A piercing scream echoed throughout the room. He stood back for a moment, stunned. It took him several seconds to realize it was The Girl, staring at him in horror. This whole time he thought- he dreamed- she would understand, that she would love him. But she was looking at him with disgust and fear. He had seen that look far too often. He knew it. He gulped and tried to find the words to explain, to plead. Nothing came out. He thought she would see him for who he was, but she didn't. To her, he was a monster. She was no special girl. She was just afraid. She was one of them.
A voice rang in his head. "You've learned nothing."
No. He did. He learned a lot. He would never be accepted, forgiven. He could never atone for the things he did. He hated himself then. And he hated her. He didn't want to, but he did. She was crying hysterically and pointing and telling him to leave. Pleading for him to just go. He wasn't protecting her, he was invading her privacy, her safety. He felt sick as he stood there, frozen.
"Why won't you leave?" She asked, trembling.
"Because I can't" he said softly, "I can't"
"I want you to go," she said, determined. He looked at her, angry and confused. He slowly backed away and left. He walked down the harsh lights. He wanted to die again if he could. Everything was worse now and he didn't know why. What happened?