Skin & Bones

“The people there are fucked.” I practically spat, and I felt Mia shrink back her head tilted down, I frowned at her but she wouldn’t look at me.

“And how do you two know each other?” Ally asked, clearly curious.

“She is my cousin Sara’s best friend, she didn’t tell anyone when she caught me with the pot and is probably the only open minded person in the entire town.” She finally looked up at me but she still looked so small and scared.

“Wanna go check out our room?” I asked her she nodded and we got up leaving the other two in the lounge room.

I opened the door to the room I knew was the spare room and closed the door behind us.

“Are you okay?” I asked she simply nodded. “Mia?” I asked.

“I’m fine, just a little overwhelmed by how much you hate everything.” I hated when she got all small-voiced on me, it was so out of character for her.

“Does it affect you when I trash talk Green Up?” I asked because I never thought about it affecting her at all.

“No its okay.” She whispers and I know she was lying.

“Don’t shut yourself off from me princess,” I try to mock her to lighten the mood.

“Don’t mock me Noah, I live there, I’m one of those people your talking about, I don’t know why you even offered to bring me in the first place.” I can’t tell whether she was angry at me or sad.
“Princess, I wanted you to come cause I want to be able to show you something new, I wanted to show you my home.” She cracks half a smile.

“Why me?” she asked like its not obvious

“Well apart from you being the only person in that town who isn’t scared of me, there is just something different about you Princess.” She is also stunning.

“Okay I know I’m totally changing the subject, but was Ally your girlfriend?” She asks and I almost laugh at her.

“No,” I laugh and Mia looks confused “The rumors of me killing my friend, well I didn’t but my friend did die…” She cuts me off

“Noah why are you telling me all this?” She asks I lay out on the double bed in the room and Mia lies next to me, I feel completely drained from the drive, but I keep talking.

“My friend Alex who died, Ally was his girlfriend, but I have known her for ages and when he passed we only got closer, she is like the sister I never had.” I finish and Mia stays silent so I roll over onto my side to look at her, she faces me but has her eyes closed.

She is so sweet and innocent that I think maybe I made the wrong decision asking her to come with me, maybe this will all be too much for her, maybe all I have said in the last day will be too much for her. Carefully I move a fallen piece of hair behind her ear and she opens her eyes.