Disclaimers: (first chapter)
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Afterward: the school day went by like a flash. Once I stepped off the bus, I began walking to the study center, only to be surprised by Kevin, walking by my side. I sighed, annoyed that he kept his word. Perhaps I should have been grateful, but honestly I was only irritated, unnecessarily protected by my "bodyguard." I found my way to the building, Kevin following me in, examining the place as I walked up to the front desk. They welcomed me in with open arms. I handed them my note, indicating that I was to begin at this study center as soon as possible. "Yes, yes, we know. Your mother called yesterday about it," said the clerk. "But who is this?" she continued, looking past me at Kevin. He made up a lie saying that I had been having some medical problems, and that he was to make sure nothing bad happened to me. The clerk dropped her interest, pointing to the study hall.
The people didn't seem to mind, the study center's rules not nearly as strict as actual school's. Receiving a starter packet, Kevin and I ventured off into my first class period. The study classes were small and compact, there only being so many students in each class. In one class, when I answered one of the teacher's answers correctly, a girl sitting across from me turned around, smiling cutely. I smiled back politely, Kevin glaring at her, leaning against me as he stared. She bit her lip, still smiling, and simply looked back at the front. I rolled my eyes at Kevin's possessive behavior, him kissing my hand while glaring at the girl.
Once the study center's hours finished, Kevin and I left, him yawning and stretching once out of the building. "You hungry?" he asked, noticing it was dusk. I opened my mouth to refuse his offer, trying not to seem high maintenance when my stomach answered before me, growling loudly. He smiled. Taking my hand, we walked down the stretch of shops.
"You really don't have to buy anything for me," I said, feeling bad as we passed by store after store.
"No problem, Double Dweeb, it's just ice cream," he said, warmly rubbing my hand.
Ice cream? I looked up, noticing an ice cream parlor directly in front of us. We walked in, it being cold and damp, a random child's song being played in the background. The employees welcomed us in, suggesting a few of their treats. "May we offer you a couple-delight?" My eyes widened when hearing the word "couple," realizing they thought we were together, caused by the gripping hand holding. I immediately jerked back my hand, pulling it behind my back, my face flushed. Kevin smirked at me, ordering a couple cups of ice creams, handing them the money.
"What type would you like?" he asked. Well, if he already paid for it, then I might as well pick a flavor. I pressed my face against the cold glass, staring down at the flavors, my breath fogging my view. I soon felt a sudden warmth fall on my shoulder, Kevin lazily resting his arm on me as he stared at the ice cream. He ordered for himself, getting a blue cotton candy one. "Hurry up and choose or I'll do it for you," he murmured in my ear.
"Um... I'll have the orange one," I said, clearly, getting my face off the cold surface, Kevin dropping his arm from my shoulder.
While they were off scooping up our ice cream, we found a booth off in the corner. I sat down, hands neatly folded on the table, smiling as I stared at the employees prepare the treats. The entire place was empty besides for the employees and one or two strangers. Kevin said my name, causing me to turn towards him, my nose brushing against his as I did. How did he get so close without a sound? I suppose it's one of his "many" so called talents. Because of the sudden absence of distance between us, my heart began to fly, my face burning up. I meekly replied, "W-What?" He grinned slyly.
"Nothing. I just wanted to see you act all dumb," he said, throwing his hands on my shoulders before wrapping his arms around my head, pulling me forward. "You're so stupid when you worry," he said, smiling. I blushed, pushing him away, surprised that he actually let me, his strength surpassing mine. He put his hand comfortably under his chin, pulling me forward with his light grip of a single finger under my jaw. My face turned red, the space between us slowly caving in between, fidgeting with my nerves. When having the comfort of my own home, Kevin could do anything he wanted, but out in public, people would get the wrong idea, not knowing the aftermath. Kevin puckered his lips, my eyes snapping shut. I felt his warm lips press against my skin. I opened my eyes to find Kevin kissing my forehead. He broke away, bopping my nose with his finger. "Were you wanting something different?" he asked, noticing my red face.
I shook my head, standing from the table. Red face and all, I stormed out of the ice cream parlor, uneasy with annoyance. He's the one that didn't want this thing to be public, and yet he does things like that whenever he very well pleases. I didn't go far, only around the corner, hardly into an alley way. My chest was pounding, my brows strained in annoyance. My back rubbing against the brick wall, I slid down to a comfortable sitting position on the ground. I watched as people walked across the parking lot and in and out of stores, listening as the shopping center breathed, ending up drifting away into a daydream of only sounds. Shortly after, a disturbance occurred in the harmony of the sounds. I looked up, noticing a shadow drawn over top of me. A muscular twenty some year old stared down at me, smiling slyly.
"Hey kid, why don't you give me whatever you got there in your pockets. Better yet, just come with me," he said, leaning forward, expressing a crooked smile. I didn't move, staring up at him, wide-eyed. Afraid he would do something to me, I leaned away from him, avoiding any more eye contact.
"U-Um, I'm waiting for someone, actually," I said, low and shy so that he wouldn't crush me into bits by his giant guns.
