Eight

“Hey, Chels-” Amberr began her introduction toward me, but then cut herself off. “What?” I looked at her surprised. “What happened? You look like you’ve been crying!” Suddenly Amberr’s face turned to worry and puzzlement. I shook my head. That confrontation with Daniel must have taken the worst to my face. I could still feel the anger plastered onto my face. I took a moment to try to get the feel of my face back to normal.

I breathed in some air and held it for as long as I could. When I finally let it out and looked over at Amberr, she looked really anxious, waiting for the answers to the questions in her baby blue eyes. She looked like a puppy dog, her eyes all big, her hands on her sides, and her lip jutted out a little bit. I cracked up and said, “I’ll tell you on the way to class.”

The story went on from mine and Amberr’s lockers to our first period class and even our second. I wrapped it up as we were in the line for lunch. I exhaled, like I had still been holding onto that breath from earlier in the morning. “Wow.” Amberr said. “Yeah.” I replied, nodding. There really wasn’t anything else to say.

We stepped out of the lunch line and headed to our table. Aliee, my other best friend, was already seated across from Katie. When Amberr and I set our lunches down, they were talking about some party that Lilly Andrews, this annoying popular girl, had had a couple of nights back. I didn’t go, of course. I didn’t fit in well with the popular people. And I didn’t want to.

Katie turned to me and asked if I was alright. Did I still look frazzled from this morning? I looked over at Amberr for a confirmation of if I still looked like that or not. She rolled her eyes and told me that I looked fine. “Yeah, Katie, I think I’m going to be fine. But guess what!” I had just remembered that I hadn’t told her yet that I saw Steve again at the park.

Katie nearly jumped out of her seat. She loved hearing new news. “What?? Is it about Steve??” I bobbed my head up and down, failing the attempt to keep from smiling. Katie was just too hilarious. “Huh?” Aliee said in her little confused voice. She was so tiny. Barely five foot, with straight brown hair and these yellow/bronzy colored eyes that I was so jealous of.

Katie glared at Aliee. Anything (or anyone) that interrupted good news would pay the death stare. I laughed. I had forgotten to tell Aliee the story. Oops. “I’ll have to tell you the story later, Aliee, sorry!” She pouted a little bit but I didn’t really notice because I redirected my news back to Katie. “Anyway, I saw Steve again!” Katie glowed bright with her smile and said, “That is so awesome! Did you go back to the park?” “Mhm, and he had been waiting there in case I decided to come back. And then we had lunch together!”

“Who’s Steve?” Aliee asked. I laughed again. Poor Aliee was so clueless. I felt bad, so the rest of the lunch period Katie, Amberr and I all took turns filling her in on my crazy abusive love life. Which I had just remembered that none of them had none that Daniel had been abusing me until I told the story. And Katie just found out when Amberr casually threw that part into the pot of the story of my life.

And at the same time, both Aliee and Katie gasped. Aliee said that she wasn’t that surprised because Daniel always seemed like the aggressive pushy type. The good thing about talking about this with my friends was that it felt good to get it out. Good to not keep any secrets or tell lies about the bruises and scratches upon my bear skin. And the best part was we joked and laughed about it. Oh how lovely it felt to laugh with them again.

It was like when Daniel and I were together, I was locked in a box. And Daniel would hold the key right in front of me, but just out of my reach. And each time I got close to snatching it, he would pull it away right in front of my nose. I shuddered a bit, but I no longer had to worry. Daniel was out of my life forever. Unless he pushed himself back in. Would he go to such lengths just to be placed back in my life? I hoped not. But one must wonder…