Hearts Intact

Another chapter getting posted at school, that means no colour, so sad!

“Can we talk?” I turned to look at Pete. I was sitting on a picnic table on the west side of the lake. I won’t lie, I was crying. It was apparently one of those days. I’d been out here for twenty minutes and Pete had just emerged from the trail. I knew someone was going to come, but I’d been hoping for either Jimmy or Devin, not Pete, anybody but Pete!
“No.” I said, turning away from him to look back across the lake. He sighed and I could hear his footsteps as he walked over to me. He sat down next to me and neither of us spoke for the longest time.
“What happened?” Pete asked finally. I slowly turned to look at him. Was he an idiot? He was there!
“You saw what happened.” I said, looking away. Pete shook his head.
“Not then, what happened a while ago? What made you so angry and him so protective? I’m an older brother, I know what it’s like to be protective of your siblings but Skylar’s protectiveness goes beyond that.” He said. I didn’t answer, I couldn’t answer. How did he know that something had happened? Was it that obvious?
“Was it your parents? Did they do something?” Pete asked. His comment made me mad.
“I don’t want to talk about it!” I snapped, going to jump up. Pete must have been expecting me to because in a second his arm snaked out and he grabbed me around the waist. He pulled me so that I was stuck sitting next to him.
“Don’t, we need to talk!” He said. I ignored him and tried to get away.
“Let me go!” I said angrily. He shook his head and held down my arms with his other hand.
“No, we need to talk.” He repeated patiently.
“I don’t want to talk!” I said, still struggling to get away. It was useless; he was so much stronger than me! And cold too, I was freezing!
“That’s nice, but we need to.” He said. I gave up on trying to get away, it was pointless.
“What happened?” He asked again, as if I hadn’t just tried to get away. I didn’t answer.
“We will stay here all night if we have to!” He threatened.
“Nothing happened!” I said. Pete sighed loudly as I said it.
“I already know something happened, you’ve made that apparent. Now just tell me what it was!” He said. I was silent. No way was I telling him anything! We could sit here all damn night but he wasn’t getting anything out of me!
“How’d you get this?” Pete asked softly. He let go of my hands and softly ran a finger over a barely visible scar running along my jaw line. I flinched and remained silent. I was surprise he had even noticed the scar, barely anyone did. Or at least, no one ever said anything about it.
“Did your parents give it to you?” He asked. Very slowly I shook my head. I wished that anyone, even Skylar, would come so that this conversation would end.
“Did Skylar or your sister?” He asked. Again, I shook my head.
“Then who?” He asked. I looked down, ashamed. He understood what I meant by that gesture.
“You? You gave yourself the scar?” He asked. Very slowly I nodded, tears clouding up my eyes. I’d never, ever talked to anyone about this before, not even Skylar. He knew that this was a forbidden subject.
“Why?” Pete asked. I hesitated. Should I tell him? I wouldn’t put it past him to actually make me stay until I did.
“I didn’t want to be pretty anymore.” I whispered. He breathed in sharply and I couldn’t look at him. Why had I said that? What if he figured out what I meant by it? Oh God I’m an idiot!
Pete started to say something and then he stopped. He stared into the trees, as if he could hear something that I couldn’t.
“We have to go.” Pete whispered urgently. Well I was fine with leaving if it meant that this conversation was over, but why so urgently? Was there something out there? Just thinking about it made me shiver, (Or maybe that was because Pete was freezing!)
“Come on!” Pete said, jumping off of the picnic table and pulling me with him. I didn’t have a chance to say anything as he pulled me away from the picnic tables. We were pretty deep in the trees when he finally stopped.
“What was that all about?” I asked, trying to keep him from resuming our conversation. I didn’t have to worry, he was look around as if checking to make sure no one had followed us. It was really freaking me out.
“Nothing, don’t worry about it!” He said. I glared at him; I was not some child that didn’t need to be told what was going on!
“No, seriously, don’t worry about it!” Pete said when he saw my look. I continued glaring at him but I didn’t say anything. I already knew I wouldn’t get an answer.
“Come on, we should get back to the lodge.” Pete said after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence. I nodded and followed him through the trees. I noticed that he slowed down if I got more than three feet away from him.
It didn’t take us very long to get back to the lodge. The entire way back Pete had kept glancing around, jumping at the slightest things, it was annoying and freaky at the same time.
“Well, goodnight.” Pete said as soon as we were inside. I was very confused but I just nodded, glad he didn’t want to continue our conversation. I walked away from him, up to my room. Thankfully he didn’t follow me.
I had my hand on the doorknob when suddenly I froze. I’m not sure why, but suddenly a wave of terror washed over me. I felt like if I opened the door something bad would happen.
“Stop it, you’re being stupid!” I whispered to myself. Very slowly I started to turn the doorknob and then I stopped. What if something really was in my room? What if I got attacked or something as soon as I stepped in?
“Honestly Izzye, what is going to be there, a werewolf?” I asked myself sarcastically. I still couldn’t bring myself to open the door though, no matter how foolish I knew I was being. There was just a tiny chance that something could be in there and I didn’t want to risk it.
I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t go to Skylar, Devin or Jimmy’s rooms, I was mad at them. And I didn’t know any of the others well enough to go to their rooms. Great, I was stuck out in the hallway. Wait, I could go to the lobby, yeah that would work. They had comfy chairs in there.