"It'll only be for a few hours; they'll hardly miss you," he said, leaning lower, close to my face, breaking off into a low murmur. Hours??? I would be half way to Michigan in that time, or even worse, half way to heaven, or maybe something far worse as that, if possible.
"I-I really can't..." I said, my heart starting it's coarse. He grabbed my jaw, jerking me to look at him, his eyes deranged. He pulled me close, grinding foreheads as he tightened his grip on my jaw, his other hand sliding down my back. "Far worse" seemed to be taking place out of my list of hour long scenarios.
"Don't you dare say no to me, you little twerp!" he said. I grabbed hold of his hand, attempting to keep him from crushing my jaw. He dipped down, pulling my body forward, slightly scooping me up, about to abduct me. I yelled suddenly, him only punching my mouth. Annoyed, he dropped me on the ground, glaring at me. The twenty some year old stood up straight, punching my already wounded eye before jerking me forward by my shirt collar. I yelled again, this time him shoving me into the wall. He pulled back his fist, preparing to strike. I shut my eyes, half covering my face with my arms. The punch was made.
Surprisingly, I wasn't harmed. I peeked open my eyes, Kevin, staring at me as the twenty year old fell to the ground, blood on both the man's face and Kevin's fist. Kevin's stare soon turned into a striking glare focused on a new feature added to my face. Kevin stepped towards me, a woman suddenly appearing, smiling as she snapped photos of the scene. "You saved that poor boy's life! You're a hero!" she said, snapping a picture of Kevin, catching his attention. He looked over at me, annoyed. Soon more people appeared, a crowd forming around us. "What's your name?!" shouted a man, a notepad ready in hand.
"Um... Kevin," he looked over at me, pulling me out of the alley, warmly putting his hand on my shoulder as flashes blinded us. "And this is Double D!" I looked up at him, a slick smile wooing the crowd. As people paraded Kevin's act, I noticed a cold liquid run down my chin. I looked down, blood dripping from my mouth. I poked Kevin's shirt, my hands red from dripping blood, imprinting his clothes. He looked over at me, noticing the blood. He let go of my shoulder, turning his body towards me. I hadn't realized it, but I was shaking, cold and weary when Kevin moved. I ended up loosing feeling in my legs and fell over top of him, my blood covered mouth scraping his chest.
More snap shots still, Kevin scooped me up, cradling me in his arms, more and more pictures being made. Kevin inhaled. "Where's a medic?!" shouted one of people, literally stealing the words right from Kevin's mouth. A doctor appeared from the crowd, dressed in casual, unsuspecting clothes. He took me from Kevin's arms, pulling me out of the crowd as Kevin was flourished with praise, my blood staining his shirt. I looked back behind me, seeing Kevin try to slide through the crowd as well, only to be pushed back into the limelight.
Once out of the crowd, the doctor gently put me on the ground, feeling around my stomach, holding my wrist. "Does anything hurt?" he asked after muttering that my major organs seemed fine.
"Um, my face is bloody and it hurts a lot," I said, staring off at the crowd, a rather nonconstructive answer on my part. Maybe I was just distracted. He took a cloth from his pocket, whipping the blood from my mouth. I stood from the ground, straightening my shirt. "I'll clean the rest when I get home, thank you anyways," I said kindly, my body trembling as I began my walk back home, leaving the shopping strip where Kevin is known as a hero. Confused as ever, the walk home wasn't very pleasant. I was too busy making sure I didn't trip and fall to be thinking over the event that took place at the shopping mall. My trembling body was acting against me so much so that I had to use the fences and trees around me for support, my shocked legs giving way this way and that, my blood covered face blinding me.
Sometime of trembling later, I made it to my house, the sun no longer to be seen, dusk over shadowing the land. I walked inside, plopping onto the couch, cuts reopening. I sighed, closing my eyes, attempting to achieve at least a speck of rejuvenation. An image of the twenty some year old appeared in my head, close and personal, more vivid then before. He was at work, beating what appeared to be me, though I couldn't feel anything, only the pounding serge's of my heart collapse. As he punched and punched, splatters of blood and my hands going up every now and again appeared. He stopped once drenched in splatters of blood, standing over me as I fell to the ground, the image now blurry, disappearing into a fog as I lied there...
I snapped open my eyes, my open cuts sizzling with the sting of sweat running into them. I sat up, noticing how dark my living room seemed. I flicked on a light, moving as though I had ten ton braces bound around my ankles. I walked back to the couch, lying down gently, curling my legs up against my chest, holding them dear. I ran my fingers across my face, feeling for all the new imperfections bulging out--my busted lip, black eye, and swollen jaw, that only being on my face. A few minutes later, I had collected a bit of energy, now standing and walking off to my upstairs bathroom, struggling up the steps.
I swung open the door, starting the water. I undressed as it filled, exposing my body's multiple bite marks and scratch wounds from being shoved into a brick wall. I sighed, checking how bad the damage was. The bite's severity differed one after the other, some being only nibbles and others bruises, very rarely any breaking the skin. The streaks made were red and bloody, scraping off a layer or two of my skin. I turned my body, investigated the rest of me. Half way, I noticed writing on my hip. "Property of Kevin" it said. "When did he find time to write this?" I asked myself. I sighed, walking over to the tub, flicking off the water when noticing it being full. I cautiously got in, the pure water stinging against my busted body. I sighed, relaxing in the tub, staring off at the ceiling as the water cleansed. The image of Kevin standing over the twenty some year old with his fists on his hips and lights flashing behind him, an over dramatic version of earlier, flickered in my head. The woman's words: "you're a hero" echoed through my ears as I laid there, submerged in water.
