Concrete Castle

-Devon-

I looked up at the blazing Arizona sky, shielding my eyes not only with sunglasses, but with the shadow of my hand as well. “Tell me why we picked the desert of all places to camp? We could've gone to Flagstaff in the nice pretty mountains.” Baylee complained.

“I don't see anything wrong with this. There is a lake.” I defended, the boys getting all the tents unloaded. “Besides, it really cools down at night, so you can still snuggle with Kenny.” I smiled.

“You know it!” Baylee cheered, going to help out, I followed suit.

Pretty soon, we were watching as the boys tried to set up the tents, they were not letting Baylee or me help. John cursed loudly and hopped away from the group. “Aw, did you hurt yourself, Johnny-boy?” I asked, stifling laughter.

He walked to me, sucking on his index finger. “I cut it.”

“On what?”

“It got caught between two rods.”

I laughed again, shaking my head, “Only you.” I turned to my bag, pulling out my first aid kit.

“Look at you, Miss Safety.” He teased, “But I don't need a band-aid.”

“Right, you'll 'rub some dirt in it'” I scoffed, rolling my eyes, “Problem is, you'll get it infected.” I explained, tearing open the wrapper. “Stop sucking on it. What are you, a vampire?”

“Why, yes, I am. And if you're not careful, I may make you my next victim” John teased menacingly.

I scoffed, turning to walk back to the chairs Baylee and I had set up. “Your lips come anywhere near me, and I'll put a stake through your heart.” I gave John a squinting, malicious smile when I sat down. He laughed a little before taking a seat next to me.

“Aren't you going to help?” I motioned.

“Naw, I'll just enjoy the show.” He grinned.

Truth is, Baylee and I could have had these up in fifteen minutes, tops. Her family went camping every chance they got, dragging us with them. Not that it was a bad thing, I learned a lot and even started to enjoy the early morning hikes and playful scavenger hunts.

“How'd you sleep?” John asked quietly, leaning back in his camp chair.

“I got a couple minutes, not not really any more than that.” I answered truthfully. It's not like he couldn't tell. I kind of looked like a panda with the darkness around my eyes.

“Are you still having nightmares?” He asked, and I nodded, avoiding his gaze.

John and I hadn't really gotten any closer since Tuesday when we declared ourselves 'friends'. In fact, I would probably call that a pseudo-friendship, because we still got into at least one fight a day. But we weren't constantly at each others throats. Which, I guess was something.

Because I still hated most of the things he did. I just didn't announce it all the time like I used to.

“What do you say we give these amateurs a hand?” Baylee asked, looking towards me with boredom in her eyes. I nodded, grunting out a noise of agreement. “Yo, 'manly men' it's time for us to show you how it's done.”

Really, we weren't even in the desert desert, considering the lake we were by, so after a whole day of swimming and relaxing, Garrett was eager to get the fire started. “It's time it get the fire started!!” he cheered. I rolled my eyes, sitting down on my camp chair.

I had on my swim suit, but over the bottoms I had on a very short pair of shorts to combat the heat. Admiring the nice tan I had acquired on my stomach and arms, I considered what it would look like if I got my belly button pierced.

The flames suddenly lit the darkening campsite, warming it up a little from the heat it had lost. John sat down at his chair, his elbow touching mine. “Why are you so close?” I scooted in my seat, unable to move the chair since Baylee was right next to me.

“Baylee is this close to you.”

“Well, she's different. Could you please scoot over? It's bad enough I have to share a tent with you.”

“If it's so bad, why did you even come?” He shot back. Here we go again. A few groans were heard around the campfire.

“Because, John, they're my friends, too.” I snapped, standing up from my chair. “Not everything revolves around the illustrious lead singer, John O'Callaghan, you know.” I settled down a few feet away, closer to the fire than anyone else, on my butt.

John didn't say anything else to me as I stuck a marshmallow onto the end of a stick and started toasting it.

“Who is up for some campfire songs?” Halvo asked happily, obviously relieved that a full-on screaming match hadn't broken out.

And so began the singing. And me dozing off, despite the noise. Since Kenny had agreed to change me seats, I was now between Baylee and Pat.

Pat made a nice pillow.

-John-

Impossible. Stubborn. Irritating. All synonymous with one name: Devon Foreman.

But, she was kind of adorable when she was dozing off. And, okay, she wasn't even bad looking any other time. She was actually quite attractive. Even if she was impossible to get along with after we said we were 'friends'.

I doubt I'll win this bet. The only thing that gave me hope was the fact that I didn't have a time limit. Perhaps, if I just developed more patience for her, this could work. At least we weren't fighting every moment together. That was something, right?

As it got darker and everyone got tired, they dragged themselves to the tents. Only Kenny, Baylee, and I remained. I saw this as my chance to continue the conversation Baylee and I had started at the pizza shop on Tuesday.

“Baylee, what happened to Devon's family?”

Baylee stopped fiddling with Kennedy's marshmallow stick and looked at me. “What?” Even as she said it, her eyes grew solemn. “No. I can't tell you.” She denied, shaking her head.

“Come on, you know Devon's not going to say anything to me herself.”

“It's not my place to tell you.”

“I just want to help her.” I pleaded. “She's terrified of whatever she's seeing in her dreams, and I just want to help.”

Baylee sighed, falling for it. Sure, I wanted to help her. But, mostly, I was curious to see if this had anything to do with her weird mindset on relationships. “Kenny, you go warm up our sleeping bag, I'll be there in a bit.” She kissed Kennedy good night and, taking the hint, he left with a confused look on his face.

