Frost

08 | WAYS OF COPING

"But it's worth it, isn't it?"

"Do you really think it is? I mean, I'm the one who's taken all repercussions, and-"

Reyna pulls away from me fast and blubbers, "A-are you blaming this on me?"

"I'm sorry." I wipe her soaked cheeks and caress my thumbs over the flushed skin. "I just don't want to do anything reckless again."

"Don't you love me?" she cries and wraps her fingers around my wrists.

My heart shatters and it kills me just watching her break down like this. I wish I could make her happy. I wish I could ease her pain. But treating our conflict with David with anger and malice will only lead me to spiral into a cycle of regret. That's what I learned in management, at least. "Of course, I do." I lean over and kiss her forehead. "I love you so much, Reyna. I just want to finish this year without conflict. Once we're out of high school, we can get you as far away from him as possible. That's our best shot."

She becomes quiet. She doesn't like my answer; she never does, but now there is understanding there. If things haven't changed already, they won't change now. The only thing that can change is us when we finally leave this hell hole.

Reyna nestles into me and holds her arms around herself. I embrace her and kiss the top of her head before whispering how much I love her and how everything is going to be okay. I wish I could promise that David would never touch her again. I wish I could promise that she'll get away sometime soon. I wish I could promise that we'll escape from this, but a part of me is terrified that it'll never come true.

.・。.・゜

Lea is already in calc by the time I arrive. She greets me with an annoyingly bright smile with enough solar power to blind me. It only grows when I pull out the first volume of The Walking Dead and slap it on her desk. "Take care of it," I demand as I slide into my seat. "Or you owe me big time."

"I'll protect it with my life!"

"You better." I slump into a seat two away from her and pull out my notebook. I'm still unsure of what I think of this girl. She's either legitimately nice and therefore naïve. Or she's up to something and I'm the naïve one. Either way, the odds of us becoming friends are slim. Reyna would never allow it. No matter how legitimate she may be.

"How many volumes have you read?" She slides out of her seat and slides into the one next to mine. "Do you watch the show? Is it gory like that?"

"Try worse." I lean my cheek on my palm and angle away from her. Pulling out a notebook, I pretend to study it intensely. "It's pretty dark too. If you can't handle it-"

"Why wouldn't I be able to handle it?"

I glance over to find her staring at me accusingly like the next thing I say could potentially put me in the doghouse. "You seem like the type of girl who sings about sunshine, rainbows, and the power of friendship."

She gives me a flat look. "Way to assume. Maybe if you had an actual conversation with me, instead of trying to avoid me, you'd know what I'm really like."

I twist towards her and cock my head to the side. "Maybe if you stopped being stalkerish and weird, I wouldn't avoid you."

She presses her lips into a tight line and narrows her eyes. I smirk. Gotcha. She opens her mouth. Shuts it. Opens again. Shuts it again. Before either of us have a chance to say anything further, students begin piling in. That's my cue. I sit forward and angle my head down. As annoying as she is, I'd hate for people to bully her for being associated with me. Seats fill in around us and a pair of footsteps slow behind our desks.