The Guardian

Chapter 17: Christian's Story

I was sitting on the bar stool of Christian's apartment. A bowl of ice cream sat in front of me. Christian was leaning on his elbows, with his head inclined towards me, listening intently. I was going over all that had happened with Derek in the parking lot. I shed a few tears, but I wouldn't allow myself to sob. Those days were over.

I took a large bite of my ice cream once I had finished my story. Christian decided he was going to voice his opinion. He set down his spoon. "Derek needs to leave you alone. He had no right. After what he did to you, it's not ok. I swear to god Quinn, if he comes near you again. It's not going to be pretty. That Tyler guy, Maccy's boyfriend, he seems decent, but he's friends with Derek and to some extent, loyal to Maccy. I just don't think it's safe for you to be near him. If he had to choose between his girlfriend and you, I'd be her, and I don't want you to get hurt even more than you already are." He took a deep breath.

"Quinn, I know we are just starting to get to know each other, but there's just something about you that draws me to you. It makes me want to give anything to keep you safe. When I see you, Quinn, I see that broken girl that I picked off the side of the road. You are so broken now, but I can tell you're barely holding together. You've gathered up all the pieces and you're holing them together with tape and glue. It's a mess, I know, and one more blow could ruin it all. All of this said, I want to protect you. I want to keep you from all that hurt and pain. But I think in order for me to be successful at this, you need to know more about me."

I hadn't moved during this speech. I was surprised at what he said. I just nodded and took a bite of my melting ice cream.

"I think I've told you that my parents are dead. My dad was a E6 in the military. He was shipped over seas to Afghanistan. His squad was taking supplies to a small village. His Sargent had been badly injured in combat, so he was leading the platoon. They were 25 miles from base when they were attacked. A group of insurgents over took my dad's platoon. Whoever wasn't dead was took captive and tortured until death. My dad was tortured, and killed.There was only one survivor, and he now has severe PTSD. My mother was devastated. She became depressed. She drank away her pain. When the alcohol didn't work, she turned to men. She was always bringing guys home. After that phase, then came drugs. I don't know exactly was type she was doing, but it was bad. One night, she had came home after shooting up or snorting or whatever, and she was ranting about how the kitchen wasn't clean, and how Elise burnt that nights dinner. She got so mad. She pulled a kitchen knife and said she didn't love us anymore. She told us that she didn't want us and that we were worthless. She said she would rather die than be with us. She then proceeded to slit both of her wrists. Elise and I were to scared to do anything. Once she had passed out, Elise called 911, but it was to late. By the time the ambulance got there, she was already gone. Elise and I went through extensive counseling. Elise was 16 and I was 9. Since both of our parents were dead, we stayed with my great grandma until Elise turned 18. She had to get some sketchy jobs to support us. She just recently graduated from college. She's a nurse. She works in the psych ward. She's dedicated to helping people like my mom." he brushed a stray tear from his face.

"Well, that's my story. You can accept me or not. If you can't, I'm sorry, but I can't change who I am, or what happened to me."

I stood up from the stool and went over to him. I looked up at him and saw that little 9 year old boy who watched his mom die. How could I complain about my problems when someone had gone through far worse than me. I needed to start counting my blessings.

I wrapped my arms around him. I snuggled my head into his chest. He put his arms around my waist. "I'm sorry, Christian."

"Why are you sorry, Quinn? It's not like you are the one who drove my mom to kill herself." He said pulling out of the huge.

"I'm sorry, because I lied to you, Christian. When I went to the doctor's, they found a tumor."

-----author note-----

Hey guys!! :) I know, I know, short chapter. It's important though. You get to know more about Christian and stuff.

Anyways, hope you are enjoying it. :)

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