I don't mean to laugh, because I'm glad that this story has so many of you hooked to the point you're trying your best to figure out where the story's going. It's just that so many of you are trying to anticipate plot twists that I'm not sure I'm going to be putting in. After all, if the readers can anticipate the plot twist, it's not much of a plot twist, is it? *grins* (This is what I mean by Laby-fic readers being cynical) So my advice to y'all is to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.
Don't Let Go
Chapter Eight: Never Let It, Never Let It Go
"Christian."
He turned slowly to face the owner of that voice. His expression held mixed dread and apprehension, and a tiny, tiny glimmer of hope.
Sarah wanted nothing more than to hug him and wipe away that dread and fear from his face. However, it was the end of the day and students were spilling into the courtyard in massive clumps. That, and she didn't know how Christian would react. So she approached him tentatively, gripping the straps of her backpack tensely. His stance reflected hers, knuckles pale as he gripped his bag straps. She licked her lips, and glanced about. Finally, she said in a small voice,"Walk with me?"
They fell into step on the sidewalk, unable to speak, almost unable to breathe in the thick air. They'd walked three blocks when Sarah sighed and stopped. She turned her body to face his and quickly dropped her gaze to the concrete beneath her sneakers. She inhaled sharply and brought her hands up to her nose. She opened her mouth, then shut it, then opened it again. Finally she chuckled weakly. "Wow, this is a lot more difficult than I'd hoped it would be."
Christian got a pained expression on his face and looked away. "I see."
"No, you don't," Sarah said automatically, glancing up at him. He turned back to her warily, and she tried to smile. "Look, Christian, do you mind if I'm blunt?" The wary look on his face became more prominent even as he nodded reluctantly. Sarah inclined her head as well, and took a deep breath before stating,"I'm an idiot."
That clearly was not what he'd been expecting, and he stumbled physically. "Huh?"
"I am an idiot." Sarah avoided his eyes. She closed them briefly and took several deep breaths. She looked at her hands as she fidgeted. "Look, I'm not this wonderful girl you seem to think. I don't even know how or why you managed to hang in there so long." She drew a ragged breath and smiled up at him, her eyes shining with moisture. "I'm...not very good with-" she swallowed hard,"-relationships. And every time I'm around you my tongue goes dead. I mean, honestly," she gave a high, shrilly laugh. "What can you possibly see in me? I'm half-insane anyhow, and completely inept socially. Oh, and let's not forget my-" She looked up and saw his confused expression, and she stilled. "Right. Anyway. I haven't been very- nice, I know," and she hastened to add,"But that's not because I don't like you!"
Christian raised his eyebrows and shifted his gaze from right to left, as though he couldn't quite make sense of what was happening.
Sarah sighed with frustration and stamped her feet, and Christian's eyes widened further as he stared mutely at her. "What I'm trying to say is, I-" I think I'm in love with you. I think about you more than I care to admit. She groaned disgustedly, dropping her head into her hands. "This should not be this difficult!" She glanced at Christian, who stood there dumbly, afraid to speak, and she sighed, rolling her eyes towards the sky. "What am I talking about? I'm the one who's making this difficult. Christian, I'm crazy about you."
The dead air fell between their feet to the concrete and dissolved away.
Did she just say that? Her mind was a blank. Did she actually just say that?
Judging from the stunned look on Christian's face, she either said that or she saisd that she was a lesbian.
...So did she actually say that? She couldn't think. The electronic signals that were supposed to be zapping through her brain were taking a water break.
The awkward silence seemed to stretch on into eternity, and Sarah was rooted to the spot even as her survival instincts urged her to flee. Then Christian's face broke into a wide smile, and he glanced away, blushing. Grinning and blushing, he gave a low chuckle. That chuckle grew into an uproarious laugh as he tilted back his head.
...Maybe she'd accidentally told him she was a lesbian. Sarah looked painfully confused.
