Chapter Ten

My plan; avoid Liam for the rest of the trip. Was it a good plan? Nope. Could you really evade someone so easily in such proximity to one another? Of course not! But I did my best to stay hidden. Not having to directly talk to him or dodge looking at him at this stage was the best I could hope for right now. Even avoiding any instance where I may get stuck in the same room as him, took all I could manage.

After Dawn and Ellen brought me back, everyone was blaming Liam for making me cry. Which, his hurtful words didn’t help the situation, but I’m not so sure it was entirely his fault. Even my father was drilling me about it, but I couldn’t defend him because everything that happened caused me to shut down. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if it was Liam who made me start crying or not.

Later that night, when I had calmed down, my dad wanted to talk to me in the RV. Closing the door behind us, he waves for me to go to the back. Leading me back into the bedroom where he was staying for the weekend.

The room wasn’t a complete mess, but you can tell it was being lived in. He had a mesh bag in the corner of the room, by the closet, filled with clothes he had worn while on the trip. His pajamas were left strewn across the unmade bed.

I sat at the foot of the bed while he stood by the entrance of the room. He didn’t want Mr. and Mrs. Hall to be a part of our conversation, more likely because he didn’t want me to spare any details that Liam may have caused to upset me.

“Are you alright?” His eyebrows furrowed. His brown eyes were staring at me with deep concern. The wrinkles on his face were more pronounced. I hadn’t noticed the wrinkles that are now much more defined than before, from years of worry and hard work in the sun. His arms were crossed as he leaned against the wall in front of the door.

“Yeah. I’m okay.” I replied unconvincingly. My eyes felt heavy. They stung and were most likely puffy from bawling my eyes out.

My father gave me a firm look. “Was Liam rude to you again?” His face showed anger as his imagination got the better of him. “What did he say? What did he do?” I could only imagine what scenarios were playing through his mind.

“He was kind of rude…” I state honestly, as I nervously fidgeted with a loose thread on the blanket. “But, if he wouldn’t have shown up when he did… We would be having a different conversation right now…” My eyes started to become teary again.

“What do you mean?” My father questions, perplexed by my explanation.

I let out a jagged breath before telling him what happened as I wandered around down at the lake. I left out some very distressing details, like a strange drunken man kissing my neck while holding me in place, to spare my father further anger. And to keep him from searching for the guys along the lake.

“Well, I guess I should be thanking him then…” My father states in a disgusted tone, not wanting to admit that Liam could be capable of helping anyone but himself.

I shrug.

My father hugged me. “Don’t ever go out anywhere by yourself again!” He continued sternly. “It was a reckless idea for you to walk alone. Especially nowadays… And I’m sure Liam was trying to tell you that, though he could’ve been nicer. But… he is Liam…”

“Yeah… I guess…” I reply, still playing with the loose thread.

Most of the next day was long and boring. I didn’t really do much and my friends stayed with me the entire time, refusing to leave my side. We went down to the lake a couple of times. They swam while I sat in the sand and watched. They would call for me to join them, but I kept telling them no.

Since the day before, I felt like something broke inside me. Even though nothing too traumatizing happened, I just didn’t feel like participating in anything fun, especially with Liam around.

Unfortunately, whenever we would go down to the lake, Liam and Oscar weren’t too far behind. It was most likely Mr. and Mrs. Hall’s idea, along with my father’s. Whether they wanted to be there or not, it didn’t matter. They were there. With Liam watching us closely with his black eye.

When they would follow, I just wanted to run back to the room and hide. But I couldn’t. There was nowhere to hide from him. So I’m stuck sitting in the sand with my crush, who I loathe at the moment, a few feet away from me.

While Liam and my friends were swimming, Oscar came to sit by me, which made me feel extremely awkward. He just sat there, not saying a word. Now and then, I would notice out of my periphery that he would glance over at me as if he wanted to say something but wasn’t sure if he should.

After a few minutes of this, I couldn’t take it anymore. Curiosity and frustration got the better of me. “Why are you sitting next to me?”

“They are swimming, and I don’t want to. And I didn’t want to sit alone.” He replied openly as he drew circles in the sand with his finger.

The thought of Oscar being innocent took me aback. “Oh… Okay.” I state, feeling guilty for assuming he had something snarky to say.

