Peace, Smiles & Cotton Candy

Peace, Smiles & Cotton Candy 6

   "Are you joking?!" I gasped. I pressed my hands on my stomach, feeling like I had been kicked and the wind had been knocked out of me. After regaining my breath, I fixed my eyes into a glare and looked up at Sam fiercely.  "You can't just say that!" I exclaimed. "After everything I've been through today...after everything we've been through... You're so selfish!" Before I could realise what I was doing, I thrust my arms out in front of me and shoved him hard in the chest.

   "Bek," he said quietly, not seeming even the slightest bit hurt by my shove. "Let me explain."

   "You've got to be kidding!" I growled, hitting him again. "You can't just explain that! What the heck is wrong with you?!"

   I brought my hands up to shove him once more, but before they could reach his firm chest, he lifted his arms and blocked my attack. He caught my outstretched fingers and intertwined them with his, then he pulled my body closer to his and wrapped our arms behind his back. No matter how much I tugged and squirmed, I couldn't get away from him.

   "Let me explain," he repeated smoothly, then he added, "I'm not going to let go until you hear me out."

   I shot him another weak glare and tried to ignore the tears brimming in my eyes. Hadn't I had cried all of the water out of them already? How could I possibly cry even more? I sighed and hung my head in defeat. "Fine," I whispered. "Tell me your big explanation. It's not like I can feel any worse, anyway, so you may as well let it all out."

   I tensed up my shoulders and prepared myself for the worst; however, it never came. Instead, Sam just whispered one small word into my ear:

   "Buckle."

   At that one word, my chest tightened and my eyes popped wide open. Buckle. As in, David Buckle. He was the reason for my constant worry this year, for my terrible grades and lack of sleep. He was also a man I knew I loved, even though I kept it hidden deep down.

   When I first met David, he was merely my music teacher, a replacement for Ariana when she was fired last year. At only twenty years old, he had been quite a sight for the girls at school, especially with his gorgeous blonde hair and attractive body. I had been taken in by his charm, and it wasn't long before I found myself falling for him.

   I still had Sam, though, so I wasn't willing to let my relationship with David become anything more than friendship. Even at the drama camp, when my wild emotions caused me to return a kiss from David, I still chose Sam in the end. After all, how could I be with David? Sure, he was only a couple of years older than me, but he was my teacher. It was against the law.

   That didn't stop him, though. Eight months ago, he had called me late at night, desperately wanting to share some news with me. "I quit my job because I want to be with you," he had announced boldly. "And I'm going to be with you, no matter what it takes." Unfortunately, he wasn't lying.

   Since that night, I had had a number of close encounters with David. He had been popping up everywhere, from my afternoon shifts at work to my walks in the park with Cupcakes. His random appearances had been getting more and more frequent, and I'd become so nervous about what he might do that I couldn't even sleep at night. That was when I had given in and finally explained everything to Sam. He had listened to my story patiently, and once it was over, he had vowed to not leave my side until we knew for sure that David didn't mean any harm.

   "Bek?" Sam asked, shaking me lightly and bringing me back to the present.

   "Yeah? Sorry," I mumbled. I tugged at my arms, and once Sam let go of them, I rubbed my eyes exhaustedly. To be honest, I was too tired to cry anymore. While part of me was still upset, a larger part just wanted to get everything over with. "That doesn't make any sense."