She sat on the couch observing both bracelets and carefully analyzing them. She wondered if they were really the same, as it gave her no peace of mind. If it was true, and it turned out that James was a boy from the past, then she would have no doubts about why he was so eager to help her.
She was a child. She was only thirteen years old. Lost and disrespected by others, she locked herself away and cried in corners when her peers teased her cruelly.
This older boy gave her the strength she couldn't find in herself. All it took was one meeting, one conversation, in which he asked her to stand up and show everyone that they had messed with the wrong person.
He gave her a bracelet that was to be her talisman. He promised that if she believed in it, then it would take effect.
Furthermore, he was right. She believed, only that she believed too much, and it destroyed her.
However, she was grateful to him that he spoke to her that day, and through this, she gathered the strength she needed. She rebelled and showed all the kids that she was not a person they could mock.
James had helped her in the past and was doing it again. If it wasn't for him... she doesn't know what would have happened to her.
- I think it's time for me to repay you. For everything," she said into the space, looking at his photograph. - In my eyes, only you deserve respect. You were the only one who could help me.
She carried the bracelet back to the bathroom and put it back in the same place. She did not want him to know that she had discovered the truth. Furthermore, she wanted to change towards him and treat him with more respect because he had long deserved it.
*
The hands of the watch showed fifteen o'clock. Chloe sat on the wall, swinging her legs and looking over her shoulder at the people who got out of the car. She had the afternoon off and was able to spend it in the company of her friends, as James had announced to her that he would not return until late in the evening.
Aaron was nervous, which could be seen when he glanced at his girlfriend. They must have had an argument on the road, and she must have been one of the reasons for their altercation, as Kylie looked as if she was planning to stab her in the back in an act of revenge.
Samuel, as usual, was bubbling with energy and irrepressible joy. He laughed under his breath and occasionally shook his head as he looked at his cousin and her boyfriend.
He was amused by their behavior as they quarreled over the usual silliness, acting like children rather than grown people.
- Chloe! - The boy raised his hand in greeting. She dismissively answered him, as she was still angry that he had not taken any interest in her at all that day. He didn't even ask if she came home safe and sound.
Aaron was the only one who wrote to her. That's why she told him about the whole situation and asked him not to tell anyone about it - not even her girlfriend.
He approached her with a drink. Chloe took the bottle from him, sending him a slight smile.
- Are you okay? - He asked, to which she nodded. - If so, tell me who is the man who came to pick you up in the middle of the night?
- Aaron... - she admonished him with one look, letting him know to let it go. - Don't be interested.
She was going to squeeze his nose, but the boy moved away in time.
- Why are you being mysterious about the man you live with? Samuel probably lied and he's some old grandpa? - He squinted his eyes, as if trying to read from her face whether he really hit the mark, but the only answer he got was a stern look from his friend.
- One more word about my employer, and I'll kick you in the bird's balls," she threatened.
He raised his hands, indicating that he was letting go.
- I prefer not to risk it because these eggs must be functional to produce a child for my beloved wife. - He winked at the passing Kylie, who nevertheless smiled slightly. He noticed that she was slowly passing and was already less angry with him.
Chloe took her phone out of her sweatpants pocket when the sound of a text message reached her ears. She blinked her eyelids as she spotted a message from her employer on the screen.
"I need your help. I'm texting you ahead of time because I hope you'll agree in the evening when I ask you one question. Think everything over and agree if you are truly grateful to me to accept my request."
The blonde stared at the phone with her mouth open, wondering what was it that James wanted to tell her? This message sounded very mysterious, and she couldn't think of anything meaningful.
- Did you see a ghost in this message? - She was snapped out of her reverie by Aaron's voice.
- Someone sent me a picture of you in boxers. I thought it was a skeleton," she bit back, tucking her cell phone into her pants pocket as her friend tried to preview her text message.
- You'd be surprised how muscular my belly is," he replied with indignation in his voice.
- Looking at your scrawny body, I wouldn't want to see the bones hiding under my shirt.
Her words offended the boy. He walked away from her, immediately complaining to his girlfriend and asking her to confirm that he was well enough built. Kylie nodded at everything and ignored her boyfriend's whining.
Samuel took advantage of Chloe sitting on the wall alone. He approached her and, showing his teeth in a wide grin, sat down next to the girl. He poked her shoulder when she didn't pay attention to him.