“Are you mad at my brother?” He questions. His brown eyes, which looked like Liam’s, showed sadness.

It was remarkable how much he resembled Liam from his brown eyes to his short black hair. Even some of his facial features were the exact same. “A little,” I answer with shortness.

“Why? If he didn’t show up when he did…” He stopped drawing in the sand to look at me.

“I’m grateful for that,” I utter shortly not wanting him to continue. To be honest, I’m surprised Liam told him about all of that. Which lead me to wonder if he left some details out while speaking to a twelve-year-old.

“He even has a black eye now because of it.” Oscar continues defending his brother. “How could you be mad at someone that saved you from something like that?” His voice questioned, baffled.

“It’s not about what he did, it’s about how he treats me and what he said after everything was done and over with.” I continued, prying my eyes away from Oscar as I stared at the water.

“Oh…” He replies with a bit of sadness as he starts to draw in the sand again.

“Why are you concerned about whether I’m mad at him or not?” I ask, curiously.

“I was just wondering…” He states, hesitantly.

I stare at him confused. He was acting too differently. “What’s going on with you?” I continue in a manner that was more concerned than offensive.

“What do you mean?” His little face contorted, genuinely bewildered by my question.

“Something is obviously bothering you. So what is it?”

“Nothing… I just…” Oscar stammered, trying to collect his thoughts. “I just became worried.” He finally says while his cheeks turn red.

“Worried?” I question becoming even more perplexed. Could he feel worried about other people? “About what?”

He doesn’t respond. A look of suppression crossed his face. Whatever was troubling him, he didn’t want to admit.

“Is it about me?”

His head nods as he looks away.

A weak smile plays on my lips. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be okay.”

But something else appeared to bother him still. Though, I didn’t want to pry.

Later that evening, my friends and I were in the bedroom we were sharing, talking about the day. This is when I told them everything that had happened the day before, without leaving out any details, as they listened in horror, holding on to me.

“It’s a good thing Liam showed up when he did!” Ellen states in shock, as she pulled her short brown hair into a small ponytail with her blue eyes showing amazement. “After we got back from the lake, he was the first one to ask where you were and ran down to the lake to find you.”

“Yeah, but he didn’t have to say such mean things to her!” Dawn retorts still upset with how she found me. Her blue eyes were narrowed with anger.” Why would you say something so hateful to a person who just experienced something traumatic?”

“It wasn’t necessarily traumatic, though, what it? I mean, it could’ve been a lot worse.” I state.

“I would think so,” Dawn replies. “Regardless, you are still left wondering what if Liam hadn’t shown up in time. What if none of us came looking for you at all? You could have been left deeply scarred or dead…” She continued, sadness painting her voice. “If that doesn’t constitute as traumatic, I don’t know what does. But you shouldn’t focus on that. Accept the fact that Liam was there to prevent anything further from happening.” Stating quickly, noticing the look on Ellen and my face.

“How cheery…” I return sarcastically. “I feel much better.”

Sometime during the second day of our vacation, Liam told his parents what had happened the previous day. The reason for telling them was more likely because they were continuously asking him what happened to his eye since it was badly bruised, with him walking around with a bag full of ice on his eye.

After they realized the seriousness of the situation, they were very apologetic to my father and me. We couldn’t walk into a room without receiving a remorseful stare.

“Honey, I am so sorry for what happened!” Mrs. Hall’s voice testifies with sadness. A frown displayed on her face with her eyes showing grief.

“If we would’ve known such horrible people were around here, we wouldn’t have brought any of you here!” Mr. Hall declared with the same facial expression as his wife.

“It’s not your fault for the way people behave,” I would answer, trying to forget about it. “It wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t walk off anyway.”

They both hug me, asking me if I was okay and continuing to apologize.

“Tyler, we are so sorry for what happened to Bree!” Mrs. Hall continued, seeing my dad walk into the room.

“Don’t worry so much about it!” My dad states. “It’s done and over, she’s safe, we are all okay.” He continued with a smile.

“But—“

“Now Calia, please settle down.” My father interrupts her thought, putting his hand up. “Nothing serious happened. Besides, I’m not going to blame you or Will for the actions of others. Let’s just hope Bree has learned not to wander around strange areas.”

It was my fault… I always cause trouble.