"What a peculiar concept," I said aloud to myself. "Kevin the love struck hero. That should be a comic book," I laughed slightly to myself. "But then who would I be? Not the super friend of his sidekick... The damsel in distress?" I relaxed my eyes, bothered by this thought. "Always in distress, always so powerless, always so stupid," I rolled onto my side, the water splashing as I moved. "I don't care if I am or not. I don't want to be the damsel to such a stupid, obsessive, strong, protective--" my tone soothed as I continued down the list, short pauses that gradually grew forming between the words, my eyes subtle. "reliable...caring... lov--" My eyes opened wide when hearing the words coming out of my mouth, chest pounding in shock. What was I saying?! I immediately began cleaning myself, my heart racing and warm face slowing me down.
The night fallen, I figured I would just go to bed. I was now out of the red tub, dried and situated. I slipped on my pj's once in my room, snagging my blanket and curling up in my warm, toasty bed, opening my eyes to memories of this room, memories I wouldn't dare to speak of. I covered my face with my blanket, trying to hide from such wicked thoughts. I ended up drifting off into sleep, the pulsing of my swollen lip acting as a lullaby...
Day five: I awoke by myself for once, my clock screaming as usual. I turned it off, stretching as I sat up in my bed, orange footed pajamas snuggling against my skin. I relaxed, noticing a note taped to my window. I pulled it off, reading it to myself, the words written in a bad penmanship. "You're staying home today. You're not going to school after what happened yesterday, got it? -Kevin" I smirked slightly at his concern, surprised slightly he actually cared not to wake me up and tell me this himself. Keeping a practically perfect attendance, I ignored the letter and got ready for school.
Dressed and ready, I headed down the stairs and towards the door, opening it to see Kevin standing there with his arms folded. I stepped back, gulping slightly, caught. "What're you doing?" he asked sarcastically, grabbing my book bag's strap.
"Er, going to school," I said sweetly, trying to get by him so that I could just go already. He frowned, grabbing my shirt collar.
"Have you even looked at yourself yet?" he asked, pulling me to a mirror. "You look like shit; you're staying home."
"But my attendance record," I sniffled, trying a puppy dog face in order to slip by. Maybe making faces wasn't the best thing to do when I had a busted lip and black eye. He poked my lip, making me hiss in slight pain. Kevin strained his brows, folding his arms.
"And that's why you're not going, stupid," he said. I sighed in defeat, neatly putting my bag on the stair's railing.
"Well now what?" I asked, folding my arms. Kevin grabbed my shirt collar, pulling me close suddenly, kissing the corner of my mouth, opposite of my hurt lip. He broke away, smiling slyly.
"Time to get some sleep," resting was probably the last thing I'd be doing if Kevin's with me. He scooped me up, carrying me off to the living room.
"I can walk, you know," I said, annoyed. He only kissed my cheek in response, laying me on the couch. He left the room for a moment or so to fetch something. I realized this was my chance and quietly crept out of the room towards the door, only to bump into Kevin when turning the corner. I smiled warmly, trying not to get in trouble. He grabbed my nose, pulling me towards the couch. He pushed me onto it, throwing a blanket swiftly over me as he did. That must had been what he was getting.
I peeked out from under the covers, Kevin's hand now running down my back, pulling me towards him. I shut my eyes, preparing for the blow when nothing happened. I opened my eyes to find him putting a pillow behind me, pulling me up so that he could lay it down behind my head. He calmly put me against the pillow, kissing my forehead. Kevin smiled warmly, now leaving the room to snag something from the kitchen. I relaxed, examining which blanket he got me--the dark green one with white stripes over lapping each other. I rolled onto my side, relaxing. If Kevin wasn't going to let me leave than I suppose there's no sense in trying to fight him. I guess I would only lie here and go to sleep, that being exactly what I did.
I drifted off into a dream world as usual where everything was dark and blue like on a rainy day. The same situation was underway, me sleeping in my living room under a green blanket, only the room was warped and distorted. I sat up from the couch, sounds of lightning crashing as I did. I stood, feeling woozy, the room shaking. Lightening crashed again, pounding me to the ground. I fell with such force that I awoke from my dream, heart racing and eyes as wide as ever. I was no longer on the couch, or I was and I didn't realize it. I looked down, the same green blanket covering me, but it didn't feel the same. My head was no longer resting on a dead pillow, but on a radiating body. When I attempted to move, the arms which were wrapped around me tightened their grip, the person's lips pressing against my head, slightly calming me.
"Ssssh," my eyes relaxed, face becoming hot by the sudden body heat. This time when I went to sleep, nothing bad happened in my dream. I was content and felt warm with delight, it all being because of Kevin...
To be continued in chapter five...