I looked up at him, watching the white smoke from his cigarette wisk around his face against the dark night sky. As I leaned on the lamp post, the expression on his face alarmed me that he could tell something was wrong. Flicking the still burning cigarette to the ground, he gently wrapped his hand around my arm.

“You okay?” he asked nervously, looking me in the eyes.

“Alright,” I replied, looking down. “Lets sit on the curb here for a few minutes.”

He nodded in silent agreement, and we sat down on the broken cement. Not saying a word, we sat together, and he put his arm loosely around my waist. “You okay?” he repeated his question.

At first, I didn’t answer, holding back many emotions. He squeezed me, and I glanced up at him, eyes brimming with tears.

“Baby…” he whispered panicked, embracing me tightly, but I still felt the cool chill of the midnight wind, blowing my straight brown hair out of my face.

I turned away and let it out, but what I’d originally expected to be silent, ended up being deperate gasps for air, and drenching tears. Sobbing. I felt him put his hand on the back of my head and he pulled me towards his body.

“I love you, Melissa,” he said softly into my ear. “Tell me what’s wrong baby…”

It took a minute for me to regain my composure for long enough that I could once again, speak. Lips quivering, I responded, “I don’t want to tell you.” Who wants to be with a trainwreck? I already felt pathetic as is.

Sounding dIsappointed, he told me, “I hope you don’t think I won’t love you anymore if you don’t tell me… You mean a lot to me Mel. And its not like you’re the only one who has problems. I want to help you.”

I thought it through, weighing the pros and cons of telling him. He seemed sincere. “He hurt me, Chris. Really bad.”

“Who, Ryan? How?” he said unevenly, sounding unsure if he should have even asked.

“In every way you could possibly hurt a person.” I replied, flushing angrily. “Every way.”