The Red

Chapter 35

Over the week, Kian seems to cheer back up. He needs to get it through his head that I am not leaving him. No matter how much he asks, I'll certainly keep finding him. I don't know why he kissed me. It couldn't have been for nothing. If he kissed me, that means he likes me. And if he likes me, he won't want me to leave. Did he really expect me to just walk away from him on Monday?

But he hasn't kissed me since. And he hasn't called me beautiful or even anything. He's trying to put distance between us. I don't want that. I don't even know how we went from almost lovers to just friends again.

I don't believe he is The Red. I think he may have had an experience with them in the past, but I know him better than to think he's an eleventh degree murderer. Sure, I don't know much about him, but that doesn't mean I don't know him.

On Friday, I'm panicking because at 10:50 pm, there's still people walking about the house. It's ten after eleven when everything goes silent and I can sneak out.

Kian isn't laying in the grass today. He's sitting on a bench near the playground. He said he wanted to show me something, but what? He hasn't mentioned it at all since that one time.

"Sorry I'm late," I tell him. "People wouldn't go to bed."

"I was thinking you finally decided to stop hanging around me."

"Never."

He smiles. It's not his real smile. I suddenly worry I'll never see it again.

"You wanted to show me something?" I say.

"Yes. Follow me." He begins walking way from the park. I feel like he should've grabbed my hand but of course, he's pulling me back to the friend zone.

I follow him for about a block and then ask, "Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

We walk until we've stepped out of town. We walk on the edge of the town by a dirt road. The houses near here are huge. Three floors, with lush lawns and gardens. We're probably by the wealthy part of town. I've never come to this part of town; I've never had a reason to.

The houses stop, and there's just dirt for a few hundred meters until I see a large meadow.

"Are we going there?" I ask.

"Yeah."

Once we've reached the meadow, I see that it's below me. There's a hill in the ground from the dirt to the body of grass. Kian steps down and lays down on the hill, just like he lays down in the park to watch the stars. I lay down beside him.

"Why are you showing me this?"

"We're being rebellious."

"But why here?"

"This...this is where I come when I need to get away from things."

"What things?"

"My house."

"You walk way out here to get away from home?"

"Actually, my house is down there," he motions to the street of big houses.

"Wait.... You live in that rich neighborhood?"

"Yes."

"Why do you get away from it?"

"My parents."

"Kian! Do the beat you?"

"No."

"Use you?"

"No."

"Do they-"

"No. They don't do anything to me."