Step Brother

A Break

Scarlett Johnson

"Scarlett, what's wrong!"

I heard Shawn call from behind me, but I ignored him and bolted through the front entrance of the school.

Shawn and I normally didn't drive to school because we lived so close and enjoyed walking together.

So I started down the pathway that I had walked on thousands of times and passed the brush where Shawn had shoved me down just to kiss me weeks ago.

I could still hear his footsteps behind me, and they only seemed to be growing louder by the second.

      "Scarlett stop!"

Shawn yelled, I was nearing the stop sign where Shawn had gotten hit by a car.

Flashbacks of the incident flooded through my mind, and tears started to well up in my eyes.

Just before I was a few feet away from the road, I suddenly stopped and collapsed onto the sidewalk below me.

Next thing I knew Shawn's arms were wrapped around me, and I buried my face into his chest.

      "It's okay... Everything's alright."

He whispered, I shook my head and balled his shirt into my fist not wanting to let go anytime soon.

     "Shawn, it's not okay. Nothing's okay anymore."

I whispered through the tears streaming down my face.

Shawn stood me up from the ground and wrapped his arms around me as he directed the two of us home.

     "Jack, Nash, and Adara know, now even Candace knows."

I stated after we had crossed the road, Shawn didn't say anything and continued pulling me onward.

    "What are we supposed to do Shawn, people that live in different places of the world are figuring us out? I can't worry forever, I just can't..."

I told him, he sighed.

      "Baby, I know this is hard. You just can't say stuff like that."

He started, I quickly pulled back from him and wiped at my tear stained cheeks.

      "You can't even hold my hand in public. You can't tell me you love me, we can't show the world what we are, and you know it!!!"

I screamed, Shawn tried to take a step towards me, but I placed my hands out in front of me.

      "Just don't... I-I need-d time-e..."

I stuttered out, the brightness in Shawn's eyes faded and I could see tears starting to form in his own eyes.

      "Please don't do this..."

Shawn begged, I shook my head and started to walk past him.

      "We should take a break."

I told him, I knew I was breaking his heart into a thousand pieces, but I needed time to figure out what I really wanted.

Living on the edge of secrecy was just not the life for me at the moment, and who knew where our parents relationship was headed.

Maybe I just had bad timing with the whole Shawn thing, and I just needed to wait it out and see where things went.

I talked myself through those same shitty words over ten times before it all sank in, and I lost it in tears after entering my bedroom.