Ava-Rose POV
She left. Just like that, she was gone. My head was filled with worry and now I most definitely knew that she had not fallen. Someone had done that to her.
I'm never normally an angry person but this whole situation has me angry beyond belief.
Who could hurt a soul like Morgan? I wanted them to feel my anger I wanted them to see what they had done to Morgan.
I took a much-needed deep breath as I packed my things to head home. My head was so heavy. I wanted to protect her I wanted to show her that not everyone is out to hurt her.
On my way out of school, I couldn't help but try and look at the world in the way Morgan does. These empty halls signalled how Morgan must see these same halls each day.
While I'll be pushing past people to get to my location and greeting everyone. She sees them as empty pathways.
I complain if there are too many people inviting me out to all these different parties while Morgan makes herself this lonely person to protect herself.
Some would say she brings it on herself. That why should they feel bad for a choice she made? I think very differently I can see that being invited to a party was something she wanted to experience. Even just the invitation.
She didn't want to be alone at least not fully I can see there's a part of her that wants to reach out and cry in front of someone. Tell them about her day.
She's alone to protect the people that don't know her.
I knew all this about her while she was unaware. She had never told me anything about her. She always wanted to know stuff about me.
I wanted to know her.
-
I had made it outside where I was greeted by the fall air and the sun setting just behind some houses.
I could hear a slight cry coming from around the corner.
That's when I saw her.
I wasted no time as I ran up to her and threw my stuff on the ground. I could she was having a panic attack. I sat in front of her and raised her head so we were looking at each other. "Hey just focus on me okay? Breathe with me," I told her softly cupping her face in my hands so as not to freak her out. She didn't reply but I could tell she was listening to me.
Slowly but surely her breathing calmed down and we remained rooted to that spot for what felt like an entirety.
Once she had found her words she let out a small whisper which I made out as a "Thank you" I smiled at her and told her "Your welcome" She smiled back at me as a subtle reply.
I had to make her feel safe so that when we would part ways when needing to go home for the night she won't start freaking out about my reaction to her bruising. So with that thought, I got up. I could see a confused and worried look on her face as I did so.
I held out my hand to signal for her to get up. She didn't say a word and followed along with me. I couldn't see how she was feeling or what she might be thinking but I tried not to sorry too much.
We spent 40 minutes walking no words were spoken but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. I didn't ask her all the questions I had and wanted answers to as I could see that's not what she wanted. So I allowed her head to run free with just as many questions as I had.
We had made it. My secret little spot.
She looked at me and for the first time in this whole walk she spoke "Are you planning to kill me?" She looked at me with a slight smile.
"No, I'm most definitely not I promise" I replied with a soft smile which I hoped she saw as genuine.
She nodded and continued to follow me.
The spot was a little wooded area that looked over a little town. It wasn't much but it was a place I would come to if my head got too loud or if needed some quiet from my very loud life.
At sunset, this place was perfect for someone to go to clear their cloudy head and I could see that Morgan most definitely had a very cloudy head.
She sat beside me on the top of the hill where she once again broke her silence and said "I'm sorry" I looked at her puzzled as I didn't understand why she was apologising.
"There's no need to apologise you haven't done anything wrong," I told her as I placed my hand on her shoulder to reassure her.
She turned and looked at me then looked down. "I know you have many other things you would rather do than sit here with me and not to mention you have just shown me your secret place"
"I'm sitting here with you because I wanted to I'm here right now with you because there is nothing else I would rather do than make sure your head can have a moment to calm down. Plus now this can be our secret spot" I told her when I raised her chin so she could look me in my eyes and see that I was telling her the truth.
It seemed as if she believed me because she nodded her head. I could see she wanted to talk to me that in her head there was a major war happening right now and each side was loud. I could see her about to go back into hiding and the pain in which she knew she would endure when she did. So I took my hand and placed it on hers as I told her "I'll listen"
Those words seemed to mean so much to her that the war in her head had become distance history. It took her a while before she showed any sign of talking that was until she sat closer to me and rolled her sleeve.
"I didn't fall" She looked down as she said these words to me. These words I've heard multiple times in my head before.
I don't know if that was all she was gonna tell me but either way, I can tell that it took a lot out of her just to say those words. So I didn't push her to speak any more than she already had.
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Morgan POV
All these worries were rushing through my head and it became hard to hear the birds chirping around us.
My head was filled with my dad's words.
