Blind Beauty (Currently Editing)

Chapter 26: I Love You

Watching Paige and Colin get off the bus, Bailey sighed heavily beside Brett while her body slumped over beside him. Brett sat there beside her quietly as he two was trying to figure out what he had just witnessed when suddenly Bailey started to raise her head and look at him.

"So...I'm sorry that happened."

Her cheeks were still a rosy pink, clearly embarrassed by her two friends and everything they said about her.

"It's okay, it was interesting."

"To be honest with you, Paige could do so much better then him. It's only because they've been dating since middle school and now they are to scared to break up."

Bailey looked out the window across from them, her voice trailed off as the bus drove past her friends.

"Jeez that's pretty crazy. So is it true though what they said about you being happy?"

Bailey knew he was holding on to that one. Her cheeks never lost their pink tint as Brett sat there waiting for an answer. Honestly he didn't know what he wanted to hear at that moment. If she said yes then what did that say about who she was as a person, when he wasn't around but if she said no then it almost seemed like he was nothing special and just another boy to pass through her life. Looking over at the girl she had a shy grin.

"Yea sadly in a good way though. You do make me really happy and I don't know where I'd be right now without you in my life."

Hearing those words summoned a warm smile on Brett's face, that greeted Bailey when she admitted the truth. Before she could say anything Brett wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a hug. It was passionate as Bailey put her arms around Brett finally feeling safe.

"So what are we going to do over the break, are we going to actually hang out and stuff?"

"Yea, I mean I'd like to at least once or twice if not more."

Something was wrong as the sentence ended Bailey turned her head away from Brett. A tear ran down her face falling to the seat. Brett wasn't sure what it could possibly be about, he hadn't said anything offensive or something else of that nature. This was completely out of nowhere.

Worrying about his crush Brett slid a little closer to her as he lifted her head and turned it to see her eyes. They were bloodshot. Whatever was bothering her was serious and he could see it in the darkness of her eyes. using his thumb he wiped away the tear that was half way down the one side of her face, and gave her a half hearted smile.

"What's wrong?"

"There's something I haven't told you."

The girls quiet mumbles strike Brett like a siren. They threw his whole life upside down in a mere second. The was it he knew it was to good to be true. A million thoughts raced through his head at that moment. Did she have a boyfriend? Was she pregnant? Was she a lesbian? He just couldn't control himself as the potential outcomes ran through his mind. Bailey could tell something was wrong with him as she let go of Brett's hand.

Brett adjusted himself so he was now facing Bailey head on, ready for whatever dark secret she had in store. She continued to avoid making eye contact, only to return to Brett gaze every so often as she felt safe looking into his eyes. Bailey went back and forth from the bus window to Brett until she finally seemed to be ready.

"What is it?"

She sniffed back the tears and cleared her nose as she managed to collect herself.

"I'm. I'm likely going to be moving back to my home town to live with my grandma in the summer, and I wont be coming back."

"Seriously."

Brett's heart started to beat out of control almost blowing through his chest. This was the one thing he didn't want to hear right now. He was crazy for this girl and now she was just going to up and leave. Even worse he had destroyed his friendship with Emma and for what. A girl he would never see again. Brett, unsure of what to do empathized with Bailey's sadness as she raised her hand and pulled the cord.

Ding was the last thing Brett remembered when his heart decided it was time for it to take over. Pushing his brain aside his heart was in full control. Beside him he looked at the defeated girl as she opened her mouth.

"Thanks for coming this far with me. But you don't have to finish walking me home if you don't want to. Have a nice life."

Bailey had lost it. She broke, tears spilling out of her eyes. Brett was close to crying as well but tried to man up for her sake. He was still lost in thought though when he watched Bailey head for the back door of the bus.

In a flash he ran all the scenarios he could imagine, if he lost this girl, That's when he heard the doors depressurize and Bailey stepped out into the world. He had to act now, Brett frantically grabbed for his bag, not even bothering to put it on his shoulder as he pushed through the door.

He stumbled out on the other side not allowing the doors to fully open as he tripped out onto the sidewalk. His bag fell beside him as he picked it up and threw it over his shoulder. Bailey had made some distance on him as he started to run to her, the books in his backpack bouncing off his back, thud after thud, slowing him down.

Bailey must not have been able to face him, as he was now only a couple feet away from her. She didn't even turn to see if it was Brett running for her when she felt his hand connect with hers. The two of them came to a halt, Bailey hesitantly turned around, tears streaming out of her eyes.

"Bailey," He couldn't help but tear up when he looked at the girl. It was the time to pull the trigger, knowing that he couldn't let her walk out of his life without having her know how he felt. "There is something I need to tell you as well."

The run was more intense then he thought as he took a minute to catch his breath, Their tears were mixing with one another as they fell onto the dry pavement. Until Brett finally felt comfortable enough to tell Bailey his secret. In that time as well Bailey tried to regain her composure the best she could while she waited for him.

"What is it?"

It was really happening Brett's attention was focused on his feet, his heart giving the orders as he looked up at the blurry eyed girl.

"Bailey I. I love you."

Even though he was a mess, the words couldn't have been said in a more serious tone. A weak smile crossed Bailey's face as she tries to fight back the oncoming tears.

"Brett. That's very sweet and I'd love to be your girlfriend...and do the whole long distance thing, especially with a guy like you. But I'm not ready for a relationship."

His once confident heart, shattered into a thousand pieces. The depression hitting him like a god damn truck that was on a rampage. He tried to fight through it concealing the pain, like he had done for many years, but Bailey knew what she had just done as she looked at the boy, just hoping that he understood what she meant.

"Oh."

"Sorry, you're a really good guy though."

Bailey's smile faded as she was now genuinely concerned about Brett. The two of them released each other's hands as the bond fell apart. They stood there for a moment before Brett finally broke the silence.

"Well at least that's a weight off my shoulders either way."

He managed to give Bailey a reassuring smile as he looked at her concerned face. She didn't deserve to feel concern for him. When Bailey saw that little glimmer of hope though she hugged Brett tightly never wanting to let him go while the last lone tear rolled down his face allowing him to regain himself and look at the girl.

"C'mon let's get you home."

He whispered in her ear as she smiled and let go of him. They begin walking down the sidewalk, their arms dangling at their sides as Brett feels Bailey's hand slither in with his and connected their fingers. The two looked at each other and smiled.