The new boy.

Chapter 26

Me and Matt decided to make everyone get together and hang put because we missed them so bad, so we called everyone and they agreed to meet at jakes house.
It was about a week after Brad had come to our house wanting to die, we hadn't really talked to him since, but he'd hesitantly agreed to come...
After me begging for ten minutes.
He hadn't wanted to come at all. Matt and I got on the bus to go to Jake's house.
It was a quick ride and when we got there I saw Lexi and Katy waiting outside.
The bus door opened and they screamed and started running toward us.
I stepped out of the bus and they both hugged me.
"It's been like two weeks! We've missed you so much!" Lexi said.
I smiled.
"I've missed you guys too!" I said happily.
Matt walked by us and rolled his eyes, laughing.
Jake walked up to him.
"It has been far too long." He said.
Matt nodded.
"Yes it has."
We all hung out and talked for a few minutes until we saw a bike coming up to the house. It was Brad.
He pulled up in the driveway and parked.
Then he stepped off his bike.
It's incredible how much he had changed in just a week.
He was more bruised than before, even on his face, his dark circles had gotten impossibly bigger, he was paler, and had actual gotten thinner.
His eyes looked almost lifeless.
But he glanced at Katy and a small smile spread across his face.
"Hi guys." He said.
"Hi." Jake, me and Matt said.
"Oh my gosh are you ok?" Lexi asked.
He shrugged.
"I'm fine." He said.
There was a brief moment of silence before Katy slowly walked toward him and hesitantly slid her arms around him. He wrapped his around her and bit his lip.
"I love you so much." He mouthed silently.
He pulled away and grabbed her hand.
"I'm ok." He said softly. "Don't worry about me. I don't why you guys care anyway, I'm not important."
She opened her mouth to say something but then shut it.
Instead she just leaned forward and gave him a little kiss on the cheek before grabbing her phone and typing.
"You are important! Please smile."
He smiled softly.
"Ok fine. Well I'm here, please ignore how hideous I look today so we can have fun." He said.
We all laughed softly.
"Fine. Let's have fun then."
He nodded.
"Sounds great."
Jakes smiled.
"I've got a pool, don't have bathing suits though."
Lexi laughed.
"I don't need no bathing suit. Shorts are fine."
I nodded.
"Same here."
Katy gave us a thumbs up.
Brad, Matt, and Jake looked at each other before shrugging.
Jake nodded.
"Fine." He said.
We all started walking to the pool.

BRAD'S POV
I was riding my bike to Jake's house since it wasn't too far away.
I was honestly a little bit, ok, extremely nervous about seeing everybody again. It had been a couple of weeks and a lot had changed. For me at least.
For instance, two weeks ago, I was a little, tiny, bit happy
Now... Not so much.
A week ago when I'd gone to see Matt and Julie I'd honestly thought it couldn't get any worse.
I'd wanted to die.
I was completely wrong.
It had actually gotten worse, I'd barely eaten or slept the past week.
And I was fairly certain if I didn't kill myself my dad would eventually kill me.
I really wanted to die, but I was gonna keep trying for them.
I'm not sure why I'd gone to see Matt and Julie, I guess so I wouldn't do anything.
Cause even though I'd been living like this for 19 years and it was getting progressively worse, I was still terrified of dying.
The only problem was I wasn't sure if I was more scared of dying, or living.
I felt bad about not talking to Katy but I didn't want her to get attached to me because I might not make it through the week.
But, I was honestly, a little happy I was gonna see her again.
And a little excited.
I'm not sure why.
Probably cause I loved her.
But she probably didn't love me so... Mixed emotions.
I saw his house and pedaled quickly.
I got there and they all looked worried.
I knew I looked awful, and I felt hopeless, but my eyes made their way over to Katy and I felt myself start to smile a little bit.
"Hi guys." I said softly.
"Hi." Jake Matt and Julie all said together.
I guess great minds think alike.
"Are you ok?" Lexi asked.
I shrugged
I had bruises all over me, I'd been on the edge of death for a month, and my dad had been abusing me forever because he blamed his wife, my mom's, death on me.
"I'm fine." I said.
There was a moment of complete, awkward silence that made me extremely uncomfortable before Katy slowly walked over to me.
She slowly slid her arms around me and hugged me.
I felt tears come to my eyes as I hesitantly wrapped my arm around her.
This was all I wanted.
But I was so stuck.
I couldn't have this.
I bit my lip to keep myself from crying.
"I love you so much." I mouthed silently. Still too afraid to say it.
I pulled away and grabbed her hand.
"I'm ok. Don't worry about me, I don't know why you guys care anyway, I'm not important."
She opened her mouth to say something before shutting it.
She leaned forward and gave a small kiss on the cheek.
She grabbed her phone and started typing.
"You are important! Please smile."
I slowly smiled a little.
"Ok fine. Well I'm here, please ignore how hideous I look today so we can have fun." I said.
They all nodded.
They kept talking but I kind of just zoned out.
All I knew was that I was about to have to swim in jeans.
We all started walking to the pool but I felt Katy's hand grab mine and stop me.
I looked her in they eyes.
"Yeah?"
She took a deep breath before wrapping her arm around my neck, standing on her tiptoes, leaning in, and kissing me.
I felt hope rise up in me like I hadn't felt before.
She had just kissed me, not as a dare, not as a joke, just because she wanted to kiss me.
A few seconds later she pulled away and cleared her throat.
I had a smile on my face.
She took another deep breath before opening her mouth.
"I love you." She whispered so softly I could barely hear her.
My eyes widened and my heart beat faster.
She had just talked to me.
She loved me.
She said she loved me.
My smile grew wider and as I wrapped my arms around her and held her tight it didn't even matter how bad my bruised arms felt.
"I-" I couldn't even say it.
I was terrified.
She'd end up getting hurt.
I couldn't hurt her.
"I, I love, I love you too." I said softly.
She smiled.
I shook my head.
"My life sucks... If I give up, I don't wanna hurt you." I said.
She grabbed my hand.
"I, uh, I don't want you to give up. Please don't." She whispered.
I felt tears in my eyes.
"Your voice is beautiful." I said softly.
She smiled.
Right then, I made myself promise I'd hold on.
No matter what happened.
Because I didn't want to hurt her.
"Why, why'd you talk to me?" I asked.
She cleared her throat.
"Because, I trust you. And, you've been there for me, and acted like you really cared about me. I mean, all you guys are great but, you literally talked to me, every day on the bus and stuff. Not many people have conversations with mute girls. I love you." She said; her voice was so soft and delicate, it really was a whisper. It sounded so fragile. I could barely hear her.
But it was beautiful.
I smiled a little bit.
She was perfect.
And I don't mean California girl perfect. Not like that.
I mean, don't get me wrong, she was beautiful.
She had this delicate, innocence, radiating off of her.
A certain fragility.
And I wouldn't break her.
I couldn't break her.
"Thank you for talking to me..." I said.
She smiled softly.
"You're welcome, but I'm not ready to talk to anyone else yet, ok?" She asked.
I nodded.
"Yeah, that's fine." I said.
And then she hugged me again.
And I knew I was still sad.
And I knew when I went home my dad would start abusing me again.
And I knew my life sucked.
But she loved me.
So I smiled.