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It was a cold night and the street was filled with chatters and smiling faces illuminated by golden street lights. I tuck my hands into my jacket staring at Barry who hadn't said anything for a while, his head ducked low as he avoided staring into people's eyes. I wanted to ask him where he was taking me but I kept quiet and kept following the dark silhouette I was unsurprisingly not afraid of. I open my mouth, puffs of cold air escaping my lips and slowly drifting away into the night sky, disappearing from my view. Somehow it reminded me of home, being tucked into the embrace of my warm bed as my parents kissed their 24 year old baby goodnight.
It was less than a week since I left home but yet it felt like an eternity. I was too used to being pampered like a baby that I didn't know how to live alone as an adult.
"Hales..." his deep voice finally whispers, a whisper so silent I couldn't have caught it if it flew away with the wind.
"Barry." I purposely whisper back. He chuckles but his eyes were somewhere else.
"Lets go up the bridge, its less crowded," My eyes slowly drift towards the dark empty bridge, dead branches slithering up its old brick structure that was shrouded in darkness. It looked unused, the chipped paint revealing an ugly grey underneath.
I hug myself, the haunted structure before me giving me scary vibes, "It looks...I don't know abandoned and a gang hideout for... I don't know maybe Gummy serial killers!"
He places his large hand out for me to take and smiles, "Trust me," a smile and two words were enough to make me sanely place my hand on top of his. I was trusting this man that was hiding in a hoodie and avoiding peoples eyes, this man that wanted to be in a less crowded place. I knew he wasn't a menace or a serial killer or anything bad but he made me had a lot of questions in mind.
"Okay..." I whisper.
—-
"The thing doesn't look safe Barry!" I stare at the dangerous looking bridge, signs of collapsing emitting from it.
"Then lets not go," I snap my head towards him and glare at his side structure that was still staring at the bridge.
"Seriously! Oh Hales Trust me, this bridge is worth climbing on, Oh Hales just trust me and take my hand so we can gallop freely on a half collapsed bridge! This is your idea!" I mimic him in a squeaky voice my anger seeping into every word that spilled out of my lips. But instead of defending himself, he just stood there smiling at me like I was some two year old begging for chocolate, a tint of amusement sparkling in his blue orbs.
His moving hand catches my attention and my eyes snap towards it as it slowly drags down to the hem of his hoodie. I was unprepared for him easily flinging off his hoodie and throwing it to the ground. I yelp and quickly turn around. I was certainly not prepared to see any chest hair today or any day after moving from my parents house where Ive seen enough of my dads chest hair and I was definitely not going to see any chest hair anymore so I was going to continue looking at the uninteresting black river until he obliges to wear his damn shirt.
"Chill Princess! Im not gonna strip down," I could hear his low chuckle echoing in the darkness yet I refused to turn back around. The amount of chest hair I have seen have already traumatized me for a lifetime, I am not going to be traumatized anymore.
"Wear a shirt." The sentence came out more demanding than I intended but it was good that I sounded serious.
"I never took off my shirt! You do know people wear shirts under hoodies right?"
I flinch at that. That was embarrassing, really embarrassing now I can't even look at him without being embarrassed, maybe the river was interesting after all. "Nope! No I did not! Only weirdos do! Who the heaven wears a shirt under a hoodie!?" I slowly spin back around, trying to hide the embarrassment that was tattooed all over my face. My ashamed eyes slowly rising up to meet his amused one. For the first time since we encountered he stood in front of me with no hoodie dangling over his face but I could still not make anything out of him except of his sharp nose and the long hair that framed his face. The darkness around us had made us both unrecognizable and it made me frustrated to get a chance to see him without the hoodie but not quite see him still.
"Lets do something crazy," I frown and shake my head. He shrugs, shoves his hoodie in my hands and runs towards the unsafe river, "Suit yourself!" And with that he jumps into the cold river splashing water all over my shoes. I gasp and try to run as quickly as I could towards him.
"What do you think your doing! Get out of there! Your going to catch a cold you stupid stupid Gummy bear!" He finally emerges from the water, a huge smile on his face as he pushes away the hair clinging to his wet forehead. Instead of heeding my warning, he goes in for another dip, leaving me clueless and afraid of where he disappeared to.
I stare at nothingness, the moons colds reflection staring back at me as I looked for signs of human existence in the gloomy waters of the river.
"Barry come out! The river is too dark and I cant see you and Im too afraid out here alone, please can you-" a shriek escapes my lips when hundreds of droplets are splashed my way. I bring my hands up to my face as I try to block the flood that was purposely being hauled at me.
