AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You have nothing to apologize for,” I told her before cutting the engine and turning to look at her.
Jesus Christ, what was wrong? Had someone given her shit at school?
She looked terrified.
“Johnny, I, uh…” Her words trailed off as she flicked her gaze toward the small terraced house at the end of the street and then back to me. “Please don’t tell,” she finally said, voice small, eyes wide and full of unshed tears.
I frowned, feeling my heart race. “Tell what, Shannon?”
She tucked her hair behind her ears and exhaled a shaky breath. “What I did at school.”
My hands twitched on the wheel as I fought the urge to pull her onto my lap and hug her.
“I’m not going to tell anyone anything,” I said in as gentle a tone as I could muster.
“You promise?” she croaked out.
I nodded. “I promise.”
Shannon exhaled another ragged breath. “I’m sorry… It just… It happens when I get scared.”
My blood ran cold.
“What are you scared of, Shannon?” I surprised myself by how calm I sounded when I was two seconds away from losing my shit right here in this car. “Did something happen?”
“Happen?” she whispered, biting on her bottom lip.
“At school?” I nodded slowly. “Was someone giving you hassle?”
She closed her eyes and bit down even harder on her lip, so hard that I reached over and pulled it free from her teeth.
“Don’t,” I coaxed.
Her eyes popped open. “Huh?”
“You’ll hurt yourself,” I told her, retracting my hand even though it was the last thing I wanted to do.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“You don’t need to be sorry,” I replied in a thick tone.
Shannon dropped her gaze to stare at her clasped hands, and after an achingly long pause of silence, she nodded to herself.
“I better go inside now,” she finally said, voice small. “Thanks for the spin.”
I watched as she unbuckled her seat belt and opened the door, and panic flared to life inside of my stomach, which made no sense because I didn’t know what the fuck I was worrying about.
“You’d tell me, right?” I called after her when she was out of my car. “If something was happening to you?” I leaned over the passenger seat to look at her, knowing I was making a hash of this, but needing to say it anyway. “You’d tell me if someone was giving you trouble at school?”
Shannon stood with her hand gripping my car door for the longest moment, big blue eyes locked on mine.
Finally, she nodded.
I felt my body sag in relief.
“Bye, Johnny,” she whispered and then she closed the door.
“Bye, Shannon,” I muttered to myself as I turned the key in the engine.
