Sunday was a big day; Caleb came over unexpectedly to tell my parents and siblings that we were now boyfriend and girlfriend. My mom cried and hugged Caleb, saying how wonderful this was, and my dad shook his hand and said,"You're a lucky boy, Caleb. Be good with my daughter." Caleb assured him that he will, sneaking a wink at me.
When my sister found out, she covered her mouth, gulped, and yelled,"Congratulations!", embracing the two of us and giving me a look that said,"Tell me more later." My brothers did something close to a victory whoop and high-fived eachother. While Cooper got the low-down on what happened from Caleb's perspective, Will picked me up(despite protest), ran to the other side of the house, and put me down, getting my side of the story along with a look at the ring.
"Wow, it's like you're engaged!"
I smacked my hand onto Will's mouth, blushing furiously, and whispered,"Never say that again." He held up his right hand, and while laughing so hard he could barely keep it together, Will swore that "those words would never escape his mouth again."
Then, after being with my family for a couple more embarrassing minutes, Caleb murmured in my ear,"Now that I told your parents, would you like to tell mine?" I shrugged, though honestly, on the inside, I was a nervous wreck.
"Why not?" I answered. So I told my parents where I was going, and then we headed off. Holding hands the entire way, I sighed when we got to Caleb's neighborhood and had to let go.
"One day we'll go right to our house without having to let go..." Caleb turned to look to see if the coast was clear, and then, suddenly, grabbed my arm and pulled the two of us behind a tree. I went to ask him what was happening, and then glanced where he was looking. And then I realized how bad things were.
Lisa was talking to Caleb's mother.
She was standing on the porch of his house, and his mom stood in the doorway with a bemused expression.
"Hi, Mrs.Nolicke!" Lisa said. "Is Caleb home?"
"He's actually out right now."
"Do you know where?" That's kind of stalkerish.
Caleb's mom's gaze drifted past Lisa over to where we were hiding, and she saw us. Surprise lightly registered on her face, but thankfully, Lisa didn't notice. Caleb shook his head really fast, signaling that he didn't want Lisa to know anything.
"Um, I believe Caleb said he was going to hang out with some friends, why?" We both released a sigh of relief.
"Er, for no reason. Have a good day!"
"You too, Lisa."
We waited until she was inside of her house, and then sprinted over to Caleb's house. His mom stood in the doorway, grinning as she held the door open. "I figured that you wouldn't want to see Lisa, especially with Emma being here." She turned towards me. "I picked up that she didn't like you."
I nodded, bent over and breathing heavily. Caleb said,"Thanks," and we all walked into the beautiful home, where Caleb's mom led us to the library. His dad was looking at different books, and the three of us settled into a conversation. In the middle of it, though, Caleb's mom gave a start and stared at my hand.
"Emma! That's a lovely ring! Where'd you-" She suddenly stopped, a hand slowly raising to her mouth as her eyes moved from my hand to his.
I felt my face go red, and I figured that it was about time to reveal our relationship. I took a couple of deep breaths. To me, this was about as painful as pulling shards of glass out of my throat. Not that I didn't like the two of us together, but it's just really hard to say. Especially to my other's parents.
"Why, thank you. Um, well, I-"
"Oh my gosh! This is wonderful!" his mom squealed. She embraced us two, and Caleb's dad glanced over, appearing confused.
"What's going on?"
Caleb's mom replied in a whisper immediately. "Honey, they're together!" The response had such an effect on his dad that he dropped a book. Caleb and I blushed. He came over and patted our shoulders. "Nice choice," he whispered to Caleb. To me, he said,"Watch him, okay? He's a little accident-prone, I think." I nodded, smiling. I'm happy that both of our families approve of our relationship.
Caleb and I left the library and walked into the backyard and behind yet another tree. I leaned against the trunk while Caleb stood in front of me. "Em, at school, I don't think it's quite a good idea for me to wear the ring. It'll raise a lot of questions, and I don't want you to get overwhelmed or hurt. Is that okay?"
"Of course," I replied. "Thank you for thinking about me." A pink flame rose in my face, and I looked at the ground. I really did appreciate him caring for me and all that.
Caleb hugged me, murmuring,"Thank you for everything." Leaning back, he pecked my cheek and smiled softly. I don't know exactly what "everything" is, but I guess I haven't messed up. Yet.
