed it was due to yesterday's phone incident. "Hi."
We stood there rather awkwardly. "You can sit down," I said finally. It almost sounded like a question.
She obeyed and sat without a word. I guessed she was waiting for me to begin explaining.
"So I'm sure you have many questions," I assumed.
She nodded. "Yes, I do."
She scanned my body very quickly, searching for something: bruises I assumed. I covered my skin precisely, not revealing anything suspicious.
"I'm sorry about what happened on the phone." I paused to study her face for any signs of fear. There wasn't. I continued, "I'm sure you probably have an idea of what happened, and I really am sorry that you had to hear everything. My dad . . he has anger problems sometimes. My mom and him aren't doing so well lately."
"I understand," she finally said. She looked concerned, as if she was pitying me.
"It's a bit hard to explain, but sometimes it gets a little out of hand. Everything is fine though," I lied. It seemed to be working. I thought she believed me when I said it was fine, because her eyes showed a bit more relief than before.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. Are you doing anything today?" I asked, hoping she would let the situation go.
"Nope. My parents went with my sister to Atlanta to look for a wedding dress. It should be an all day sorta thing."
"Good." I looked at her for a second, knowing that I would soon more than likely have to admit my feelings towards her. I didn't know how she felt about me. I had a pretty good idea that she might have some something for me, but I knew they weren't much of anything. They couldn't be. I mean, if you walked by the two of us as a stranger, you would never think of us to be a couple. We looked so different. I looked different.
I remembered our phone conversation a month ago, and how she told me that her parents dislike me; which I didn't blame them. She was perfect, and she deserved a perfect guy. I didn't even know why I was trying or thinking I had even the slightest of a chance.
I had a lot of questions, but the one I thought best to ask first was: "Why did you ignore me for so long?"
She looked down at her hands. Shame covered her face. "I don't know." She paused for a few seconds. "I just . . My parents. They aren't too crazy about you. I thought that maybe if I stopped talking to you that I would forget about it, but the truth is, I couldn't. And I don't know why."
Was that her admitting she liked me? I suddenly felt happy, but I knew I shouldn't. She was really upset by the situation, and I shouldn't be happy. But my heart felt good. So good that I wanted to smile and never stop.
I had to just cut the chase; I couldn't hold it in any longer. If she truly didn't like me, what did I have to lose? Her? Well I didn't have her anyway, so the only thing I'd lose is my heart. And I could handle that.
"Auria, I can't believe I'm saying this."
Her eyes widened, and I could tell her heart was starting to beat faster.
"You've impacted my life, and I don't even know how you did it. The people I've hung out with for years have suddenly disinterested me. I don't want to hang out with them anymore. I think I've been wanting to escape for a long time, but I didn't know who to go to if I did. I dropped out of school, so it's not like I could look for another group of friends there. Those were the only people I knew. And when you started to talk to me, it's as if I finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel. After all these years of walking in the dark, the light finally showed up and set me free. You did that, and I don't know how."
Her eyes were clear. I felt as if I was looking through a telescope and could see forever, because I could see through her eyes very deep. She was happy. I was happy. Despite everyone telling us no, our hearts said yes.
"I think I like you," she admitted in a chimed, playful voice, her face a little rosy.
I smiled. "I think I like you too."

Author's Note

Short chapter, but it's cute and sweet :) finally a happy ending to a chapter. There's more in the chapters to come!