Scarred | ✔

Chapter 26: Cliché.

This drawing is made by @ScorpionKing394 Thank you! I love it ❤

I don't remember falling asleep on the floor with my head crouched on the edge of my bed. I woke up when a hard muscular figure tried to carry me.

I pushed the body with my eyes closed and felt an annoyed sigh. Maybe I'd been doing this pushing for a while now.

I opened my eyes to find a similar face, sitting beside looking at me intently.

"Hey." I said without thinking, in a very groggy voice.

"I'm sorry." Was the first thing that came out of his mouth.

I groaned not wanting to remember why he was saying sorry but it was late since the entire scene at the school came inside my head like a sudden force.

"There were more important things for me to focus on, rather than you almost yelling at me." I said as I stood from the floor.

At that moment I realized how much of a mess I am, judging from the pictures of Adrian and me all scattered on the carpet of my room.

Avoiding what I just said, James also occupied all his attention with the photos.

Before I could pick them up, he picked one picture up and stared quietly at it for a while.

It was from one of our dates at the amusement park, where Adrian had his arm draped around my shoulder, giving his huge wide signature smile and I had a lollipop in my mouth indicating I was so not ready for that picture.

"You were happy, with him." He let out slowly.

I started tracing circles on the bedsheet with my fingers, struggling for words.

When I didn't answer for what seemed like four to five minutes, James put the picture aside and sat beside me on my bed.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure." I said giving him a hesitant nod.

"Why'd you guys break up?"

I thought I was done crying but that came right in my face when my eyes filled with tears, yet again. "It's complicated, James."

"The most predictable explanation that is." He muttered and I could sense that he was still a bit angry.

"No, seriously, it is complicated."

He waited for me to say something else but when I didn't, he asked, "Your fault or his?"

"Both."

I think he saw me feeling uncomfortable because he tried to change the subject. He looked at me moving his hand to caress my cheek until his thumb landed beneath my eyes.

"You don't deserve to cry over a guy like him." He said.

I didn't want him to see me like this, so vulnerable and weak. I would've done anything at that moment to keep him away from me and the air around me. I couldn't let him in, I reminded myself.

"What do you mean 'a guy like him'?" I asked him, trying to not go over the line.

"Greg told me, you know. That, that Adrian had done something very bad to you and Greg still feels ashamed of his best friend's act. They're not friends anymore. And I saw him, that Adrian."

"Stop naming him." I interrupted rudely, too disgusted by it.

"Okay." James took a pause before continuing, "So I saw He Who Must Not Be Named." He chuckled lightly.

I looked up at him and before I knew I burst into fits of laughter.

I didn't say anything after that. Maybe I wanted him to keep talking.