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About a week after that day, here I am, in my house, during a party. It's a rainy day, and it is almost evening. The party is with my dad's colleagues and their families. There's probably about ten people under the age of eighteen, and it's extremely awkward.
Wearing a black dress(which is pretty unusual for me) and black Converses, I stayed rooted to a spot near the stairway. I'm just so uncomfortable right now. It's been a kind of bad week for me, concerning Lisa. She's been very aggressive, throwing threats at me more than ever. Lisa, whenever Caleb or the others aren't around, would push me into lockers and walls. Once, she even dragged me into a bathroom and stuck my head under the faucet, getting my hair and shirt wet.
On top of all that, there's at least three yelling kids and there's a lot of noise overall, no matter where I go. I left dinner early and watched the other families and my own eat together. They all seemed so, I don't know, upbeat, now that I went. Before, when I was there, it was kind of quiet.
I began to breathe faster, and I felt tears stinging my eyes. No, no, no, not here, why? I quickly ran out of the house, snatching Will's phone along the way. It took me two or three times to dial Caleb's number, my hands were shaking so bad. It was drizzling as I stood in the front yard, an attack in motion, when he picked up.
"Hi, Em, what's up?"
"W-where are-hic- y-you?" The words came out lightly, a sob in between. I needed to see Caleb. He calms me when I have these.
"At the trail-are you alright? Is it an attack?" He sounded urgent now, and I could hear the rustling of leaves in the background. Thank goodness he's close by so I can reach him as quickly as possible.
I nodded, and then whispered,"Yeah. May I go to you?"
"Of course! I'll move as fast as I can to the entrance. If I am not there, just keep on going down the trail. Be careful!" I just hated to bother Caleb like this; I know he loves his time in the woods, and now I'm ruining it for him.
"Thanks. Bye."
I hung up, tears crawling down my face, and ran along the way I knew to the path. It had begun to rain harder, and the sun had lowered from sight, revealing the moon. Caleb wasn't there yet, so I blindly jogged down the trail, shaking uncontrollably and letting out a sob between breaths.
A quarter of the way through, I found Caleb, sprinting and looking winded. Seeing me, he slowed down and took me into his arms. Caleb lowered us to the forest floor, kneeling and stroking my hair as I clutched his shirt in my fists and wept.
"Em, it's fine, it's okay..."
I calmed down at last, soaked from the rain. I got a glimpse of Caleb and saw that, not only was he drenched, he looked exhausted as well. "I'm sorry for causing you trouble," I said, my voice hoarse from crying.
"Don't apologize. It's not something you can control. So, do you want to talk about it?" My goodness, Caleb is kind. I put him through a lot of things tonight, and he still wants to make sure I'm alright, even though I've stopped my attack. I don't know what I would do without him.
"Before I tell you, why don't you stay at my place for the night? It's the least I can do for you, anyway," I offered. "We can talk once you're dry and fed."
"Thank you."
We found our way back in the dark; thankfully, by that time, the party was dispersed, and everything was cleaned up. I returned Will's phone-I don't know how I didn't lose it. "You alright?" my mom asked. I nodded. She knows not to ask anything beyond that. We made Caleb dinner after he called his parents to update them, and then got him some of Cooper's dry clothing.
"Now, spill," Caleb said once we were in my bedroom. I told him what triggered the attack, and he replied,"Lisa needs to cool off, or I will tell somebody about this." He sighed, and then pulled me into an embrace. "I know you feel bad about this whole thing, bringing me in during your attack. Don't be. I'm always here for you. You tell me if you need me, and I'll go right to you."
"Thank you. You don't know how much that means to me." I continued on. "You are tired. Go to sleep, okay?"
"Okay." Caleb yawned, and then laid down on my lap. He smiled at me, and then closed his eyes, quickly falling asleep. I brushed his bangs out of his eyes. He calms me down, makes me happy, keeps me safe. He stays with me when I need him, and he cares for me.
As sleep pulled me down, I couldn't help thinking that I could never be luckier.
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Dear Readers,
Yay! I got this out at last, thank goodness. I've been working on other books this whole time, and I kind of got a blank on what to do next for Faded. But I'm back, so I am terribly sorry for the wait, and I love you all for still reading this. Also, thank you, The_Recovery, for getting me back on my feet with this book. You're the best!
Anyway, how's your summer so far? I hope it's good, and that you're having lots of fun. I will try to repost soon! Bye!
-Levilove6289