The Dark Blue

Ch 70. Certain

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I really didn't think I would see him like that. My first meeting with my father was at a filming set. I couldn't believe the odds of it. Mom knew that I'd meet him sooner or later while climbing the ladder towards acting. I just cried and cried. I wanted to be left alone, but being in such a vulnerable state didn't calm Henry down at all. He was sitting next to me, patting my back, not understanding anything. I couldn't bring myself to tell him, because there would be more tears to build up in my eyes.

"Leave her. She told you already that she wants to be alone." Caleb sighed. He looked up at the gloomy grey sky.

"I know, but we can't leave her when she's crying!" Henry shrieked. "We don't know what might happen to her!"

"Henry." Peter said. "Audree can take care of herself. I don't want to leave her either, but she obviously don't want us around." Peter had spoken my thoughts. Although, I didn't have any bad intentions. I only wanted to be alone.

"Come on... It will rain soon, and I don't want to ruin my equipment." Caleb groaned. He kept tugging on the strap of his bag that was pushing down his shoulders. It looked really heavy.

In the end, Henry gave in. He kept looking back at me when he walked away from the park, like he was making sure that I wasn't going to die there. I kept weeping on the bench, hunching over with my hair covering my face so that no one would see what a mess I was. There was no sound coming out, only tears that kept falling from my eyes, flowing down on my cheeks and dropping from my chin. I felt useless.

"I don't like it when you cry." I didn't raise my head to look at him. I knew that it was Zach. And I refused to let him see me in my horrible state.

"How did you know that I'm here?" I asked with a grumpy voice. I felt my heart squeezing with his presence. It was like sprinkling salt on a wound, causing more damage to something that already hurt.

"I saw Henry, Caleb and Peter near. They recognized me from that time when we were at West Bite." Henry sent him here. It was a nice gesture, but he didn't seem to understand what I meant when I wanted to be alone. Even if Zach was my precious friend... I wished to disappear to some place where there were no people.

"I see." I sniffed. Everything always seemed to get smooth when I was with Zach. Except of now. It didn't help that he was near me, comforting me. I felt the same pain.

Zach was looking up at the sky. I finally dared to raise my head to see him. He was wearing his hoodie, but he had let down the hood and freed his face. I liked him the best like that. I looked down at my thighs again, hoping that tomorrow wouldn't come. It hurt so much to know that I was a mistake, that I was unwanted. I felt another batch of tears oozing out, trying to stop them with my hands covering my eyes.

I never knew anything about him. That's why I never questioned him. He turned out to be the opposite of all my own imagining. All I could do was cry. What was happening? Was I disappointed? Sad? Upset? I had no idea. They all build up another unknown emotion. Why did I even bother to cry about it when I didn't even know him?

"Don't think about it." Zach's voice echoed through my head. He was stroking his hands on my back, then settling down for the shoulders; patting them. I faintly nodded. I couldn't say a thing, as my face was buried in my hands. I pressed my hands harder, because it felt like the tears would go away if I did. But of course they didn't. Just more came. I never knew that people could have that much water in their eyes. But the water will eventually stop, until you don't have anything left.

"You don't even know." I finally pushed out of my lips when my tears started running out. He shrugged with a chuckle.

"Isn't that better? I have no reason to feel sorry for you." He could definitely read my mind. It was just me, hating on people that try comforting you when you're sad and pitied. Everyone has periods when they cry and that's why crying was nothing to pity since everyone does it.