The Story of Us Read Free Page A

already heading down a hallway that led into a very big kitchen. She started to go for a bag of chips but couldn’t reach them.
    â€œHere, let me help you with that.” I grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up in the air so she could reach the chips. She was small and extremely light. She looked like the kind of girl who would snap if you hugged her too tight.
    â€œThanks. I don’t know why everything in this house is up so high.” She flashed me a smile but immediately looked away. “So, why don’t I give you a tour?” She grabbed my hand and led me out of the room.
    The rest of the house was pretty much the same. Fancy furniture, sculpted pieces of art, and hand-painted walls. “And the grand tour ends here!” She flung open a door and then jumped on the bed. This must have been her room. Most of it was white furniture, and she had hung up Christmas lights all throughout. She had pictures of her old friends and her old life. I didn’t realize all that she had given up and left behind when she moved here.
    I turned around and jumped up on the bed with her. She was just texting on her phone and looked like she was getting upset. “Are you okay?” I asked.
    â€œYeah. It’s just my mom. She had another fight with my dad and she always vents everything to me.” She tossed her phone on the pillow and got up to head to the bathroom.
    I waited for about ten minutes, but she still hadn’t come back. I went up and knocked on the door. “Hey, is everything all right in there?” I heard sniffling and the door swung wide open.
    Her eyes were all red and puffy and she had tears running down her face. I immediately grabbed her and hugged her real tight. She started crying again and held on to me while I started rubbing her back. I had no idea what was going on, but I knew something was hurting her. “It’s all right,” I told her. “Everything is going to be all right.”

Violet
    I didn’t know what happened. One minute I was hanging out with Nash and having a good time. The next, I’m bawling my eyes out onto his shoulder. I could feel him hugging me tight and he started rubbing my back. I barely knew the guy, but I felt so safe with him and I knew I could trust him.
    He grabbed my hand and sat me on my bed. He ran back into my bathroom and grabbed some tissues for me.
    â€œI’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened. A lot has been going on in my life and I couldn’t hold it in much longer.” He just started rubbing my back again and told me it was fine. He could tell that I was hurting and must have had a lot of pain in my life in the past.
    â€œIf you ever need to talk, just know that I’m always here to listen,” he said. He gave me another hug and squeezed me tight. He was a lot stronger than he looked.
    â€œYou probably think I’m a complete freak. I barely know you and I just started crying my eyes out in front of you.” I was worried that I might have lost the first person who’d helped me since I moved here.
    â€œI don’t think you’re a freak. You obviously have a lot going on and you hold back a lot. Do you want to talk about what just happened?” His big blue eyes looked down at me, and he had a concerned look on his face.
    I just shook my head. I wasn’t ready to explain all my issues to him. “Not yet. I just kind of want to be left alone. Is that okay?”
    â€œYep, that’s fine. I’ll give you some space. Just text me if you need anything.” He gave me another hug, and as we separated he gave me a quick kiss on my forehead. I started to blush like crazy and he just smiled as he walked out the door.
    After he left, I took a long shower and changed into my pajamas. No one was home yet so I decided to put in a movie before I went to bed. I popped Mean Girls into my computer and lounged around for the rest of the night. I still wasn’t