Butterflies

Chapter Nine

Hope's POV:

What happened the next day was something I didn't expect to happen. It all started when I walked into the academy. I was greeted by silence, and sympathetic looks.

I was confused, so I just shrugged it off. It was only until Chase came up to me that I realized.

"Hope, why didn't you tell me?" I see the sympathy in his eyes. "Tell you what?" I am so confused. He turns to a whisper, "Why didn't you tell me that you were abused by your father?"

I'm at lost for words. I literally can't speak. I don't know if it's anger, or shock that he knows.

Then it clicked.

That's why people were giving me looks of sympathy. The same looks people gave me in 6th grade when my parents died. Chase already knew about the death of my parents, but nobody was supposed to know about the abuse. Christian told. He broke his promise.

Christian was right, I cry way too much. He notices and says, "Hey, come here." And pulls me into a hug.

"How did you find out?" were the first words that came out of my mouth. He gave me his phone and before me I see Christian and I talking. Last night. In the studio. About IT.

"I'll talk to you later." And I leave, once again feeling his eyes on me as I walk away.

I think about going to talk to Christian, but that would only make me worse. I decide to just go to class and bare the looks.

Even Tara was easy on me today, and the times she usually corrects my posture, she says nothing. I hate this so much. The sympathetic looks, everyone opening doors for me. It's kind of sickening.

Skye did the opposite. She avoided me, and every time I caught her looking at me, her eyes were filled with tears.

In Pau De Deur, Chase was the only one to act normal around me. That's why I love- I mean like him.

Wait.

Do I love Chase?