Escape

     "No! Let me go, I don't want to see you! I don't want to speak to you, get out of here! Get out of my fucking life!"

     "Samantha..."

     "Don't call me that!" I continue to scream, with the tears now flowing freely. "I don't want anything to do with you! I don't care about you! Go..." 

      Choking, gasping, sobbing. My tears fall as thick and fast as the raindrops around me. I'm doing everything I can to keep from completely breaking down... It's humiliating enough, letting him see this part of me. The girl who was always sarcastic and scornful, the girl who never cried, the girl who just didn't care enough. And here I was, openly dissolving into tears. How dare I, how dare he...

    "Sam, listen to me. I'm trying to help you."

     "Don't you get it? I don't need your help, I don't need any of you. I left for a reason! Every time you chase after me, every time you try to help, you just make things worse! Just leave me alone. It's not like you're obligated to care about me! So just stop!"

     No... he's annoying as heck, but I don't want him to leave me too... Deep breath. Calm down, Sam. I need to deal with this properly -  I can cry later.

     "Aiden... just leave. It's... it's just better this way. You need to know that. I can't deal with all this right now. Just give me some time to figure things out..." I drew a shaky breath. 

     "I just wanted- "

     "I know what you tried to do for me. I appreciate it, but the truth is you don't know me well enough to know that it wasn't the right thing to do for me!" 

     Great... here come the tears again. My heartbeat grows faster... he is alarmingly close behind me.

     "Well, maybe that's the case, but I care about you too much to have just stood there and let things happen to you." 

    His hand is still gripping my arm... tighter... he's pressing closer. My heartbeats increase... what the hell is happening!?

    His other hand reaches over and tilts my chin up. Our eyes meet briefly - my tear-filled green ones and his deep, warm brown ones. 

     Closer...

     Closer...

     Our lips meet. Warmth. Peace. Safety... He holds me in that position for a few moments. Time slows, and the rest of the world fades...

     Wait, what? I'm in the middle of a mental breakdown and suddenly my best friend is kissing me... what!? I quickly pull away and open my eyes. He looks down at me with an unreadable expression. I stumble backwards, brushing auburn streaks of hair from my face...

      ...And then I turn and run. It's all I can do, to get away from that place, away from him, as far away from everything as I can possibly get. Tears blur my vision as I stumble down the stairs of the school building. I grab on to the handrail at the bottom, trying to catch my breath and collect my thoughts.

    No. 

    

    No, no, no. 

    That did not just happen. It couldn't have. 

    And yet...

    And yet he was the first to give me that feeling in a long time. What was it? That feeling of warmth, of finally being at peace... of being loved, of being safe... of belonging...

     Happiness. 

     What? Nonsense! Samantha Banks does not succumb that easily. I would not admit that a guy- THAT guy- had made me... happy. I'm not like those other girls, getting all bubbly over some trivial thing like this...! And yet, even as these thoughts cross my mind, I am subconsciously making my way back up the staircase...

     He hasn't moved. Just stood there in the rain, staring into the distance. I take a step towards him, fighting the urge to flee again.

     "Aiden..."

      He turns. Our eyes meet once more, and one look into his almost drowns me completely. So calm, steady, and certain... but there was also something else. The love behind those eyes was marbled with sadness and a subtle sort of pain.

      "Don't give me that look, Aiden. I..."

      Suddenly I find myself stumbling towards him. I fall into his arms and he holds me tightly... The warmth and security surrounds me once more. My tears are falling once again, but this time it's different. These were tears of relief- every warm drop falling releases all I've hurt over the past couple of days... 

      Once more I have fled, but this time not from him. In his arms, I have escaped the cruel world's grasp... if even for a moment. 

      One... 

      Precious....

      Moment.

      
      At long last. 

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  One year, seven months, and twelve days.

     That's how long it's been. That's how long it's been since my world had come crashing down around me. That's how long I've been keeping this heavy burden in my heart. That... is how long I've been pretending.

     One year, seven months, and twelve days.

     Still going strong. Apparently, at least. Whatever happens under cover of night is another matter. Nonetheless, the show most go on, so to speak.

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