secret

-three

"You're serious?" asked my best friend, Alex.

"Yes! He lives next door, and he's hot, and Koda likes him."

"Well that's a first, Koda doesn't like guys." Alex patted his head.

"How are you and Scott?" I asked her.

"Great." she smiled.

"Do you wanna maybe see if he wants to come with us?"

We were going to the mall. I wanted to invite Austin but didn't know how.

"If you ask Austin." she smirked.

"Ugh I'll have to go over there."

"Go." she pushed me out the door.

I gathered myself before I knocked on his door. Michele answered.

"Uh, hi, is.. Austin here?" I smiled.

"Yeah, come in!" she smiled brightly.

I slowed walked in, and was taken aback at all the pictures of Austin and other people. "Who are all of these people?" I asked when he came in sight.

"Just people I've met." he answered sharply.

"Okay.. Hey, my friend Alex and I were heading to the mall, and her boyfriend was going so I was wondering if maybe you'd like to come too?"

"Sure," he smiled. "Let me go get shoes and money."

"Alright." I smiled.

He came back down, pulling a clean shirt down and placing a snapback on his head.

"Snapbacks look good on you." I said as we walked to my house.

"Who's car is that?" his eyes widened at the sight of Scott's Mercedes Benz.

"Alex's boyfriends." I grinned.

"Holy shit.."

"I know." I pulled him away and pushed him into the house.

"Dude, your car is siiiiick." Austin said to Scott.

"Thanks bro, is that your Rover in the driveway next door?" Scott said to him.

"Yeahhhh." Austin grinned.

"Okay, let's go." I pushed them apart.

"Cady, wallet." Alex said, pointing to my wallet.

Alex and Scott sat in the back, and Austin offered to drive.

"Do not, I mean not, crash my car." I said to Austin.

"I won't." he laughed.

My hoodie sleeves were pulled up, and Austin looked at me before grabbing my hand and locked his fingers with mine.

His gaze stayed on my arm though, and I remembered my scars.

"Road." I said, swallowing.

We ended up walking hand in hand through the mall, only being stopped a few times by people who wanted pictures with Austin.

He's not telling me something..

--------------------

We had dropped Scott off, who was taking Alex to dinner.

"Austin..?"

He sighed. "I can explain.."

I leaned back against my bedroom door. "Okay."

"I'm actually a famous singer and I don't know how you've never heard of me but I'm taking a break right now to deal with emotional stress because my managers didn't want me getting anxiety so I moved from Miami, where my friends and record deal are, and I'm only here for six months to rest but I'm still writing music." he looked at me.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked, looking at the ground.

"Because.. I didn't want you to.. only want to be around me because I'm famous. That explains the pictures, and what happened in the mall. Cady, I just.. I didn't want you to only like me because of what I do.. But.. I know you're hiding something too..so.."

My scars. I couldn't tell him why. I couldn't bring myself to tell him why. Nobody but Alex knew.

"So you're a singer. How come I've never heard of you?"

"I don't know. I've been on tour, many times, and I have an EP out, uhm, I'm not really sure.."

"Well your fans didn't seem too happy that you were at the mall holding hands with me."

"My Mahomies are.. special. They don't actually want me to date anyone."

"I can tell."

He came over to me, placing his hands on the door around my head. "Tell me why you cut."

"Austin I can't."

"I told you my secret. You're telling me yours, or you're not moving."

I tried to hold the tears back. "I.. I'm no good for you, something happened to me and you're.. now I know you're really too good for me."

"Something like what happened?" he said softly, dropping one arm, as if to give me the option to not tell him.

"I.. I was.. it.." I tried to gather the words and form them in my mouth.

"Cady shh." he brushed the tears away with his thumbs.

"Austin, I was.. raped.."