Christian turned to her, grinning and still the brightest shade of red Sarah had seen outside a crayon box, and her heart skipped a beat. "You're just as scared as I am," he said with wonder, staring at her, never losing the grin.
Sarah flushed. "Well, yes. Unless you have some other theory why I act like a psycho." Now that the verbal dam had broken, her mind was directly linked to her mouth. She wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing just yet, but she decided to go with it.
He blinked, and his eyes widened. "Whoa." He stood, feeling the ground beneath him, his hands spread out as though to help him balance. "Everything suddenly makes sense," he whispered in awe. He glanced up at Sarah intently. "Oh," he murmured, understanding lighting his eyes. "Okay." He straightened and gazed at Sarah. "Um, okay. So..." He scratched his head. "Where do we go from here?"
Sarah smiled uncertainly. "I was hoping you could tell me."
Christian averted his eyes to the side, shifting his weight from foot to foot. He chuckled and shook his head ruefully. "If I knew what to do with a girl like you, do you think I would've had this much trouble getting to this point?" he teased gently, more mocking himself than her.
She smiled shyly. "Well, that's probably true." Sarah glanced around and sighed. "I hate to do this, but I have to get home. If I'm too late, my stepmom will probably give me the third degree." She made a face to show how much she enjoyed that prospect. Then her expression softened. "But I'll see you in school tomorrow, okay?"
He smiled bashfully. "Sure. So, um, see you!" He started walking backwards, staring at her with a big, silly grin on his face.
"Watch where you're going, Christian!" she yelled out playfully after him, enjoying the taste of his name out loud on her tongue. He raised a hand up and waved at her, and then turned to walk away. She stared after him, blissfully giddy. That airy sensation above her ears was very pleasant indeed. She pivoted in place, grinning madly. The joy she felt bubbled within, and she couldn't help it: she did a little dance and squealed happily, pumping her hands victoriously.
When she got home, Karen was there, struggling with a fussy Toby. "Toby, dear, you have a cough. The medicine's good for you." She tried to place the spoonful of clear purple syrup in his mouth, and he turned away. She said to Sarah distractedly,"Welcome home, Sarah."
Sarah dropped her bag and crouched down. "Need a hand?"
Karen sighed and gave her the spoon. "See if you can get him to eat this."
"Okay," Sarah agreed sunnily, and Karen stared at her with surprise. "Here, Toby." She lowered the spoon and tilted his head up. "Aren't you just the most lovable thing? Are you giving Karen a hard time?"
Her little brother stared at his sister suspiciously.
"Well, sweetie, if you won't do it for her, will you do it for me? Pretty please?" she coaxed lifting the spoon up, but keeping it a fair distance from his mouth. "I won't force you, but I think it'd be really good, especially if you're not feeling too well." She batted her eyes at him. "Pretty please?"
Looking as though he were granting her some incredibly generous favor, the tyke bent forward and parted his lips, allowing his sister to put the spoon in. He swallowed and stared at her solemnly with clear blue-green eyes.
"Thank you, Toby," Sarah said and hugged him tightly. She stood up and gave the spoon back to Karen. "There we go." She picked up her bag and headed up to her room.
Karen stared at her dumbly. Then, after exercising her jaw a few times, she called out,"Did something good happen today, Sarah?"
Sarah paused on the stairs and glanced over her shoulder, grinning. "Not really. I'll see you at dinner."
Karen shook her head and headed into the kitchen.
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A/N: ...Um, here's where I'm going to have to tell the truth: I've never actually dated anyone, so I'm going to have to base everything in this story from here on out on accounts that my friends have related to me. But I think it's fair to say that the typical love-confession/mad, hungry kissing/falling-into-bed thing isn't likely to happen here, since that rarely happens in real life (at least, it doesn't happen without a lot of emotional complications afterwards).
So we now have Christian and Sarah forming an actual relationship.(instead of the complicated dance around each other they were doing) And I know, I know, you're all waiting for the tighted wonder's appearance. *grins* Well, you'll just have to keep reading, won't you?