I was in shock. Total, complete, utter shock. Did someone just tell me that they loved me? I closed my eyes and smiled, not even paying attention to what was happening. I was lost in my own little world.
"I...I love you too, Drew." I replied. Did I regret my word choice? Of course, but sometimes life can work in people's favor. Maybe he won't leave.
The next thing I know, Drew picks me up and carries me to the couch. We sit and we watch the stars pop up throughout the South Dakota sky.
"Want to know what I think is cool?" I asked Andrew, looking up at him. He arched in brows in response and I continued,"We think of the color blue to be cold, but in reality those stars are the hottest. We think of white as the color of life, but the white ones are dead."
He nodded his head and kept looking up. "Just like scars are white because of dead cells," he answered, grabbing both my arms. I held my breath while praying I didn't have to answer the age-old question...why? I did anyway.
"My mom..." I trailed off. Drew looked down at my burns and scratches while tracing little circles around them.
"What was this one for?" He asked, pointing to the one closest to my hand.
"Being late," I replied. He pointed to another.
"Being lazy." Then another.
"Bad grade."
"Too slow."
"Too fast."
"Sarcastic." This kept going until Andrew had pointed to every scar on my arms. A tear fell and hit my hand, and he quickly wiped the rest hoping I wouldn't see. I let him keep his pride.
"You didn't deserve this," he whispered, drawing around the first one he pointed to. "No one does..." I nodded my head in agreement and blinked away tears.
"How could she do that to you Nat?" He asked. I hung my head and shrugged my shoulders, wondering about the answer.
"How could you love me despite it?" I asked. He looked shocked, and I received no answer for a moment.
Andrew looked at me for a moment as if he was in great pain, then he stood up. He walked to the kitchen table and tossed me his keys, then he walked out the door.
Of course I followed him, but I was always several yards behind him. Where does this guy think he is going? When Drew got to the main road, he started running and I couldn't keep up. Great. I heard music blaring in the distance, and I thought that's where he would go.
Guess we'll find out.
