The Story Of Us(Original)

26

Fallon and I didn't speak for nearly a week. It was his day off, so I stayed in the room using his laptop to search for my aunt Cara back in California.

I didn't have much to go on besides her name; hoping I would find anything about Cara Bianchi. I did. Thousands in California alone, but not the one I was looking for.

The pressure was getting to me. It was two-and-a-half weeks until Fallon began school and, despite his insistence I stay, I wanted to make my self-imposed deadline, whether it was with my father's family or not.

"Hey." Fallon entered the bedroom unannounced.

"I could have been changing," I said emotionlessly.

"You only change in the bathroom, and it's not like it's anything I haven't seen before." He closed the door behind him.

"Well, it's something you'll never see again, so knock," I muttered as I read through an article about my father, hoping to find some kind of familial mention.

It was weird. There was a photo of myself and Wrenner but our names weren't mentioned. I knew from memory, Cal's prison confessions before his death created a buzz but, as I clicked through pages of internet searches of the California Butcher, it was almost as if he didn't truly exist.

No death record. No family to name. Dozens of conspiracy theories surrounding the prison riot in which he was killed, but Callahan Bianchi didn't exist outside that one article from the night he was arrested.

"I... got you flowers." Fallon hesitated.

I love flowers. They're a reminder that no matter how ugly the world can be something beautiful will always find a way to thrive. I looked up to see Fallon standing with a bouquet of tickseeds, Hibiscus and Aster; in his socks so he didn't track in the rain.

I don't know why, but it was a funny sight. It was also the first time someone had gotten me flowers. Pressing my lips together, I tried not to smile.

"Why?" I took a calming breath, reminding myself how awful that boy could be.

"Because I love you and you love flowers."

I gave in and smiled; closing the laptop and getting to my feet. I remember how relieved he looked as I walked over and took my gift.

"Stop saying that." I leered at him, dumping them into the bin.

"Come on Rue, I'm trying!" Fallon pleaded

"To fuck me!" I barked. "Come on Fallon, what did you expect? You would give me some flowers and I'm just supposed to be okay?"

"No. I don't know. I just, I don't want you to leave me, Rue." He complained.

"It's not about you, Fallon! I need to be somewhere I feel safe and I don't feel safe with you."

He looked hurt. Fallon taking my hands and promising he didn't mean the things he said and he would never hurt me again.

"You did." I pulled away. "And I did - I do. This was a bad idea, Fallon, all of it. I should have—"

Fallon yanked me forward and wrapped his arms around me. "Baby, I love you," he said for the thousandth time, but it didn't lessen the sting.

"No you don't, and stop calling me that," I groaned, trying to ease away.

Fallon held tight, refusing to let me pull away as he repeated his words. "I love you. I'm in love with you and I want to be with you forever but I don't think that's going to happen if you disappear."

My pounding heart muffled his words. I wanted it to be real but Fallon's track record with the truth sucked.

"Am I supposed to believe that?" I slipped away.