Don't Let Me Go

Air

I enjoyed breakfast with mum and tried to keep all the topics pleasant, anything not about Gemma. Afterwards I cleaned up for mum and put laundry in. I told mum I was going out and I went out the door, locking it behind me.

The day was still full at 10 in the morning and I started my walk around town, passing the nearby school yard with no kids, as it was a Saturday. The sun was shining and a couple of people went by on bikes, a mom, dad, 2 boys and a girl. They looked like that perfect family you'd see on tv, smiling, laughing, getting along.

I looked at the houses as I passed them, small, medium, large. Cute, ugly, and too big to be comfortable living in. Mansions seem only to house the lonely and ridiculously wealthy, which is probably why I find myself living in one.

I see skateboarders trying to perfect their tricks and they don't even notice me as I pass by them. I kick a pebble and it skips into the street and gets crushed under the tire of a passing car.

The fresh air has always been a comfort for me ever since I was little. The intake feels like it fills my lungs and then takes some of the pain and worry from my heart and is lastly then exhaled. I'm an outdoors person, especially when it comes to needing a break.

I near my favorite restaurant, Octavio's, and walk in. The waitress I see there a lot gives me a private seat by the window, giving me a view of the forest, the Nox Forest specifically, where I had my first kiss with a girl in my grade named Clarissa. Does a first kiss count if it was when you were 10?

I people-watch as I wait for someone to take my drink order, and later my dinner order, which I will decline. I wasn't hungry.

Eventually a boy of probably the age of 20 comes and introduces himself as Bradley.

"What can I get you?" Bradley asks.

"Soda, please,"

Bradley goes and puts my drink order in and I glance into the forest. I see a girl and a boy who seem to be fighting. The boy then starts beating the girl up. I get up and run outside, towards the forest and towards the fight.

"Get off of her!" I yell.

He says nothing and keeps punching her. She's bleeding a lot.

I tackle the guy and start to punch him and he tries to fight back but I have the upper hand. His nose then starts bleeding after a few punches and he's flailing around trying to get me to stop. Once I finally decide he will just run away if I let him up, I stop. He does as I predict and runs out of the forest and into the street.

I turn to the girl who needs a couple of band-aids after that.

"Are you okay?" I was concerned for this girl's well being.

"Yeah uh he just gets a bit crazy sometimes but really he's a good guy, sorry he put up a fight with you," she rubs her wrist. I could see bruises on her legs and arms that were clearly new, but too developed to be from this beating. This wasn't the first time he's hurt her.

"What's your name?" I wanted to help her through this.

"Jameson," she didn't look me in the eyes, just at the brush.

"I'm Harry," I smile and stick my hand out for her to shake. She flinches and my heart breaks a bit. Slowly, she puts her hand out and shakes mine.

"Would you like to go for a walk?" I offer.

"I don't know you," she looks nervous.

"Well, you can get to know me on a walk," I chuckle and give her a smile.

"That's true," she gives a shy smile back.

We start to walk out of the forest and towards the street.

"Hold on, it might be best if we clean up your cuts first," I bring her into the restaurant that I had ran out of a little while ago and get a wet paper towel from the bathroom and band-aids from a waiter. I take her outside and sit her on a bench and dab the wet paper towel on the dried blood.

"Ouch," she winces.

"Sorry, I'll be more careful, tell me if it hurts and I'll be more careful, okay?" I continue to dab the blood but now much more lightly. I place the band-aids on the cuts.

"They'll heal faster now," I say.

"Thanks," she looks down.

"Ready for that walk?" I smile at her.