"For you? I'd hold the skies on my shoulders, if it came down to it."
*****
He didn't think she'd ever look his way. Let alone, stumble into him- and into his life. But all things happen for a reason, and sometimes- when you love someone from afar...
I knew I wouldn't have to put up with his crap anymore. Even if it hurt that my parents were kicking me out, I wouldn't have to put up with them for any longer either.
Three weeks. And then I'd leave and never look back. Even though I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do, a part of me was looking forward to it because I would be free.
It was a blessing in disguise, I decided finally as I stepped under the warm water, I'll figure it out.
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An hour later, I had brushed my teeth, showered, washed my hair, and dressed in my room. When I was sure that the coast was clear, I had rushed to the front door with my school bag slung over my shoulder- and slipped out without anyone noticing.
My stomach grumbled as I closed the door behind myself, reminding me that I hadn't eaten dinner last night either. But I could hear my parents and brother in the kitchen now, and I didn't want to cross paths with them.
I didn't want to give Claud the satisfaction of seeing the damage he had done, and I didn't want my parents to find a way to somehow turn that into my fault. Some solidarity would do me a lot better.
And so, without another moment of weakness, I jog down the porch steps- and away from the house.
My high school was only a five-minute walk away, and at the pace that I was walking through the cold, it took me less than that. The building seemed eerily quiet- since classes wouldn't start for another hour at least- and so, I thought to myself, that thankfully I'd have some time alone.
How wrong I was.
"Hey, is that Claud Dunnam's sister?"
I squeezed my eyes shut, breathing out a sigh. Way to jinx it.
"Hey, it is- isn't it?"
Those voices were familiar. Not-good familiar.
Football players.
I had forgotten that they had practice on some mornings, and all of them idolized my brother. They took after him, personality-wise too- as if treating him like a king wasn't enough.
I was going to pretend like I hadn't heard them at all, but I couldn't walk away quickly enough because a tall, bulky frame was already in front of me.
"Hey," Chad from the football team grins down at me. Brilliant.
I don't say anything, as I try to sidestep him- but he only steps in my path again.
"Olivia, right?" he smirks at me, "Claud's sister?"
Olivia? My lips purse in distaste, but I don't correct him.
"Leave me alone," I manage to say, but it comes out soft and shaky.
Chad's eyebrows go up. "You can talk? Aren't you supposed to be a mute or something?"