By the last day of our weekend getaway, everyone knew what happened and everyone felt the need to keep a close eye on me. I was happy, to say the least when it was the last night. We had only been gone for three days, yet it felt like years with everything that has happened. The trip started so wonderfully, but by the end of it, I wanted to go home.

Home… A place that I no longer have… I thought, sitting on the back porch of the lake house, listening to the water from the lake flowing in the distance. The frogs and bugs chirping, making the cool night air noisy. As I sat in the chair, I had my head leaned back against the top of the backrest, gazing at the night sky above.

The trees were blowing in the cool wind, making me feel a little chilly. But I didn’t want to go inside, not yet. Not until everyone was asleep.

I needed to come up with a plan to stay away from Liam. A way to keep my sanity. If I allowed my father to know any of the things Liam has said to me, he would move us out without anywhere else to go. I couldn’t have him living in his truck again. And I didn’t want to be the cause of my dad having animosity with his long-lost childhood friend. There were so many good things about Mr. and Mrs. Hall. I didn’t want to be the cause of their friendship deteriorating, especially not after they just reconnected. And not because one of their children is a bully.

So what am I to do…?

Maybe I should look into getting a job. Then I could save money to find my own place and move out. My dad wouldn’t be happy about it. Not to mention, even considering the idea pained me. Mr. and Mrs. Hall have been such wonderful hosts. They have been like a second set of parents to me. How could I even think of leaving them and my dad?

“Are you going to avoid me at home as well?” Liam’s voice broke my internal turmoil.

I’m not going to respond… I thought to myself, wanting to ignore him, wanting to fight against the urge to say something, but I couldn’t help myself. “Yes, since I’m such a nuisance to you. I might as well pretend you aren’t there so I won’t cause you so much trouble.” Snapping at him, my voice colored with anger as I glare at him.

“Good, maybe it’ll finally be quiet in the house again. Everything could go back to normal.” Liam interjects smugly.

His words irritated me as I stared him in the eye. “If this trip has taught me anything, it is that I am stupid for ever thinking you could feel the same as me. I spent years pining after you, wanting to catch your attention, yet too afraid to do so.” Resentment built within me as my voice raised. “And now, I understand why I couldn’t even talk to you. Now I know why I should have never said a word to you.” My voice dropped, with realization. “Now, I will pretend you never existed. Now, I can look for someone who will love me…”

As I stared into his deep brown eyes, sorrow flashed through them for a split second before irritation consumed them. “You are going to pretend that I don’t exist?” He questions, as his face grows closer. “Do you think that you are capable of switching your heart on a dime?” His voice sounded firm, yet seductive. Liam’s face showed cold and uncaring, while his eyes showed an emotion I couldn’t yet recognize.

“Why not? When I move out, it will be even easier to forget you.” I retort. His face was still close to mine, making me feel uncomfortable. It became hard to breathe, hard to swallow, and difficult to talk. “I’ll find someone who doesn’t tease me, mock me, and doesn’t do everything in their power to humiliate me.” Even with the struggle, my eyes were narrowed as I scolded him, but my voice trembled. “There are plenty of people out there who would be kind to me. Someone who could love me for me, without being overly critical or instantly irritated by my presence. And that person will be better than you could ever be!”

A smirk played on his lips before they met mine. Shock and amazement filled within me His tongue brushed against my lips, without thinking I open, allowing his warm sweet tongue in. He begins kissing me passionately. My heart started to race while my brain stopped, as my core melted. I yearned for him to do more, ached for him. His sweet kiss drew me in even more, as I waited for him to touch me. My first kiss…

I wanted to feel him, touch him. But I wasn’t sure if it would be okay. I was too nervous to pursue my fantasies.

But as suddenly as the kiss began, it quickly stopped as Liam pulled his face away. A malicious smile played on his face. “Good luck forgetting about me then.” He responds, getting up and walking inside.

I sat horrified. What just happened? Could someone stoop so low to taunt another? The excitement that had rushed through me, the thought of the first time I had ever been kissed, soon became a joke. My excitement soon dissipated as my heart grew heavy. An ache filled my chest, and it became harder to breathe.

Liam made me feel hope for a second. He made me feel happiness before shattering the illusion that I could pretend that he didn’t exist. How could he torment me like this? How could a person be so cruel? Moments ago, I had been filled with a sudden determination to move on that soon crashed and burned.