Mistake

She ran after that. She didn't know where her feet were carrying her, but she didn't care. She just had to get away; away from the prying eyes, the pain…him. Minutes later, she found herself in a park she didn't even notice was near Chilton. She found a tree and tried to hide her best behind it. This is where she let even more tears out. Her body was still shaking and she had given up on trying to dry her tears. Her sleeves were drenched with the salty liquid and she found herself heaving for air as her throat became dry. She slowly lifted herself off the ground and made her way back to school.

She made her first stop in the bathroom. Upon reaching the mirror, she realized why she didn't like crying in public places. Her face was so red with pain and her eyes were still forming tears. She splashed cold water over her face in hoped of getting rid of the evidence, but it didn't help at all. With a sigh of defeat, she gathered her things for her next class and headed for the nurse's office. After telling the nurse that she was just having a bad day, she gave Rory a comforting smile and wrote her a pass.

She was dreading this. She had four out of six classes with Tristan. She slowly opened the door to her class and all conversation stopped. Everyone was staring at her; some with a pitying look, others sympathy, but all the same, it was attention that she didn't want. She gave her teacher the pass and quickly found her way to her seat.

She could feel him watching her. Staring at her intently as if trying to figure out if she had actually meant to do what she did; if she actually felt the hate towards him that he now thought she did. She didn't allow herself to look back at him. She knew that if she did, she would take everything back and settle into his arms again. She couldn't let that happen. If she did, they would go back to yelling and that unwelcome pain would find its way back to her. She couldn't let that happen.

As soon as the bell rang, she swiftly made her way out the door. As soon as she got her books, she walked to her next class, trying to block out all of the whispering voices around her. How would she be able to handle this? Why did she think that she was strong enough to handle this on her own? She couldn't. She needed someone to be there to hold her hand, to be with her as she walked this terrifying path that everyone called life.

* * *

After school, she started to walk towards the bus, her head bent down in a book. She wasn't really reading. She couldn't concentrate at all. Her mind was pounding and her whole body ached. That's when it hit her. I just made the biggest mistake of my life.