Burning Ruins

Chapter Forty One

"Stormi?" I called out her name and her eyes caught mine.

"Axel?" her feet stayed grounded but she looked shaken up a bit.

I got closer to her and I grabbed her hands and she watched me.

"You scared the shit out of me Stormi." I whispered.

"I'm sorry." she whispered.

"What's wrong?" I asked her then feeling like I complete dumbass for asking. "Fuck." I rested my forehead against hers. "I know whats wrong."

"Do you?" she whispered. "Have you been through my head lately?" she asked. She didn't sound like her, but a darker version of the Stormi I never knew.

"No, do you wanna tell me?"

She smiled and shook her head. "You don't want to know what goes through my head Axel."

"I do actually."

She turned and looked at the house in front of her.

"No you don't because if you did then you'd become as insane as I am."

"What are you saying Stormi?" I was confused at her sudden change in behavior.

"Do you know whose house this is?" she asked me.

"No." I shook my head and looked at the house with her.

It was a typical rural house, two car garage, front door that was wide, bushes resting beside the house. Windows in the right places and a lawn greener than the neighbors next door.

"Tyler Burns." She said it like I should know who that is.

She didn't give me time to answer when she answered my unsaid question.

"This is the house where I used to come when I wanted to forget. The last time I was here was the night of the party. Tyler was downstairs in the basement with some girl he barely knew. His brother threw the party." she shook her head. "Tyler never was the big crowds kind of guy. We were a small group, Hunter, Tyler, Ava, and me. Then his older brother, a year older than I am thought about a party. He was a senior and on the football team. I heard he was crushing on me, wanted to impress me. That night I remember walking right here, Hunter was already ahead of me because he wanted to kick it with someone else. I stood in the front for awhile though. I watched as people walked around back and some using the front door. Every single light was on, the music blaring two blocks down. A place where I was comfortable, happy, content became a nightmare to me and here I am. Standing in front of a house that's empty and all I can think about is grabbing a match and burning it to the ground because every second I look at it. Every fucking second I stand here all I can see is the ghost of me being carried up those stairs-" she pointed and I followed her finger. "And then placed in that room, the third window down. I remember how it felt, I remember how he treated me. I was like a doll to him. His own personal sex toy." she looked at me and her eyes were dry, not even glassy eyes. "And you know what fucks me up the most?" she paused and shook her head. "He's with Abby and he's play pretend that he never did anything wrong. He's acting like a little bitch and playing house with my family. I wonder how many more girls he fucked around with. I wanted to tell them, to ruin him but they'd take his side anyways. They're all a little fucked up in the head."

I scanned the yard again before realizing the for sale sign in the yard.

"Stormi?"

"What Axel?"

"Do you want me to buy this house?" I asked her.

She looked at me and scoffed.

"If your that dumb even after all the things I said then go for it." Her walls were protecting her. I saw right through it.