Rewrite the Stars (bxb)

Chapter 5 Stolen Kiss

Oh, god. What do I do? My thoughts turn frantic with how to make him not sad anymore, but he seems to bounce back.

"Everyone else is worried about you, too. Why don't you come downstairs and let them know you're okay. We don't even have to do anything. We'll watch a movie. Anything you want."

"I don't know..."

"Please?"

"Okay," I hesitantly say, but nonetheless follow him downstairs. When we get to the den, the others are already piled onto the couch and on the floor. They all look at me when I enter, and I see their looks of concern. It's weird seeing people look at me with concern. I'm not used to it. It's a nice change, but it's also weird. If no one knows, then it's forgotten. And the sooner I forget about this, the better I'll be.

The movie plays, and I get comfy. My thoughts go out the window, and my emotions settle. I feel better.

As soon as the movie ends, Orion says, "Blythe, can you come with me for a minute?"

I look at him and nod. I get up and follow him. We go out of the den but turn left down another hallway. I don't think I've been down here yet. That's confirmed when Orion opens a door, and I step into the biggest bedroom I have ever seen. And the biggest bed. Orion sits on the edge of the bed, so I sit next to him.

"How are you doing, Blythe?"

I shrug. "Okay."

"And about what happened at the mall?"

I shrug again.

"Can I tell you a story?"

I glance at him to see him already looking at me. I look back down and slowly nod.

"Long ago," he says, "there was a boy. His father raised him and his brother until the boy reached nine. Then within the span of three months, the boy's father and brother died. The boy was left all alone. He became guarded and didn't trust anybody. He thought that he had to fend for himself because everyone would leave him anyway. That made life for him very difficult. But then, one day, some very kind people adopted the boy. It was rough at first, but the people were patient with the boy, and whenever the boy needed them, they were there for him. Over time, the boy came to love the people, and they became his parents. And he lived happily ever after."

I look at him, confused about what he's saying.

"What I'm trying to say is, Blythe, give the boys a chance. You don't have to let them in right away—let them earn that privilege first—but nothing is ever going to get better if you refuse to change anything."

Give them a chance? How am I supposed to do that? Why would I even want to do that? I don't know, but if I'm going to be living here for a while, I might as well try to get along with the others. But nothing more than that. Always be on guard.

I nod, only half intending to do what he wants me to.

One of the good things that I learned from mom is how to seem like I'm doing what she wants, when in reality, I'm doing what I want. Everyone's happy that way.

He smiles. "All you have to do is try. I promise that things will get better." He pauses. "One more thing I have to ask though."

"Yeah?"

Instead of answering, Orion looks at the closed bedroom door. He puts his finger to his lips and then gets up, walking towards the door. "I have to ask." He pulls open the door, and the boys come tumbling through. "What are you boys doing?"

Peter pops up. "We totally weren't eavesdropping or anything. That would be bad. Nope. We weren't doing that."

Jax hits him on the head. "Shut up," he hisses.