Breathe Me

5. Punching Bag

So many I have to stop for a moment. My breath hitches. This poor, tiny girl. She's been through more than even I can imagine. She looks like a punching bag. Like a boxer spent too much time with this one punching bag and has practically destroyed it and tore it apart.

I shake my head, focussing again.

Sam comes in with the first aid kit and I tell him to go get a glass of water. She might need it by her when she wakes up seeing as she just passed out. I take a damp cloth and begin cleaning the wounds.

Taking out the medical needle and thread, I start stitching the deepest gashes.

You'd think a guy like me, girls hanging on both arms all the time, would notice the fact that she's just in a bra and panties. Yup. Definitely did. Sadly, I just didn't have time to focus on that.

I smile at my own thoughts. I mean, I wasn't going to do anything to her, but I still could've admired the view.

I take a turn into the mall parking lot, scanning for a space. "Over there." Sam speaks up.

"Always my helpful navigator." I smile.

Our mall isn't one of those giant ones like the mall of America, but it's pretty big. You name a store, it's probably in there. Even a small Nintendo store. It's impressive the selection they have.

"Why did we come here again?" Charlie looks to me.

"Well, you're not going to wear that tattered sweatshirt of yours everywhere. I don't really want you going back to your house and I don't feel like going back to your house, so my solution is buying new clothes." I say.

"Buying new clothes is also the solution when he doesn't want to wash the old ones." Sammy laughs from the backseat as I throw my jacket at him. He's not supposed to tell people that!

Charlie giggles adorably while looking at me. She does that thing where she covers her mouth with her hand to hide her smile. I don't know why girls do that so much, they're smiles are usually amazing. I don't even like Charlie, I'm just tolerating her, but I still admit her smile is dazzling.

"How are you able to buy so much?" She asks.

And there it is. The question I didn't want to answer. Think think think think. Well the house is from my parents but she didn't ask about the house. The money came from them too? Yes. Let's go with that.

"Trust fund from my parents to keep Sammy and I going. Thing is, that money basically never stops coming." I laugh. Lie lie lie. Lie smoothly and maybe she'll believe you.

I don't know why I'm so worried about her knowing, it's not like she really cares. And why should I care if an irrelevant girl like her knows?

"Come on, let's just get inside." I say.

Since I parked far out, the walk is fairly long and since it's almost Fall but not quite yet, it's still hot as hell. I'm practically melting in this heat. Sammy is too. I look to Charlie to find that she's perfectly fine.

"How are you able to stand this heat?" I ask, bewildered.

She shrugs. "Heat doesn't affect me much. It's the cold that gets to me."

"Ah." We get inside and the air conditioning hits us, causing Charlie to shiver. It's semi cold to me, she must be freezing in here.

I slide off my leather jacket, draping it over her shoulders.

She gives an appriciative smile, blushing slightly. Is no one ever nice to her? I think to myself. All I did was lend her my jacket and she's blushing like crazy.

"Forever 21? Victoria's Secret? Rue 21?" I start listing off seemingly girly stores. "Where do you want to go, Charlie?" We are here for her after all.

"Hot Topic. Zumiez. Spencer's." She responds immediately.

Starting to like her a little more.

"That way," I point to my left. "The sign says the three stores are that way."

Sammy grabs Charlie's hands and skips away with her. I chuckle, smiling a little at the two. She fits right in with him. They disappear into Zumiez and I follow soon after.

Sammy is holding a thin yellow hoodie up to Charlie, looking at her as if he's the next fashion expert.

"Not your color," he says, throwing the hoodie back in its place. "Now can we look at the skateboards! You said it's your favorite thing here!" He squeaks excitedly. "Pleaseeeee!"

"I guess." She laughs and he drags her along.

I watch them interact, smiling. Since mom's death, Sammy hasn't been the happiest. He was younger and I was hoping it wouldn't affect him as it had me, but it did. It closed me off from everyone, even my best friends for a while. But him, it shut him down. He stopped talking. Once went a full week without a word. Even now he doesn't speak much. But he's talking mouthfuls to her. It's intriguing how she affects him.

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I know I didn't update yesterday! I'm so sorry! I'm trying to update two books every day and it's so difficult but I'm trying.

Vote, comment, and follow me! Thanks for reading!

~ Nyx S.