Read Between The Lines

Part 15

Once she had finished her piece I felt my whole body tense and could almost see the anger flowing off of me. I could not even think about the unfairness of that without wanting to physically punch something. And I knew that I couldn’t let her go on her own I have to protect her.

Nobody else will.

‘I’m coming with you.’

Britt’s POV

As soon as he pulled the phone out of my grasp my blood ran cold with dread. He couldn’t see that I shouldn’t have let him why am I so damn weak? Before I had the chance to beat myself up anymore Josh stepped forward and pulled me out of my thoughts.

‘I’m coming with you’ He looked at me with such conviction that it left no room for argument. I’d never seen him look like that before.

It wasn’t the banterous Josh that I had a laugh with.

It wasn’t the angry Josh that I had small arguments with.

And it defiantly wasn’t the tense Josh that I had moments of electricity with.  

No this Josh was different.

I couldn’t tell what he was feeling, this Josh was damn scary.

‘Come on’ he stated before pocketing my phone and walking back into his house. I looked at the clock in shock and saw that the time was 2:45.

Damn how did the time go so fast?

You were having fun, I answered myself honestly. I had fun with josh.

He made me laugh, made me smile, made me forget everything for a while.

And just like that I realised how deep I was in right now. He was going to see the bullies, the people that tormented me for years this wasn’t right. I couldn’t let him see them hurt me.

I needed to be strong. If he got hurt I couldn’t live with myself.

It’s fine for me to get hurt, I’m used to it.

In fact I kind of expect it.

But that can’t happen to Josh I can’t expose him like this.

And no matter how much he might want too, he can’t protect me from the inevitable.

Finally snapping out of my ever- consuming thoughts I looked around and realised with a shock that we were already at the path leading to the lake.

‘Josh, Josh no you have to go home right now, I’m going to be okay I promise you I’ll be fine, I wouldn’t miss the All Time Low concert for the world so you know I’ll make it out.’

In response to my words he stopped dead and stood right in front of me, taking a deep breath before beginning his sentence.

‘Look I don’t know what the hell those people are going to do to you. So I’m going to be there for you. What kind of person would I be if I just left you here to fight for yourself. Britt that is NOT AN OPTION OKAY ? You shouldn’t have to just ‘make it out’ you don’t deserve to be put through this in any way. This is not okay.’

Fighting a smile I reached up to his check and cupped it in my hand running my thumb across the smooth skin.

‘I’m used to it’ I whispered before pulling my hand away and continuing to walk down the path faster praying that he wouldn’t follow me.

I could feel his presence behind be before I heard it. He was right there next to me and at that moment I died a little inside knowing that I wasn’t willing to fight with him anymore about this. Knowing that he was going to see me at my worst, my only friend in months and he will already be scared away.