Status: Work In Progress
How Strange, Meeting You Here
Falling. Hard.
- Zack -
I ran, the adrenaline taking over. ‘What if something happened to her?’ a small voice in the back of my head told me.
That made me run even faster.
I finally made my way to her house. I followed the screams. I stood in the street, about to run up the steps and bust down the door, when the door banged open.
“LEAVE ME ALONE!” Elizabeth screamed back into the house, and slammed the door so hard the frame looked ready to crack.
She turned around. “Zack?” She gasped. I took a good look at her face, and wished I hadn’t. She already had a bruise forming under her left eye, a nose that looked broken, and a strange burn on her arm. “Zack, Zack, help me.” She ran toward me, away from the door. “We have to get out of here NOW.” She took my by the hand and dragged me down the street. I don’t think I ever saw a girl run that fast.
A man with thinning hair and a greasy wife beater shouted at us. “ELIZABETH, I WASN’T DONE WITH YOU! YOU GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!”
Elizabeth held in a sob, I could tell. She kept reaching up to wipe her nose. She gasped for breath, we were running so fast.
We ran in silence for awhile. I didn’t want to bother her when she was so upset. She slowed to a walk when we got to the town.
“Elizabeth..?” I asked tentatively. I reached my hand out to her.
“Ye-Yes?” She was still gasping, holding in her emotions.
“Why don’t we go into Starbucks, sit down, and talk for a little while?”
She nodded wordlessly, a single tear escaping down her cheek. She folded her arms across her chest. Before we began to walk again, I gently unwrapped one of her arms, and slipped my hand in hers. She squeezed my hand.
I led her into Starbucks, and ordered. We sat down in the back of the shop. It was pretty abandoned.
Once we got settled, I thought it was a good time to start talking. “Elizabeth… What happened?”
She sniffled, and began talking. “That… That man you saw? He’s m-my dad. He’s never been the loving, compassionate type. But when my mother died of cancer three years ago, he just… exploded. He started drinking all the time, smoked a lot of cigars,” she paused, and extended her arm, showing me the irregular burn. I gasped. “and became violent. I’ve kept it a secret for so long, because I felt sorry for him. But I’ve suffered so much emotional and physical pain.. I’m just done.” Tears slid down her cheeks, and I reached my arms across the table and took her hands in mine. I wanted so badly to kiss her; but I knew this wasn’t the right time for that.
“Elizabeth, you are one of the strongest people I’ve ever met.” I wanted so badly to drop my gaze, embarrassed, but I kept my eyes locked to hers. “If that were me… I don’t know if I could’ve held on for as long as you have.”
She smiled weakly. “You’re the only person I’ve ever told,” she said softly. “I feel like I’ve known you forever, not just a week.”
I tried to contain my excitement. “I know the feeling.” I smiled, but then frowned. “Wait a second… Where are you going after this?”
She looked surprised, and then sighed. “Back home.”
“You can’t go back there! He’ll hurt you!”
She bit her lip, as if dreading the thought. “I have no where else to go.”
I was determined now. “Yes you do. You can come on tour with me and the guys.”
She looked completely at loss for words for a moment, but then her face fell. “I could never burden you guys like that…”
I was almost angry, that she thought of herself as a burden. “You wouldn’t be a burden! Elizabeth… You can’t go back there.”
“But I can’t—“
“ELIZABETH. I… I FORBID you to go back there.” I was at loss for a better word.
She laughed and her smile lighting up the room. “Okay, okay Sir Zack. I’ll come with you. Tonight, when my dad is sleeping, I’ll go back to my house and get my stuff, okay?”
“Ahem, WE will go back to your house. If crazy-man wakes up, I want to be there. I think I could take him on.” I smiled deviously.
She laughed again, and wiped her cheeks clean. “With those abs, you will.”
I laughed, surprised, although I shouldn’t be. “You’ve seen my abs?”
Her eyes narrowed, a smile playing on her lips. “Many times. Ah, the wonderful computer.”
I stood up, noticing that we had both finished our drinks.
She all but knocked me over with a vice-tight hug. “Thank you, Zack. Thank you so much.” She whispered into my ear, and I hugged her back.
She let go. “Now, its MY turn to surprise YOU with a kiss.”
