Fated to be With the Enemy

"Hey!" I called out as soon as I walked out the backdoors of the middle school and looked out to the empty field, seeing her immediately. I had seen the way she was being pushed around and bullied, and I felt guilty for allowing it to go on as long as I had. Even though an argument could be made so that it wasn't my fault, I knew there was no reasoning my way out of it. I knew she was innocent of all the accusations everyone was throwing around, and, after seeing the way several of the students beat the crap out of her while she cowered away from them, completely oblivious to what she had done to deserve the beating. Of course, I should have saved her at that exact second. However, thanks to Derek and the others, I was sent to the office while the teachers looked the other way so she could get what they assumed she had coming. I had promised myself that I would confront her the next time I saw her. The last thing I expected was to see her after school. She turned around as soon as she heard my voice from across the field, and I saw the color drain from her face as soon as she saw me. Even though I had never done anything to hurt her, I noticed she was skittish around everyone she didn't know. As I stepped down onto the sidewalk, I watched her turn heel and rush off as fast as her tiny legs could carry her. Immediately, my instinct was to chase her down and give in to my deepest desires. No matter what everyone said, this type of thing didn't get any better over the years. Part of me knew I should leave her alone, especially after seeing the brief look of terror on her face as soon as she saw me, but the other part wanted to get this over with. So, I did the one thing I could do. The world around me passed in a blur of colors as I swiftly closed the distance between us, my hand reaching out to rest in her shoulder as soon as she was within reach. She looked so beautiful while she ran, and I was wondering how it would feel to hold her close. I was about to grasp her shoulder when she whirled around, her deep blueish-green eyes filled with fear as she stared me down. "Don't touch me!" she screamed almost as if she was afraid for her life. "Whatever it is you think I did, I didn't do it. Please, just go away and leave me alone." Shock and disbelief tore at me as I struggled to comprehend what had just happened. There was no way she should have seen me coming... As fast as I was running, no one should have been able to tell that I was drawing closer until I was right there next to them. It didn't matter the distance. Tears were streaming down her face as she stared me down, the fear in her eyes as evident as it was in the trembling voice she had used to scream at me. It was clear she was terrified of me, but it wasn't for the same reason as everyone else. This fear had been brought on by the way other people had mistreated her all this year, and I wanted to murder those who had done this to her. Unable to think of anything else to do, I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close, holding her tiny, trembling body against me. Despite the fact that she was screaming at me to leave her alone, I could already tell she needed someone to show her a little affection so that she knew that not everyone was against her. It was just a matter of trusting that she wouldn't struggle. Of course, she didn't. Her body was stiff, completely frozen in place as she struggled to catch her breath, hyperventilating into the soft fabric of my sweatshirt. Pulling her even closer, I rested my chin on her shoulder, putting my all into the hug as I started to smile. "It's okay," I reassured her, keeping my voice as calm and comforting as possible. "I promise, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm never going to let anyone hurt you again." Risking a glance down at her to examine her reaction, I was shocked when I saw her give in and wrap her arms around me, sobs escaping her as she hugged me back. A rush of more emotions than I could fully process overwhelmed me, and I felt my heart bursting in my chest as I let her cry into my chest, relieved that she hadn't tried to pull away. Instead, she let out every pent-up emotion that had been building inside her, making her so weak and vulnerable at this exact moment. All the while, I hushed her, comforting her by rubbing her back gently as I let her cry. When she finally pulled away and started rubbing her eyes, I smiled down at her. "My name's Hunter," I said before nodding towards the football field we needed to cross in order to go home. "Can I walk you home?" Sniffling, she nodded her head, all that fear and anxiety gone. "Yes, please," she said with a polite smile as she offered me her clean hand. "I'm Lily." Shaking her hand, I gave a playful bow. "Consider me your knight in shining armor," I said as she linked her arm with mine. "I promise that no one will ever harm you like that again."