Landon followed worriedly, placing a hand on jer shoulder as they got outside. "Valerie? Don't worry.." *** "No.. I need to talk to him. Not you."
She looked terribly small, her back to him, and her voice caught in her throat. “God. Why can’t things just go right, Landon? Why can’t things just work out?” *** He frowned. “Are you sure?”
"Not this sucky," she told him, her hands on her forehead. "It's not... God. It's not supposed to be like this." * * * He frowned but pushed slightly. "But... I don't know. Maybe it would help if I just explained what I did."
He moved closer to her. "Let's try to relax, okay? It'll be okay." *** "Arlo," she mumbled, "I'm fine."
"It's not okay," she replied, shaking her head. "Landon, it's really not okay." * * * He sighed, looking down at her. "No, you're not. And that's my fault."
He hesitantly wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry." *** "It's fine, Arlo. It'll be fine. Everything is.. Hm."
She shook her head and her hands lightly landed on his ribs, resting her forehead on his chest. It was strange; her figure was smaller than it looked and she felt almost birdlike in his arms. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." * * * He cocked his head. "..hm?"
She gave herself a moment before pulling away slightly. She didn't meet his gaze, but instead straightened his coat. "You should go home," she said softly. * * * "What are you thinking?"
She paused before looking up at him. "Why not?" * * * He laughed in surprise. "Yeah. You're probably right."
"You should," she said, pulling away from him reluctantly. "You should have a bad feeling." She sighed and shook her head. "Go home, Landon. You'll see what I mean. It needs to be done." * * * He pursed his lips and shook his head. "What a mess."
She gave him a small smile, although it really seemed more for his benefit. "I know you are, but you shouldn't be. Don't worry about me." * * * He exhaled, cocking his head. "And the truth is...?"
She tucked her hair behind her ear awkwardly. "Yeah, well... Thanks." * * * He sighed and nodded, putting his hands in his pockets. "So... are you coming to school on Thursday? I... I understand if you don't want to."
