Can't Resist His Charm

I lie

Bryan

I see Damian hang up the call and stare at the phone in his hand a bit before he places it in his pants pocket and walks to us. And I say, “No Mel. It was just a robbery. But he doesn’t want to make a report for he didn’t see their faces-”

“Hey sorry about-”

“Sorry?” Mel turned immediately to face Damian as he took a seat on the chair next to her and gripped his forearm. “Why should you apologize when you were the one that was- goodness, look at your face.”

Mel hadn’t seen the bruised side of his face until then I realized when I saw the shocked expression on her face. See Damian’s bandage was more to the left side of his forehead while the right side of his face contained the discoloration. By next week he should be fine, plus with the medication…which he couldn’t afford.

Damian looked at me then gave her a playful pinch on her cheek, “I was apologizing for the phone call.”

I furrow my brows for since when was my girl friendly with this man to have him touching her face? I try to relax for I know he isn't attracted to her.

“Oh,” Mel’s voice was small as she retook her seat and looked at the table. “I am sorry for- uh- you know,” she points at his head and his bruised face, now slightly blue and red cheek and forehead with a sorrowful expression.

“You’re too cute Mel, why are you apologizing now?” Damian returned grinning. Huh. It seems that Mel and Damian were already friends without me... how long has it been? Three weeks…interesting Mel. Plus, he was dating my best friend.

“You know what I mean,” she mumbles. “You should call the cops still-”

“Mel, I told you he didn’t see their faces,” I interrupt her, giving Damian the chance then to inform her if he wants to. But he thanked me with his eyes and a slight nod of his head so I understood he didn't want anyone to know.

I nodded and stood up and Mel who was now the same shade as her morning dress- pink, huffed, “Didn’t you see? Weren’t you with him?” her tiny cute voice is angry now.

“I saw him after it happened. When I dropped you off last night,” I answered honestly and her face looked defeated. “Say, Mel, did my parents see you come in?”

“No,” she answered, “Why?” as I smiled and start walking towards my house.

I told my parents Damian was robbed after I asked him to pick up my jacket from the diner and I felt responsible for it. I add that he came over with Mel this morning too. My parents didn’t even question when I left the jacket, they just nodded with guilty looks. I figured since he didn’t seem to be in a rush to go home and remembering his hesitation from last night too that he might need a place to crash for a few days.

It’s not like he could afford anywhere, for his father had taken his money. I could offer food and shelter for a bit. I don’t even understand why I’m trying to help the bloke when I can’t stand him.

“What jacket? The one I saw in your room?” my nosy sister, Amanda pipes in and Mel laughs nervously while Damian remains silent. Amanda is twelve and felt she was the smartest person in the room always. She will be one day I am sure, for she can just read something and memorize it.

“Well, I don’t know, was it?” I sassed her, as I pull on her long red hair, “Maybe he already gave me this morning? Or maybe it was another jacket?” and she huffs and walks away. Gloria, our cook, smiles as she shakes her head and continues on her way upstairs.

Maybe it is because of my sister, I am helping him. The thought of her being all torn up and looking for me makes me think of Damian’s sisters. Maybe I was doing it for them- he looked worried about them when he had spoken of them before…however briefly. Amanda and I had mad love for each other although we bickered at times, it was all done in fun, however.

My parents of course bought it and invites him for dinner, which meant that he could stay over a bit more. I can sneak him in to stay another night for my parents wouldn’t be home after dinner. They had another function to attend and then Monday was school.

Just had one problem- my sister.

My parents left on schedule as they were never late for anything. Lucille, the babysitter, is already in the living room watching television. My parents insisted on someone being home with us, not for supervision but to make us feel like a reliable adult was around. Is she reliable? I doubted in an emergency situation she would be... Lu, as we call her, lived four houses away and was single in her fifties, childless. No, she wasn’t scary, nor was she weird. Lucy is adorable and didn’t like it when we disturbed her television time. She insisted kids were to be in bed by 8 pm and stay put. She was like family- a distant aunt that visited a lot.

“Hey man, I appreciate what you’re doing,” Damian says to me, hours later as I hand him the medication from the prescription. He pulled in his lips and bent his head as if he was embarrassed. I pat his shoulder and leave the pharmacy with him walking behind me.

We had just dropped Mel off, who insisted Damian meet Natalie, who is coming over to her house, and tell her what happened. I could tell that Damian didn’t want to and I didn’t understand why. He shook his head and told Mel she could do it and stopped talking then.

I am coming to realize that when he does not want to talk, Damian just does not.

Amanda is already in bed so Damian and I are in the game room just passing time until I can trick Lu. My phone beeps and I see it’s Mel, so I pause the game as I read it.

[How is he now?]

[He’s fine.]

[Okay. Good. People are so evil. Omg, I can’t believe they would do that to him.]

See, Mel feels it deeply as she was in a similar situation. Her trauma was worse though for she missed three months of school, followed by an entire year of therapy for her voice and emotional trauma. Yes, Mel had almost lost her voice. And her bullies were waiting for her return they had said to her when they visited her in the hospital along with her friends. Thank goodness her parents got her out of there.

That’s when Mel came to our school. A silent girl who kept to herself was what piqued my curiosity to ask the principal about her and he had filled me in. He briefed me only because of my parents' influence and the fact that I was an elite member has helped me come a long way. During the following months, Mel had confided the gruesome details to me. Of course, my friends and I set out to make her comfortable and were pleased to learn how beautiful her soul was. Mel was a gem and we welcomed her to our circle and the pretty girl soon became my girlfriend.

My father had an investigating team go to her last school but the bullies got away with just suspension and community service. It was sh*tty but Mel was just glad to be miles away from them. My broken-hearted Mel…then she had lost her grandparents soon after that.

I didn’t want to remind her of her past pain so I messaged back- [He’s fine Mel. Plus, he has his medication, so he’ll be good as new.]

[I know, his parents will take care of him.]

I can’t tell her that he was here. That’s not for me to say I feel, for I doubted Damian wanted to feel like a charity case. So, I lie. [They will. I’m heading to bed, Goodnight. Ily.]

[Luv u 2 babe.]

Damian had un-paused the game and continued playing without me and it irritated me so I hissed out, “I was winning-”

“Dude, go back to your girlfriend. I’ll play,” he answers quickly as he swerves and his body leans towards me along with the onscreen turn. “I never had a game before to play, just the arcades,” he finishes and I feel sh*tty again for I remember that not all were as privileged as me.

Never, not once had I ever gone through anything traumatic in my entire life. I have never lacked either and I feel…more than sympathy about it, at the moment when I look at him. He and Mel had my heart hurt.

I grimace and let him play. I can’t believe I feel bad for having a game- well I had more than the average games a teen should have but I don’t say so. I stare at the game on the screen and Damian clearly wasn’t a newbie for he showed some skills and even won the race. I nodded my head when he asked to play a different game.

Two hours later, I take Damian up to my room.