Chapter 14:
Cold on the outside, Warm in the inside
The streetlights were dim and I shuffled my feet, trying to avoid large puddles of rainwater on the pathway. The air was cold and damp, and the rain poured. I huddled myself together, trying to keep warm. I didn't know where I was heading, I just wanted to walk as far as possible till I'm tired, till I collapse on the streets. Having to lose Russell was bad enough, being misunderstood by Zach made the day even worse.

Russell was my loyal companion, it was always there when I was feeling down, felt like no one else cared and when I was alone. Seeing it happy brightens my day, taking care of it just kept me occupied. Occupied from cutting myself when I'm depressed. I was diagnosed with clinical depression two years ago and it was something few people knew about. I constantly popped antidepressants to keep myself sane. Everyone thought I was a happy kid, but how wrong were they. I wasn't one at all, I was falling into pieces instead, right in front of them. They never noticed though, people were just that oblivious. Sometimes I wished I never exist, I was 'invisible' to the world anyway. No one seemed to notice me. No one understood me.

"Rest in peace, Russell." I whispered into the air and made a silent prayer.

I continued walking and stuffed my hands into my pockets. A strong gust of wind blew and I shivered. Kicking a stone along the path, I heard my name being called repeatedly. I recognised the voice and instantly knew it was Zach's. I didn't bothered to turn around but slowed down instead.

"Samantha, wait up!" He shouted holding onto an umbrella.
Zach caught up with me and grabbed my hand. I yanked it away and replied sarcastically.
"I thought you wanted me to get away from you."
He paused before continuing,
"Samantha, I'm..I'm sorry."
"You don't have to." I turned around and shot him a look, before looking somewhere else.
"I'm really sorry, I...I mean I don't know things were that serious. I should've listen to your explanation and stuff and not jump into conclusions, but then..."

I glimpsed at him and bit my lip. Uh shit, I couldn't look at his eyes. As if those piercing blue eyes were hypnotising. If I looked into them, they would just take me over completely.

Before I knew it, Zach gently lifted my face with his finger and I was face to face level with him. It was like he knew what I was thinking.
"I don't know how should I say it but I'm really really sorry. I don't expect you to forgive me but just blame it on my hot-headedness... Michael was right, I'm a complete idiot, stupid bloke, always messing up things..."
" Be glad that I'm kind enough to be that understanding, this side of me don't always appear all the time." I sighed, raising a hand, stopping him. I didn't want to be pissed at him for long though. It was just a simple misunderstanding, no point fussing things up.

Zach gave me a baffled look before grinning goofily. His smile soon faded away and we were there standing under the rain, his umbrella sheltering me. We exchanged stares for a minute before I looked away silently.
"The rain's getting heavier, I better get back to the bus." I mumbled and turned my back, walking away from him.
"No, wait. Not that fast." Zach said grabbing my hand again, pulling me closer. I felt myself being drawn towards him and he placed a hand on my shoulder.
He looked into my eyes, though searching for something, probably an answer. I gulped and blinked back, wondering what more did he want.
"Promise me one thing." Zach said.
"What?" I croaked.
"You're beautiful. Don't ever cut yourself again."
Not knowing what to say, I started fumbling with my hands. Cameron must have told him about me trying to cut myself. Zach tilted his head a little, still waiting for my answer. I gave a small nod and silence seeped in again.

I felt Zach's presence getting nearer and his gaze became intent. My heart pounded as I stared at his clear blue eyes, which were crystal clear. Slowly, I found myself moving closer to him. He dropped the umbrella and held on to my waist. He leaned towards me and I closed my eyes. Before I knew it, our lips were locked. The kiss was different from the last one. It was more passionate and sweet, as well as romantic. My hands found its way to his neck and wrapped themselves around it. I could hear fireworks going off in my head as the kiss deepened. Finally, both of us pulled back, gasping for air.

The whole thing just felt like a dream, but it was real, too real to be true. I even had to give myself a small pinch to prove that I was awake. Then I remembered. This whole thing was indeed part of a dream, it was the recurring one!
Smirking, I thought," Well, today must have been one of my worst and best days ever."