Accepting Anger [Clairebear]

I can see it in the way my blue eyes reflect back at me through his. He knows. He can't know, no one can know the pain I'm in. I quickly plaster a smile on my face and look up at him.

"Do you want to go there?" He asks me.

"O-Of course I do, why wouldn't I?"

(Horrible liar agogo~)

"I don't like being lied to."

I sigh, then bite my lip trying to find something to say. He's right, I shouldn't have lied... but I had to.

"I don't like being worried about." I mumble.

"Who is it? That hurts you...your father?" He asks.

"No." I answer quickly.

He can't know, no one can.

I can't tell him. I can't tell anyone, trust or no trust. To tell would be to give it all away, he'd find out he's hurt me, it'd all come crashing down around me. I cannot tell. I can't.

"Your mother? Brother?"

He says the word brother and my eyes flicker, muscles automatically clenching in anticipation.

"My mother's dead. And my father's the one who beats me."

I look up at him slowly and don't know what to say. Why is he telling me of all people? Just another question to add to my list. Does this mean I can trust him? What should I say back? The only thing I know I can say, the two words engraved into me since they died.

"I'm sorry." Because even when it's not my fault, it's my fault. Always is and always will be.

This time, I know she's not lying. There's no stutter, no fiddling with clothes, no insessent staring or refusal to look at me. She honestly doesn't know.

"I'm--" My words are cut short as flips over, clearly scared "What is it? What's wron? Are you alright?"

I look at her face, seeing her trying to be non-chalant, but its not very good. I know she doesn't want me to worry, but now at least she is ditracted from freaking out about her brother. Even so, I feel like I must say something to calm her some. There has to be something I can do to keep this girl safe.

"He can't hurt you here, you know that, right?" I know that if something were to try to hurt this girl, here in front of me, I would protect her. Nothing could truly hurt her, not with me by her side, because I don't think I could handle seeing her get hurt.

That's when I realize I'm doing it again. Caring all too much. I'm going to get hurt when I get home because of this girl, and I don't think she knows or cares. Whatever it is she's done to me, it means I just can't disappear from her life. There's something tying me to her.