“This is for Devon.” She reminded herself before looking at me. “You can't tell anyone, not even Devon, that I told you, or what I told you, got it?”

“Yes, ma'am.” I saluted, settling down to listen as Baylee ran a hand through her hair.

“So, she had a great family. One that could make you get sick while watching. Like something for a 1950s television show...” She started with a faraway look in her eyes, “in fact, I was always a little jealous because she always got what she wanted, and it was always the best. Her parents really spoiled her.”

Baylee paused, and I saw the tears start at the corners of her eyes.

“And then...her father snapped for no apparent reason at all. I don't know why, and neither does Devon. I only know that she still blames herself. He killed her mother and then came after Devon. That's why she had the scars on her back.”

I thought back to a couple hours before when she was sitting in front of the fire, her bare back facing me. The solid white raised bumps. “I always thought they were birthmarks.” I mentioned. Baylee shook her head sadly.

Those oval shaped bumps were actually scars...a felt a weird pang in my chest. Sort of like my heart had executed a somersault.

Even though I was horrified at what I had just heard, it didn't hold a candle to what came next.

“She was in a coma for a little less than two months, and when she finally came to, she had to testify against her own father in court. I was there for her testimony and...he made her look at her mom she she took her last breath. He made Devon watch as he stabbed her that one last time.

“And then, he shouted at her as he was being escorted out of the courtroom, 'you deserved it, you little bitch. You deserved every moment of it.' And, after that, she saw councilor after councilor, but she never talked to any of them. She stopped going as soon as she could.

“For three months after that trial, I heard her crying at night in her room. No matter how hard, I tried, how I still try, she never has opened up to me. To anyone. In two weeks, it'll be eight years since it happened, that's why she's been having the nightmares. It's been like this ever since. And every year, she never lets anything out. She's keeping it all bottled inside. It's not healthy and I'm worried about what goes on in that head of hers.” Baylee finished, staring at the dwindling fire.

Without a word, she stood and went into the tent that held her, Kenny, Jared, and Garrett, leaving me alone to digest what I had been told.

I couldn't even believe it.

“You let me fall asleep.” Devon's voice came a good twenty minutes later. I looked over my shoulder at her while she exited the tent, looking cold in just those shorts and bikini top.

“Are you cold?” I asked her, and waited for her to nod before slipping off my leather jacket and handing it to her.

She sat next to me on the ground after putting it on, the arms too big and the shoulders too broad, and tucked her knees under her chin.

My mind produced and image I'll likely never forget. Little Devon, younger than 11 anyway, holding hands with an older version of her, covered in blood, clothes torn, skin white as paper.

They were both dead.

And then I felt something I never thought I'd feel in regards to Devon: sympathy.

“You're being awfully quiet tonight, is something wrong?” She gave me a lazy smile, eyes half closed.

Yeah, I just heard the most horrific thing ever about your past and here you are...smiling at me.

“No, just tired.” I lied, rubbing my itchy eyes.

“Then go to bed.” She said simply.

Looking down at her, I got the overwhelming urge to kiss her, I don't know where it came from. Since about three hours ago, I wanted to curse at her loudly and make it hurt.

Right now, though, I'd give anything to bring our lips together. I knew if I so much as expressed this feeling out loud, I'd get my balls ripped off.

And I've gone attached to them, thank you very much.

She placed her head on my shoulder, completely ignorant to the thoughts running through my mind. Wrapping an arm around her waist, I turned toward Devon, making her head fall into my chest. So exhausted she didn't protest, I took it as a sign I could wrap my other arm around her.

She made a noise of content, or at least I think that's what it was. When she actually snuggled closer, I confirmed the feeling behind the quiet sigh. I thought of those pink lips, so soft and appealing, molded to mine. How would it feel to kiss her?

The flame was merely embers by now, and Devon was asleep against my chest.

I laid down in the dirt, Devon tucked against me like a small child, and looked at the stars. In the city, you never saw the stars this clear, and it was stunning to see them so illuminated when you weren't.

Blindingly beautiful.

Devon whimpered, eyebrows together in confusion, pain, and fear. “Daddy, no!” She cried out, her trembling hands tightening to fist on the front of my shirt.

Instead of waking her up, I started to run my fingers through her hair. Something my mom had always done for me when I complained of nightmares. Devon's grip loosened, but it didn't stop the whispers.

Without thinking, I pressed my lips to her forehead, then began singing an old Irish lullaby my grandma used to always sing to me.

Gradually, she relaxed more against me, going into an unconstrained sleep. I couldn't help but stare at her. I knew she wasn't bad looking, but I never realized just how pretty she was. Like with the stars in the sky, I hadn't really even seen it before.

I stared at the embers as they got dimmer, my own song pulling me to sleep.

I woke up to Devon stirring awake, “Huh?” She asked, sitting up. Looking around, she scratched her head, “It's morning?” She squinted at the rising sun, “I slept through the night?”

Then she looked down at me, glaring. I knew what she was thinking, and I lifted my hands in surrender, “Didn't do a thing.”

She shrugged off the jacket, throwing it at me before going to the tent. What crawled up her butt and died?

Rolling my eyes, I followed her. Already settled in the sleeping bag, she was scrolling through songs on her iPod, completely ignoring me.

Well, screw her. I'm still tired and I want to sleep.

She only hated me, hated men, because of what her father turned into.