Walking slowly, I made my way to the lobby. A few older people were there, talking about their grandkids. I spotted a chair in a corner and went over to it.
I sat there for a few hours, listening absentmindedly to the conversation of the older people. They never talked about anything interesting, after their grandkids they started talking about music from the fifties. Defiantly not my taste.
It was around one thirty in the morning when I finally left the lobby. The girl behind the desk was glaring at me as if she was positive I was going to try and steal something. With a sigh I walked back up to my room. I still didn’t go in it, the terror came back as soon as I touched the doorknob.
Rolling my eyes at how stupid I was being I sat down right next to my door. I put my hands into the pockets of my sweater and I felt something metallic. Confused I pulled it out. It was my Ipod, I’d totally forgotten that I’d stuck it in my pocket that morning! At least I wasn’t going to be so completely bored now!
I sighed and leaned my head against the wall as Time Of Your Life by Green Day started playing. Why was I being such a little kid? Honestly, what the hell would be in my room? Nothing, that’s what! And yet here I was, sitting out in the hallway because I was too scared to go into my room. God, I’m such a child!
A few people, mostly drunk guys, passed me but no one said anything to me. They all gave me funny and looks and continued on their way. Once two guys carrying a third, unconscious guy went by. It was hard not to laugh. That’s what you get for partying too hard.
After about an hour I got really bored and tired. Trying to occupy my mind, I pulled out my pen and started writing down a song on my arm. (I tend to do that a lot when I get bored.) The song had been forming in my head for a few days now but I’d just been too lazy to write it down.
Ten minutes later a door off to my right opened and Patrick stepped out of the room. I paused in the middle of writing a word and we stared at each other for several long, awkward seconds. Finally, he looked like he was about to say something so I paused my Ipod and took the headphones out of my ears.
“Did you get locked out of your room or something?” He asked, clearly confused. I shook my head and finished writing the word on my arm.
“Nope.” I said, wishing that he would just leave. This was defiantly going to be an awkward conversation and I was getting sick of them.
“Then why are you sitting out in the hallway writing on your arm?” He asked. Okay, I guess it wasn’t an awkward conversation so far; he had every right in the world to be curious. I just didn’t want to admit that I was too scared to go into my room.
“Cause it’s fun.” I said, not looking up at him. I knew that I was being rude but honestly, what else could I say.
“Is there something in your room?” He asked suspiciously, walking over to me. I shook my head a little bit too quickly.
“Are you sure?” He asked, putting his hand on the doorknob. I immediately jumped to my feet.
“Don’t go in there!” I said. He stared at me, confused.
“Why not?” He asked, not taking his hand off of the doorknob. Oh God, I needed an excuse, fast!
“Uh, because, um, because there’s a bird, in there, in my room, a bird in my room.” I said quickly. Patrick stared at me, looking even more confused.
“There is a bird in your room?” He repeated. I nodded quickly. A bird? Oh God I’m not very good at coming up with stories on the spot!
“Yes, there is a bird in my room, flying around. I don’t like birds.” I said, trying my hardest not to blush. Wow, had I seriously just said that?
“Then why don’t you open the door to let it out?” Patrick asked, talking as if I were three. I had to restrain myself from glaring at him.
“Because, it, it didn’t want to come out, I tried.” I said quickly. Patrick didn’t look like he believed me.
“Well, let’s try again.” He said, slowly turning the doorknob. I jumped forward, grabbing his hand and closing the door. He was staring at me as if I was absolutely insane.
“Don’t open the door!” I said. Oh God, how was I going to lie about this one?
“Why, it’s just a bird, isn’t it?” He asked, a weird gleam in his eye. Damnit! He’d tricked me, he wasn’t really going to open the door!
“Yes, it’s just a bird, but I don’t like birds so let’s leave it alone and let it fly out the window!” I said quickly.
“And what are you going to do, just sit out in the hall until it does?” He asked. I nodded and he gave me a funny look.
“You can’t just sit out in the hall until the bird flies out the window!” He said. I hate when people tell me what I can and cannot do!
“Actually I can, and I will!” I said, letting go of his hand. I didn’t really have any other choice than to stay out in the hall, I wasn’t going to go into anyone else’s room!
“If you’re going to be like that then I may just have to drag you downstairs with me!” He said. Why downstairs?
“Why downstairs?” I asked, voicing my question. He smiled.
“Cause the coffee is downstairs.” He said. I made a face and he laughed.
“What, don’t like coffee?” He asked. I shook my head.
“Nope, can’t stand it. I’m short enough without the help of anything to stunt my growth.” I said. He laughed again.
“Well you can get a hot chocolate then.” He said. I glanced at my door.
“I don’t have any money.” I said.
“I’ll buy it for you.” He said. No way, I did not want to owe anyone money!
“Come on, let’s go!” He said when I didn’t move.
“I can’t let you buy me something!” I said. Oops, that came out wrong. Luckily, he seemed to know what I really meant.
“Honestly, I don’t mind. Besides, you need to save your money for a cell phone.” He said with a smile. Wow, that was the only comment any of us had made back to that one night in Detroit.
“Fine!” I said with a sigh. Feeling resigned, I followed Patrick downstairs.