Flicker by Arreyn Grey Page B

either.
                  “That bad, huh?”
                  Elise shrugged, keeping her arms crossed tightly and protectively over her chest. “Look, there are things... things you don't know about me. I don't want to talk about it; please don't ask. But maybe it would be better for me to just keep living the way I have been, and for you to forget you ever met me.”
                  There was a pause, and Elise heard leaves rustle above her head as the wind whispered through the trees beside them. Closing her eyes for a moment, she breathed deeply, stilling the turmoil inside herself with the reminder that nature was a constant, and would never let her down. A prickling at the back of her neck told her Alex had come up behind her, so she wasn't surprised to hear his soft voice so close to her ear.
                  “Better for whom? Because you are not happy the way you are now.” He said it gently, but with absolute surety, and Elise's heart clenched at the knowledge that he had seen through her, had witnessed her pain. She was surprised to find that she wasn't embarrassed by his exposure of one of her secrets-- rather, it was a relief to share the burden. Everyone said sharing secrets lessened their weight, but she'd never found that to be true until now. Maybe, if it worked with this tiny nugget of truth, it would also be the case with... but Elise stopped herself from completing the thought. Plenty of people were unhappy, especially in high school-- that wasn't an abnormal truth, or an ugly one. No one would hate her or blame her for a little teenaged depression. But there was no way she could tell him the rest.
                  And yet, for the first time in years, when Elise tried to curve her mouth into the mirror-perfected smile she could wear on command, it wouldn't come. Instead, a tiny sob shook her shoulders, and she quickly squeezed her eyes shut, bearing down on her emotions. She had to keep everything locked tightly inside-- it was the only way to get through the day.
                  “Better for both of us,” she said when she could speak without her voice shaking. Once she was sure her face was composed, she raised her chin, shaking her hair back and turning to him. “Look, Alex, I told you before-- I'm ugly. You don't want to get mixed up with me, with my life. It's bad for you, and it'll let all sorts of things out that are bad for me, too.”
                  In a movement so fast it was blurred to her, Alex reached out and grabbed her hand, and Elise had to stop herself from jerking back. “Little girl,” he said, that trace of an accent she couldn't place back in his voice. “I have seen things you could never imagine, and done things you don't even want to think about. Give me a few days to ensure my information, and I will answer all your questions, and more. But don't ever say that you are ugly, or that you could hurt me. The former is not, and could never be correct; the latter isn't for you to decide.”
                  Transfixed, she gazed into his deep blue eyes, recalling the first day she'd met him, when she felt like he was piercing her with his gaze, opening her up and looking into her soul. The fervor with which he spoke gave the impression that he was driving the words straight into her mind, giving her no choice but to believe. Finally, she nodded, acquiescing quietly to his point. He gave her a small smile.
                  “So, I didn't ask,” he said casually, tactfully releasing her. “What on earth were you doing in my lunch? Aren't you supposed to be in class right now?”
                  Her laugh was a little bitter. “Yeah, I cut prob and stats class to come looking for you. I thought I'd visit you, since you were kind enough to come see me yesterday.” As they spoke, she turned and began to walk slowly away from the school, toward the park at the end