I want to tell her. I want her to hug me. To fill me with an embrace I haven't felt in so long. It just felt out of my reach.
These walls I've spent so long building up for all these years and right now they could just all crumble.
Every bone in my body ached for her embrace but my head was trying its hardest to convince me I didn't need it.
That I can go about my life like I have already done. Alone. My heart hasn't felt whole since that one day that weighs over me every second.
I haven't felt love in so many years I've convinced myself I wasn't made for it and that my dad's way of seeing me was just who I am.
I sat on this hill wanting a change in this routine. I want the love that the sun and the moon have.
I looked up at Ava who had never taken her eyes off me. Her eyes made me feel this very unnatural feeling I've never had.
She didn't say anything she looked at me and smiled. To me, that spoke a million words.
I didn't have to make my walls crumble for her I could simply forge a door for only her to enter through my walls.
That was all I needed to make my head's voice disappear as I was met with Ava's arms wrapped around me.
I wrapped my arms tightly around her as I made sure to take in every feeling of this hug. I smiled through the pain that my ribs were trying to make their present herd.
Ava realised my small wince in pain and she pulled away and looked at me with worry in her eyes.
I noticed this look that she was giving me "Don't worry it wasn't you. It was...." I looked down and sighed she didn't say anything she just continued to look at me probably waiting for me to finish my sentence.
I couldn't bring myself to finish it sentence. So I didn't. I instead lifted my hoodie which revealed all the bruising on my ribs.
Ava's eyes left mine and found their new place on my ribs.
She didn't say a word but simply looked. It looked as if she had gathered more questions than answers.
My head was filled with voices of their own.
"You shouldn't have told her!"
"She will just tell everyone!"
"Look at you seeking attention!"
"Like she would care your not worth anything!"
I quickly covered up the bruising and told her "Thank you for showing me this place I'm sorry I bothered you"
I didn't leave time to look at her and I quickly wobbled in pain trying to remember the steps with which we had taken to get here.
I could already see my dad's reaction when he saw I got home late. This vision scared me so much that I took a step back.
If anyone had seen me they would have seen me as a crazy person.
Someone had seen me.
When I stepped back I bumped into someone I turned around to quickly apologise and to make up some false lie about a bug.
As the words were about to leave my mouth the same familiar scent I had grown to like made me aware of just who I had bumped into.
"You don't need to run away I'm here I've got you" The blonde-haired individual looked down and met my gaze. Those words that sounded like birds singing outside my bedroom window on a lovely summer day filled my head.
Those words are ones I havent heard in a long while and without realising a tear had escaped.
She raised her hand and rested it on my cheek as she wiped the tear from my cheek with her thumb.
All of these rules I had made for myself over the years had disappeared as I stood in front of Ava god damn Rose.
Silence again had taken our conversation away. Until I was met with her words. "Who did this to you?" she remained looking at me with her blue eyes and her hand still resting on my cheek.
"I...it...was" I sighed at myself in frustration and I looked down shaking my head in disappointment.
She moved her hand from my cheek to find her new home on my chin. She raised my head using that newfound home till my eyes were again meeting hers. Brown met blue. "It's okay take your time"
I smiled at her as I took a deep breath and said the words "My dad...it was my dad"
Those words have made my broken heart shatter all the tape I had used to patch it up over the years became loose. I couldn't hold back my tears any longer.
I dug my head into her shoulder and cried. Cried all the tears I was holding back for so many years.
My rules had gone.
She wrapped her arms around me making me feel safe. We stood there me crying onto her shoulder and her making sure I let it all out.
Time passed and I finally finished I pulled away from her embrace and she whipped the remaining tears still left on my cheek away.
"I need to get back otherwise my dad will freak" I told her making sure not to look at her as I was afraid of what she might think.
"I can't allow that I can't just send you home after all this. I can't go home knowing that you are in that house with him doing all that to you I just can't," she told me making sure she made eye contact with me so that I could see how serious she was.
"I'll be okay I've dealt with it for many years I can deal with it again tonight," I told her. Her thumb rubbed my cheek and she rested her forehead on mine.
"Come stay at mine tonight please" Those words sent me into a spiral I found myself thinking about every possibility that could happen from that moment on. Good and bad.
My mouth opened and I said the word
"Okay"
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Editors Note
I hope you enjoyed this chapter it's a little shorter than the previous but I hope you enjoyed it just as much.
Thank you for all your messages and how you all are enjoying the chapter so far I look forward to always seeing your guy's feedback <3