She was thoughtful.
- I get the impression that you are angry with me. You didn't behave like this until I invited you to join me.
- I'm not angry with you," she replied, glancing at his face out of the corner of her eye. - More disappointed, but whatever.
- Disappointed? Why?
The girl smiled under her breath.
- At first I was fascinated to find a buddy of my kind, but I guess my taste is changing because being in your presence no longer makes me happy. I think I got bored," she said. - She shrugged her shoulders, looking dismissively ahead.
She still couldn't get over the fact that she almost died at the hands of the psychopath living across the street from Sam. When she called him, he didn't answer. He didn't even ask her if she got home safely. Only now she found out that people of his ilk did not worry about others.
Something began to change in the girl since she met James. He impressed her. Eventually, he left a good impression on her when she called him in the middle of the night asking for help, and he showed up only moments later.
Would Samuel have acted the same way? Definitely not.
She wasn't going to put him off because of that. She liked him, nonetheless, but she knew he was not someone she could count on. Rather, he was the type of person she could call if she got together to sin in someone's company.
- Someone hit you on the head? Did you miraculously avoid death that you started talking so strangely? - He asked jokingly, but seeing her serious face, the smile came off his face. - Seriously, what about you, Chloe?
- I think I'm slowly beginning to understand life. I see how much I was destroying it when someone tried to help me many years ago. I have to appreciate it," she stated, rising from the wall. She wanted to walk away, but Samuel grabbed her hand, stopping her by her side.
- You mean the man you live with? - The boy furrowed his eyebrows. When she didn't answer, he realized that this was a confirmation of his words. - This is about him, isn't it? So what? He has accomplished that you are now going to turn into a good girl?
She twisted her lips in a tart smile.
- No one is talking about changing personality. I'm saying that I'm going to be more reasonable because so far, I've been acting like a shitty girl.
- You are starting to be a bore. I thought that with this craziness you actually resembled me, but it was just an appearance.
His words agitated her. Samuel crossed the lines when he called her a fake.
She couldn't afford it.
- I'm not surprised that your parents were fed up with you if you're such a turd," she announced to his face, and Aaron, who happened to be passing by, stopped in place and looked over his shoulder in surprise.
Samuel pressed his lips together, and agitation could be seen in his eyes. He was furious. The girl's words were too harsh and inappropriate to his situation.
- What did you say? - Kylie immediately interjected, intending to defend her cousin. - Take back those words!
- Kylie! - yelled Aaron, with his hand holding her around the waist to prevent her from jumping to her friend. - This is a matter between them. Don't interfere.
The expression on the blonde's face was arrogant as she looked at Sam and his cousin.
- Maybe it was mean, but you let me down first, Samuel. For your information, I have never been a phony because I despise such people," she announced, watching their faces. - I wish you a good time.
*
It was late evening. The girl sat on the couch, nervously scratching the fabric of her pants with her fingernails. Clenching her teeth in anger, she stared at the TV, where a program with actors was flying at the moment. Her thoughts were far from reality, so she didn't even realize why the audience burst out laughing so hysterically.
Chloe was furious because a colleague she had taken a liking to the very first time she met her claimed that she had been pretending to be someone she wasn't all along. She could expect anything from him, but not that he would be capable of saying something so outrageous to her face. She was disappointed in him, and very much so.
The sound of the front door opening woke her from her lethargy. She tore her gaze away from the TV screen and shifted it to the man who walked inside. He greeted her with a friendly smile, so she forced herself and twisted her lips to keep him from noticing that something was wrong.
Alas, he had a sharp eye and noticed that something was off about her.
- I hope it's not because of Chris' words that you are still in a bad mood. Ignore his rants because occasionally, he can be a real jerk," he spoke up, walking past the girl and heading for the kitchenette. He poured himself some water in a glass and took a seat next to her.
He looked carefully at the blonde, noticing that she was grimacing.
- It's not because of him. That idiot is at the top of my black list, so I'm not even concerned about his words," she replied. - I just had an argument with my buddy and I want to forget about it, but I can't. His words come back to me all the time.
- Did he offend you?
- Maybe what he said is not something outrageous, but I felt offended. He upset me and in the act of revenge I said something ill-considered," she gloated, lowering her gaze. - And so I will not apologize to him first. He has to do it because he started everything.
