Well, I decided to update a little sooner than a week this time because I was in the creative mood yesterday... So enjoy I guess. I appreciate reviews and feedback! Thank you to those who did! It meant a lot to me! Feel free to tell me where I could improve, because I want to learn from doing this, so my future stories could be a little less rough around the edges you know? Heh heh, well I hope you all like this chapter, it is a little longer and things start to develop.
~Hugs~ Thanks for reading this~ :D
Chapter two: All Alone.
~Fiona's P.O.V~
I am completely and utterly alone. I have no family or friends to run to. I have no one. I don't even know where to go or what to do next. The air is freezing my exposed skin and my cuts are stinging from the wind. So I decide to head inside the closest building, but I get kicked out because if you don't buy something or have business to do in there, then you're back on the streets. So I keep walking hoping to find someplace to get warm.
Eventually, I walk to diner/trucks stop that is a bit away from the main city. It looks like a good place to warm up and get something to eat for an early breakfast, since I was already feeling my empty stomach rumble.
Inside I felt the warmth of a heater and was starting to get the feeling back in my legs. I went over to the counter and waited for the red, curly haired waitress to get done taking the order of a tall, burly man. After she was done sending the man's order to the kitchen she walked over to where I was and smiled with her big ruby red lips.
"What can I get for you sugar?" says the ruby lipped woman who had a name tag that read, 'Hello my name is~ Berri !'
"Um, May I have a large cup of black coffee and, er, some toast with jelly?"
"Alright honey, your order will be ready in a few minutes." She says in her wispy voice and turns to walk away before stopping herself and turning back to me. "Sweetie, Why are you here at five in the morning on a Saturday in dirty ripped clothes? Is everything okay? Are you okay? The side of your face is bruised, your pants are ripped right open in the leg and it is almost negative temperatures outside." She asks me in soft, but serious voice.
"Uhh, er... No. I'm fine." I murmur softly pushing my thick blonde hair to cover the bruise on my cheek. Berri looks at me suspiciously, but nods slightly.
"Okay sugar, but why are you here?"
"Uh, because I need to take the bus to my mom's house... So I am taking the bus after I get some breakfast."
'You suck at lying' I think to myself hoping she believed what I was saying without prying anymore.
"O-Okay. I'll come back with your order after it's done." Berri says walking back to the kitchen to give the cook my order.
I sit there silently, studying the scratches on the counter when I hear someone's boots walk in my direction. I don't think anything of it, assuming it was just a trucker coming to order his meal, until I feel a big meaty hand clasp my shoulder.
"Hey there cutie, where ya headed to?" a low gravelly voice says to me. I spin around to see the same tall burly man who was on the other side of the counter just before. The man grins widely. "Because I am going wherever you go." he says as a cheesy pickup line.
"Uh, I'm seventeen. creep." I say narrowing my eyes.
"Ah, she's a feisty one." the man says still grinning, "But seriously. Why not instead of riding a filthy bus, ride with me and I'll take you wherever you need to go sweet cheeks."
"I think I'll pass." I mutter, starting to turn around when he turned me back around.
"Come on hun. I'll take you where you need to go, trust me. I'm safe." I took his hand off of my arm.
"No. Just leave me alone."
Now he was started to get me nervous. He laughs, "Come on babe. I can be anything you want me to be." He starts to get closer to me and dips his head down to my ear whispering, "Or better yet you can be what I want you to be."
"Stop! Get away from me!" I exclaim pushing him away. The man's face turns red, "Ah come on sweet cheeks, I was just playing. Just let me give you a ride to wherever you need to go. I promise to behave." A grin spread across his face that just made me shudder some.
"N-no. Just leave me alone." I said scared at the thought of getting into a vehicle with the creep. He steps closer again, "Hun, I bet you don't have anywhere to go. You will freeze out there. Just get into my truck and I'll take you somewhere safe."
"Just s-stop."
"Don't be like this darling." He reaches out to grab my arm again when someone speaks up from the corner booth in the diner.
"Leave her alone." The voice says warningly.
"And what are you going to do if I don't?" The man asks grabbing my arm with me trying to push him away.
In mere seconds a tall, young, dark haired guy is out of his seat and is right next to the burly man and me. He instantly punches the man in the face.
"That's what I'll do you sick bastard." The man steps back, holding his jaw.
"Look boy this is none of your concern. So why don't you saunter back over to your booth and sit your ass back down before I kick it there for you."
The young man laughs, "You want me to go sit back down and let you take this innocent woman in your filthy truck to do God knows what with her. Yeah, fat chance."
"You wanna take this outside?" The man asks taking a step closer to the younger guy.