"Stop YOU....RED GUMMY BEAR!" I scream through the irritating rhythm of my teeth. He doesn't, getting me wet from head to toe.
"Im not stopping until you come in!" I bite down the gummy bear swear word that was about to spill from my quivering lips and glare at his stupid self.
"Well then... Im going! Have fun getting a cold! And Plus I hear its a high discharge tonight!" I turn around, walking as slowly as possible because 1) I was afraid to walk back alone 2) I cant walk fast when I'm cold 3) deep down I didn't want him to die.
"Hales!" I turn around a triumphant smile on my lips.
"Yes?"
"You forgot my hoodie," I stomp my foot and turn back around, this time not planning to go back.
He chuckles at my reaction making me grit my teeth in frustration.
"Hales!" I dont turn around.
"Hales!" I keep on walking.
"Hales Adams!" I stop.
"Please swim with me?" I turn around and frown. Of course I wouldn't, there is actually a possibility I have forgotten how to.
"Please," I resist the urge to say yes and shake my head no.
"I dont know how to swim," silence. He doesn't reply this time, his dark eyes silently talking to mine through the darkness.
"Ill teach you..." he whispers, and something about the way he said it or the way he stared at me made me take off my jacket and slowly walk over towards the dark river, each step reminding me that it was a bad decision, but I couldn't stop myself until I was finally staring down at my own reflection. I slip off my shoes and breath in, after eight years a stranger finally convinces me to swim without even using a lot of effort. How he could easily convince me overwhelmed me.
The wind itself was yelling at me to not go in, the cold slapping my exposed arms as it slowly bit down into my sensitive skin. I stare down at my prosthesis and inhale once more. I wasn't sure if I were to take it off or just go in with it.
Don't go Hales Adams.
I stare at Barry who was trading water, his eyes hopefully staring up at mine.
"I cant," I whisper and quickly turn back around, walking towards the jacket I discarded on the ground.
.
"Hales, lets go for a swim," I stare at my dad through the tears that hang low in my eyes but denied to roll out.
"You let them," I whisper at him, everything becoming more blurry as more tears filled my eyes.
"He didn't, none of us did," my mom whispers. They did, they should have had the heart to see me go, they should have been stronger... but instead they decided losing a leg was better than losing a life.
"Bullshit! You two wanted to see me have a hard life! Wanted to break my dreams, wanted me to believe that no dreams come true, thats what you wanted all along?" I watch her fall on her knees as her hands reach up to hide her face. I look at her, a mess just like me, her hair uncombed and flying all over the place begging for attention.
Next to her knelt dad, pulling her closer to his chest as she wet his red shirt. Then I finally feel the warm tears slowly rolling out of my eyes leaving a wet trail on my cheek until it finally stops at the corner of my lips, the saltiness seeping in.
Looking at them like that was the most heartbreaking part of it all, it wasn't losing a leg, it wasn't losing a dream, it was seeing them break down because of me. Having them find guilt in their existence, wondering where they went wrong to deserve such a punishment of being so close to losing their child and when they didn't, she found a way to still drift away from them. When it was I who was wrong, I who was the monster. I didn't deserve to have them.
But since that day, I put a vow Ill keep for the rest of my life.
I'll never ever be a burden to my parents.
.
He doesn't speak again, finally giving up on me, but when I turn around he wasn't there, leaving the still river to dance alone.
"Berry?" No answer. My eyes frantically searching for him in the river.
"Berry?" My voice holding more fear than expected.
"Ber-"
"Im right here princess," he walks out from the dark, his hoodie already hanging above his eyes as a small smile cornered his lips. I sigh in relief, placing my small palm on my heart to feel the loud thump of my heartbeat.
"Barry lets go." I look up towards the dark bridge one more time, a shudder running up my spine. I look down when I feel the cold crawl into my hand. He slowly places his pale hand over mine and concentrates on our tangled fingers, looking at our adjoined hands like they were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
"Don't let go," He whispers. I look up at him and his eyes are already on me, the intensity of those blue orbs, the world blurring in them. They are like a light in the darkness, not asking for attention but attention given to them nonetheless.
"Okay."
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Dont KILL ME FOR THE LATE UPDATE! Schools BEEN SOO STRESSFUL AGHH! And ITS ONLY JUST THE BEGINNING!
Anyways HOPED YOU LIKE THE CHAPTER.... I didn't quiet Like It since Its a fast Chapter And its Boring!
Dont Be afraid To DROP THAT POSITIVE CRITICISM YALL!
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~Shey💃🏽