- I don't know how serious your situation is, but Chris and I often quarrel. Sometimes such a brawl ensues from minor issues that we don't speak to each other for days. Eventually, we get over it and talk to each other as if nothing had happened before. Quarrels between friends are normal," he stated. He rested his elbows on his knees and leaned forward.
Chloe lifted her face and looked at him. She noticed that he was tired after working all day. He looked as if he needed a relaxing bath and a comfortable bed.
- He started it, so I shouldn't care. Just why do I think about it so intensely and can't accept that I offended him? Offending people comes with unimaginable ease to me, and I never feel sorry for another person, but now? I feel awful.
- Because you care about this friend," he explained, sending her a slight smile. - Hence your mood.
As usual, his words were right on target. He was right.
- Your message... Did you want to ask me something? - She unexpectedly changed the subject, intrigued as to what was behind the text he sent her.
- I don't know if this is the best time.... Your mood is not appropriate for me to ask you this question. It's more of a request, and I'm putting all my hope in the fact that you'll agree," he explained, embarrassed, massaging the back of his neck.
She perceived that he was upset.
- My mood is not related to you. You can ask me anything or ask me for anything. - With her answer, she surprised him. This was not the Chloe he had known so far. Something had changed about her.
James was bold, so she raised an eyebrow when she noticed how stressed he was about the question he wanted to ask her. He nervously licked his lips and, seeing her urgent look, took a deep breath and finally got it out:
- You are the only woman who can accompany me to the company party. I would like it to be you. Can you agree?
The blonde blinked her eyelids, thinking about his request. She was puzzled for a long time and marveled when she suddenly burst into a stifled laugh.
James looked confused.
- What the heck, but that sucked. Were you really so stressed that you asked me about it so inelegantly?
He nauseated.
- Since when do you attach importance to elegance?
- Do you really want to take me with you? You know what my behavior is. As a company director, you should have a sophisticated woman by your side, not a primitive one like me.
- I don't want to. You were the first person I thought of when they notified me about the party.
Chloe was amused, observing his behavior. At that moment, he completely did not resemble the kind of guy he was every day.
- Do you trust me that much and believe that I will be able to fit in with all these people?
- Yes," he declared without thinking. - I see what you are really like, and I believe that you will be better than all those women who pretend to be sophisticated ladies.
- I should repay you for saving me. It's time for me to prove myself, isn't it? - With a smile on her face, she shrugged her shoulders, and this came as a giant surprise to James. - And you don't have to be afraid. I won't bring you shame, but I need stylists and other dolls to take care of my appearance. As you know.... I don't have the faintest idea about all this. - She wrinkled her nose, shaking her head.
When he dared to ask this question, he didn't think she would agree so easily. He thought she would immediately deny it and announce to him that she was sick in the head, but she answered: yes. Could it be that their relationship was getting better, and Chloe was beginning to be attracted to him?
He looked into her laughing eyes. At that moment, he remembered the situation from eight years ago.
He stood under a tree, once again watching as the girls teased the same peer, making her cry. He clenched his fists in anger when he saw them throwing sand at her. They disregarded the fact that they were pouring it in her face and caused it to enter the eyes of the short-cropped thirteen-year-old.
The girl began to cry shrilly, screaming that she couldn't see anything, and it was hurting her so much, and then James was unable to stand it and ran up to them. With one jerk, he pushed the mean girls away, who fell backwards onto the ground. They got scared, seeing the age advantage that separated them, and ran away.
The boy helped the thirteen-year-old and led her to the faucets, which were outside the wall of the building. He washed her face and eyes, then led her to a nurse and explained the whole situation. Chloe didn't know who the boy was, but she felt grateful because it was the first time someone had stood up for her.
Usually, all the kids were against her and teased her because of her shy character. She was closed in on herself and didn't play with anyone. They didn't like this and that's why they bullied her.
James repeatedly witnessed situations where they bullied the girl with short hair. Each time he helped her, from afar, throwing rocks or coming up with some other crazy idea that was always effective in driving the perpetrators away. As they fled, she would curl up tightly, her hands hugging her knees, and burst into silent sobs.
He watched her in this state many times, until finally — the day before he left the orphanage — he found her weeping in a dark hallway. She had been beaten up by her peers, and it was then that he gave her the bracelet. He told her repeatedly to believe that it was a talisman that would give her courage and help her get through life more gently.
Taking care of her was written for him, which is why he met her again in adulthood.