I met Lucas down the road and he was dressed in his black and white plaid pajama pants and a plain white T-shirt. I was walking slowly down the road, holding myself and he immediately ran up to me and hugged me. His embrace was warm. His embrace made me feel safe for the first time in a long time. I tried hard to hold in the tears. I wanted to be strong in front of him. I wanted him to see the girl he grew up with, the girl that he was best friends with. His hand caressed the back of my head.
“Hey, it’s okay. I’m here.” He whispered in my ear. I started to shake and the tears just overflowed like a broken dam. “What happened.” He pulled my head away from his chest and used his thumbs to remove the tears that stained my red cheeks.
I shook my head not answering him. He looked at me in th