Before I knew what was going on, she leaned in, and swiftly kissed me on the cheek.
I ran, the adrenaline taking over. ‘What if something happened to her?’ a small voice in the back of my head told me.
That made me run even faster.
I finally made my way to her house. I followed the screams. I stood in the street, about to run up the steps and bust down the door, when the door banged open.
“LEAVE ME ALONE!” Elizabeth screamed back into the house, and slammed the door so hard the frame looked ready to crack.
She turned around. “Zack?” She gasped. I took a good look at her face, and wished I hadn’t. She already had a bruise forming under her left eye, a nose that looked broken, and a strange burn on her arm. “Zack, Zack, help me.” She ran toward me, away from the door. “We have to get out of here NOW.” She took my by the hand and dragged me down the street. I don’t think I ever saw a girl run that fast.
A man with thinning hair and a greasy wife beater shouted at us. “ELIZABETH, I WASN’T DONE WITH YOU! YOU GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!”
Elizabeth held in a sob, I could tell. She kept reaching up to wipe her nose. She gasped for breath, we were running so fast.
We ran in silence for awhile. I didn’t want to bother her when she was so upset. She slowed to a walk when we got to the town.
“Elizabeth..?” I asked tentatively. I reached my hand out to her.
“Ye-Yes?” She was still gasping, holding in her emotions.
“Why don’t we go into Starbucks, sit down, and talk for a little while?”
She nodded wordlessly, a single tear escaping down her cheek. She folded her arms across her chest. Before we began to walk again, I gently unwrapped one of her arms, and slipped my hand in hers. She squeezed my hand.
I led her into Starbucks, and ordered. We sat down in the back of the shop. It was pretty abandoned.
Once we got settled, I thought it was a good time to start talking. “Elizabeth… What happened?”
She sniffled, and began talking. “That… That man you saw? He’s m-my dad. He’s never been the loving, compassionate type. But when my mother died of cancer three years ago, he just… exploded. He started drinking all the time, smoked a lot of cigars,” she paused, and extended her arm, showing me the irregular burn. I gasped. “and became violent. I’ve kept it a secret for so long, because I felt sorry for him. But I’ve suffered so much emotional and physical pain.. I’m just done.” Tears slid down her cheeks, and I reached my arms across the table and took her hands in mine. I wanted so badly to kiss her; but I knew this wasn’t the right time for that.
“Elizabeth, you are one of the strongest people I’ve ever met.” I wanted so badly to drop my gaze, embarrassed, but I kept my eyes locked to hers. “If that were me… I don’t know if I could’ve held on for as long as you have.”
She smiled weakly. “You’re the only person I’ve ever told,” she said softly. “I feel like I’ve known you forever, not just a week.”
I tried to contain my excitement. “I know the feeling.” I smiled, but then frowned. “Wait a second… Where are you going after this?”
She looked surprised, and then sighed. “Back home.”
“You can’t go back there! He’ll hurt you!”
She bit her lip, as if dreading the thought. “I have no where else to go.”
I was determined now. “Yes you do. You can come on tour with me and the guys.”
She looked completely at loss for words for a moment, but then her face fell. “I could never burden you guys like that…”
I was almost angry, that she thought of herself as a burden. “You wouldn’t be a burden! Elizabeth… You can’t go back there.”
“But I can’t—“
“ELIZABETH. I… I FORBID you to go back there.” I was at loss for a better word.
She laughed and her smile lighting up the room. “Okay, okay Sir Zack. I’ll come with you. Tonight, when my dad is sleeping, I’ll go back to my house and get my stuff, okay?”
“Ahem, WE will go back to your house. If crazy-man wakes up, I want to be there. I think I could take him on.” I smiled deviously.
She laughed again, and wiped her cheeks clean. “With those abs, you will.”
I laughed, surprised, although I shouldn’t be. “You’ve seen my abs?”
Her eyes narrowed, a smile playing on her lips. “Many times. Ah, the wonderful computer.”
I stood up, noticing that we had both finished our drinks.
She all but knocked me over with a vice-tight hug. “Thank you, Zack. Thank you so much.” She whispered into my ear, and I hugged her back.
She let go. “Now, its MY turn to surprise YOU with a kiss.”
Before I knew what was going on, she leaned in, and swiftly kissed me on the cheek.