"Depends. Do you want your ass kicked by a eighteen year old? Or do you want to leave with what dignity you have left?" He says boldly to him.
"That's it. Get your ass outside. We're going to settle this the right way." The burly man grabs the dark haired teen by the collar of his shirt. He is taken back when the young man punches him again up the jaw, then gives him another blow in the gut.
"Get out." He snarls, "Now. Before I get the right mind to call the police on your perverted being."
"Geez kid. Calm the fuck down. Little gum drop here knows I was just playing. Isn't that right sweet pea?" They both look at me and I am just sitting there in complete shock. The Man reaches out to pat my leg to show he was just being friendly when I recoil away from his hand. The teen grabs his hand before he can get any closer.
"Get the hell out of here." He said practically growling at him. But before the man has a chance to move an inch, the dark haired teen is already dragging him out of the diner and throws him out. Slamming the door shut after him, making the whole place quiver for a few seconds.
He turns and looks over at me, his face heating up and turning a slight shade of red. I stare at him dumbfounded that someone had actually helped me. It has been so long since I felt like someone could actually see me and notice me as an actual person. He smiles slightly and I feel my whole face heat up. I notice my heartbeat quicken as the teen walks over to me again.
'What should I say? Should I apologize, thank him? Or both? Oh Glob, he is getting closer!'
And as soon as began to function again, he was already there. "Hey. Sorry about that Douche. All the people here are just so damn creepy." He says smoothly, as if nothing had even happened.
"The name is Marshall Lee." He holds out his hand to shake mine, but as soon as I wrapped my head around the fact that he was talking to me, realized that he wanted to shake my hand and extended my own, he had started retracting his hand. So I pulled my hand back, and he reached out again to shake it. So I reached out and we shook hands awkwardly.
"Uh, My name is Fiona..." I take my hand back gently and look away before looking him back in the eye. "Um, well thank you for, er, helping me." I say awkwardly.
He grins a bit, "Not a problem." We just stay there in silence for a bit until he speaks up, "Are you okay? You look like you're really hurt." I turn away and look down at the white and blue tiled floor.
"No no. I'm fine." I murmur not looking up feeling like if I did then I would just emotionally lose it. He doesn't look convinced, he tips my head up gently and looks at where Sam had slapped me.
"Who hit you?" he asks softly, "There is a hand shaped bruise on the side of your face." I look down once again, white and blue.
"No one. I am just clumsy." I murmur.
He looks down at my legs and sees the hole in my jeans and the gash in my leg, "Jesus. What the hell happened to you?" He asks softly. "And tell me the truth. Who did this?"
"I am just a klutz. Just leave it at that." I murmur. Marshall shakes his head in disbelievement, "I'm not stupid. I can tell when people are lying. Look me in the eye and say it was an accident."
I shake my head and I can feel my body start to tremble from holding in the tears. He frowns slightly gets down on his knees so he can be eye to eye with me sitting on the chair.
"Hey. Don't worry. Everything will be okay. You're away from whoever tried to hurt you." He says sweetly trying to keep me from crying.
I nod slightly but it was too late. I had already started to cry and my cheeks were streaked with salty tears. I raise my hands to my face to wipe my tears away when his body tenses. He reaches out and pulls my arm gently towards him to get a better look. He pushed my jacket sleeve up and saw my wrists that had black and blue hand bruises on them from where Sam was gripping them earlier. Then he looked at my actual arm and saw the burn scars from the iron. He gasps softly to himself.
"What happened to you? Who would do this?" He asks shocked by everything he has seen. I shake my head. "S-Sam." I murmur through gasps of tears.
"Who the hell is Sam? Why are there these burn scars on your arms and bruises on your wrists?" Marshall asks giving me my arm back.
"H-he's my foster-r parent." I stutter out trying my hardest to keep it all together.
"What the hell is your foster parent hurting you for?"
"He just is a drunk and he's a-angry all the time, I don't k-know why." I murmur, my voice trembling.
Just before he had a chance to say anything the waitress returned and handed me a cup of coffee and a plate of toast. "There ya go sugar. It'll be $5.78." I reached in my bag to get my money and when I looked up with a ten dollar bill in my hand Marshall is already handing the lady money to pay for my meal. Berri looks at him smiling, "Well aren't you a gentleman." She accepts his money.
"What no. I can pay for myself. Here give him that back."
"No take it. Don't take her money." Marshall replies smiling looking right at me.
"Whatever, I am just going to take this money in my hand and put it in the register. You two can battle this out without me." Berri says turning and walking over to the register. I look over at the dark haired teen.
I hand him the ten dollar bill in my hand. "I can pay for myself. Here take this."
"Hey! No. Your food was only $5.78! You can't give me more than that." He says putting the bill back in my hand.
