Drawn to You | ✔️

37

"I've been meaning to talk to you. And apologize to you as well." I look down. I'm sitting with Garret on the floor in his living room and working on our project together. His parents are still at work, so it's only the two of us. I can't believe I turned my back on him. Garret would never hurt me. He was trying to warn me. When I was so focused on pushing him away I didn't see the signs about Landon. I pushed Garret away when I should have pushed Landon away.

Garret smiles at me. He's so sincere and a really good friend. "No sweat. I'm just glad that all of this is over." He puts his hand on my shoulder and it's nice finally to have someone kind to reassure you.

"Yeah, me too." I look at him for a moment. "How come you started talking to me again after I told you to stay away from me?"

He closes his book and puts it down on the floor. "Chelsea pulled me aside the other day and begged me to forget about it. But what she didn't know was that I had already forgotten about it ever since Peyton's party." I look down. I'm not sure if I want him to know about what happened between Landon and me at the party. It's so embarrassing but Garret doesn't look like he's about to judge. For what it seems like he looks worried. "She thought...well, I thought so too, that now was the time that you could really use a friend." He smiles carefully at me. He literally just said everything I needed to hear. Now is the time I could use a friend.

I take his hand and squeeze it. "Thank you, Garret." He squeezes it back. We just sit and look at each other for a while without speaking. His bruises are all gone now, thank God! I can't believe he got them because of me. I put him in danger, and for what? A screw-up boyfriend?

Without thinking twice I raise my hand to caress his cheek. He looks stunned at first but then relaxes. "I'm sorry you got hurt because of me."

He shakes his head. "Don't be. It wasn't your fault." He grabs my hand on his cheek.

"Yes, yes, it was. If I haven't..." I start sobbing but Garret cuts me off.

"No, Shelby! You can't help it that you fell in love with him. We don't decide whom we fall in love with. Even if we want to deny it, it still forces us to do things we do." He swallows and lets go of my hand to look down at his hands.

I blink at him a couple of times. What he said is so real. My body relaxes much more when I'm near Garret than when I was with Landon. Garret is caring, honest and credible. He's always there for me and talks to me, making me laugh. I smile at him and he smiles back.

I rest my head on the side of his shoulder and his strong arm pulls me closer to him. We sit here for a while and talk about funny memories from our times together.

We continue discussing the topics of our project and write down the most important stuff. For the first time in what feels like forever, I finally relax. This is where I belong. With Garret and my other friends.

*

Landon or his friends haven't been at school after Peyton's party. I guess that's over for them. Not that I'm complaining or anything. For the first time in weeks, I feel like I can finally breathe again and things might be looking positive again. Chelsea and I have been spending a lot of time together from lost times. My parents are talking to me again after I told them that Landon and I broke up, and my grades have turned in the right direction again. I don't know what I was thinking. I guess love does make you blind sometimes.

Chelsea and I are walking down the hall when someone calls out my name. "Shelby?" I freeze. The fear of hearing his voice still haunts me. It's like every time I turn my back on something, he always finds me. But this time it's not Landon's. I turn around and see a face I didn't expect to see.