"Think of it as a tip." I say putting it back in his hand. "I don't want to touch that bill again so don't give it back." I pick up a piece of toast and take a bite.
He shakes his head and pulls out his wallet, taking out a different ten. "Here think of this as a tip for the tip you gave me." He grins putting the bill in my jacket's pocket.
"Mmmmm nnnnnnmmm!" I mumble angrily with a mouth full of toast before swallowing. "What! No loop holes!"
He grins even wider, "I didn't see a rule book. Damn, why are you so angry about me being chivalrous toward you?" I take a sip of my coffee before answering him.
"Because I can take care of things myself. Thanks for helping me." I mutter standing up, slinging my bag over my shoulder and grabbing my cup of coffee before walking towards the exit. Marshall is quickly on my heels following me, tapping me on the shoulder.
"Hey. Where do you think you're going without even finishing your breakfast. A growing girl needs a good breakfast if she wants to stay healthy. Now park your butt in that chair and finish it Ma'am." I spin around looking him square in the eye, which was kind of hard seeing he was at least six feet tall and I was a measly five foot four.
"Why are you doing this?" I ask, my eyes glaring him dead straight in his almost crimson eyes like daggers.
He smiles, "Because everyone needs a good breakfast. Now go eat yours."
"Pfft."
"Pfft Nothing. Now go eat your toast Fiona." The way Marshall said my name made me get a chill running down my spine. Never has anyone cared about me save for my dad and it has been almost four years since he died, so what this boy was saying and doing was like an alien planet to me by now. I didn't reply to him for a few moments just staring at him wondering why he was even trying with me. Can't he see I am not a pleasant person? Does he not care that I stick out like a sore thumb to everyone, even when I don't have a black and blue face? Was he actually trying to socialize with someone who hasn't even had a friend since the eighth grade? All of this to me was mind boggling. In fact, I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I didn't even notice him reaching for my free hand until we made contact.
Marshall wrapped his hand around mine and looked at me, "Breakfast time is now, or else you will be starving before lunch." He says leading me back to the table. I shake my hand off his, but the warmth lingered from his hand.
"I am old enough to make my own decisions you know." I mutter turning to leave, when he turns facing me.
"Hey you know you seem pretty cold on the outside, but that's just a facade. This may surprise you but your still a person and people need to eat no matter how independent or cold they are on the outside. So eat your toast Miss Fiona."
I look at the plate of toast then to him, "You're lucky I am hungry or else I would leave." He smiled at that, motioning for me to sit down in the chair. I sit down and he sits next to me. It's quite for a few minutes the only noises coming from the cook in the kitchen, and truckers coming in and giving their orders to Berri. The silence was broken after Marshall turned to me, opened his mouth to say something, closed it again, then stared at me almost like he was deciding to say what he was about to or not.
I swallowed the last of my first slice of toast and took another sip of my coffee before looking at him. "What? Why are you staring at me? Is there something on my face of something?" I ask him wondering why he was just looking at me like I was some strange alien.
"Er, I wasn't staring at you." He says looking away his face heating up some. "I was uh, staring at the...at the toast you weren't eating."
I roll my eyes at him, "Oh okay. You want the other piece weirdo?" He shakes his head a small smile coming onto his face, "No you need to eat or you will be starving before lunch, remember?"
"Okay then when are you going to eat? Won't you be 'starving' before lunch as well?" I ask using the little air quotes.
"You're a real smart-ass. You know that?"
"You avoid questions."
"Hey. Calm down Fiona. I am a big boy, I can fend for myself."
"Oh my god. You're such a turd."
"Me? A turd? Is that what you just called me?" He says jokingly.
"Yeah, get used to it turd. I can fend for myself and yet you antagonize me to eat and such, but when I ask about when you're going to eat you pull the big boy card on me. What's your deal?"
Marshall kind of looks off for a second, but then looks me straight in the eye a small smile on his face.
"Maybe I really just wanted to talk to you and just used any excuse I could to talk to you more." I felt my face light up like a cherry instantly and I felt all weird inside. It was like a nerve was just struck that hasn't been struck before. Then I must not have said anything for a while because he turned red in the cheeks and looked down. "Erm, I don't mean to be creepy- it's just, you seemed interesting and uh, I kind of wanted to see what your story was. I didn't want to know your whole story- I just wanted to get to know you more. God I sound like a creeper. I'll just go..." He stands up to leave.
I speak up before he walks away, "Hey, um, thanks for thinking I was an interesting person, but I'm not." I said as I stood up, picking up my bag before laying the ten dollar bill he last gave me on the counter. I started over to the door, but before I left I looked back and gave Marshall a slight wave.
