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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


Dark clouds loomed overhead in the equally dark sky, threatening to release an abundant amount of rain over the college campus. A young man, of the age twenty, walked down the cement pathway leading to an outside dining area. There was a rose in one hand while the other rested by his side. He had the hood of his black sweatshirt over his head, shielding his crew cut from the world as he often did.

His pace slowed as he eventually approached a pretty female sitting at one of the ten picnic tables. She seemed to be in her own world, staring off into the night. It was because of this that she hadn't yet seen him, and he knew it. He pondered on the thought of scaring her but decided against it since she seemed to have something heavy on her mind.

"Hey Melanie," he greeted her as he took a seat beside her. "I brought this for you."

He tried to hand the rose to her but she didn't take it. At first she smiled but then she looked down guiltily. "Thanks Camden, I really appreciate it…but I can't accept it."

"Why?" A confused look appeared on Camden's face. "Melanie, is there something wrong?"

Before she could respond a loud roar of thunder sounded off, making her stiffen with fear. She clenched her teeth as she tried unsuccessfully to ignore the thunder.

Camden sighed as he remembered that she was afraid of thunderstorms. It was her biggest fear and secret and she had made him vow never to tell another soul. He didn't, in fact he forgot about it a lot of times because it didn't storm too often.

Melanie flinched as he put his arm around her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "Mel…it's okay; I'm here. What are you doing out here in the first place? Why didn't you just ask me to come to your dorm instead?"

It took her a few more seconds to regain the ability to speak. "Camden, I need to talk to you…about us…"

Camden stared at her, confused once again. "What about us?"

"It's hard to say but…I think we should take a break." She tried to make it sound as painless as possible; a futile attempt to not anger him.

"Did I do something wrong?" He asked a bit aggressively. "Is this about me getting into that fight? I said I was sorry but Vince asked for it; he knows better than to push me when we're playing basketball."

Lightning lit up the sky and Melanie shivered before shaking her head. "No, it's not about the fight…it's just…let's just say it's me."

"It's you?" He didn't believe her. "Is someone putting you up to this? I swear I'll break every rib-"

"No, it's not like that. When I said it was me I meant that I-I kind of stopped liking you-and started liking someone else."

Camden removed his arm from around her shoulders and looked at her incredulously. Slowly he clenched his fists and his face darkened significantly. Melanie had mentally prepared herself for this moment already because she knew that he'd get angry. She knew he'd want to start a fight with the next guy he saw because that's how he took out his frustrations. That's part of the reason she was breaking up with him; he had serious anger problems and she'd grown tired of having to calm him down every five seconds.

It's not like this just happened either; her feeling the way she did was built up over the months they were together. In the beginning, their relationship was really great and he rarely got into fights. But over time Camden began to act more impulsive and let his anger get the best of him. Melanie was always there to calm him down but after so many times it got tedious and not to mention irritating. It was almost as if he was a toddler that couldn't control his emotions and Melanie wanted to be a girlfriend, not a mother.

"Camden, please." She started to try to calm him down but thunder cracked again making her forget the rest of her words.

Raindrops began falling slowly as lightning flashed once more. Melanie shivered with fear and fought the urge to sprint back to her dorm. She began taking deep breaths and then noticed Camden was doing the same.

"You cheated on me," He stated after a while. "That's why you 'like' someone else."

Melanie was hurt by the accusation and it showed on her face. "No, I was always faithful. I would never do that to you."

"Yet you're leaving me."

"Cam-were just not compatible-you need someone more like you…and I don't." She mentally kicked herself as she replayed her words in her head. "What I mean is that you're just a little too violent and angry for me."

"I can change." Camden said in a soft voice suddenly. "Please, give me one more chance."

Melanie's eyes widened; she didn't expect him to say that. Camden was a strong guy that hated to appear weak in any way, yet here he was practically begging her for another chance. She suddenly felt bad about the whole thing. Half of her wanted to get rid of him and the other half wanted to give into him. For a few seconds she honestly couldn't choose but eventually she looked down and sighed. She knew the answer.

"I'm sorry, Camden."

He was silent for a few seconds, obviously hurt. He recovered quickly though and his anger returned ten times worse.

"Who is it? Who did I lose you to?" A hostile look appeared in his gray eyes that slightly scared her.

Scooting over a little, Melanie hesitated before speaking; she didn't want to say anything to make the situation worse. "I don't think I should tell you."

"Why not?"

"Camden…you almost killed someone because you thought they stole from you…and you were convicted of battery. If I knew that before I probably wouldn't have went out with you."

"Then why did you stay with me?"

"…I thought you could change."

"Don't insult my intelligence," Camden growled. "You thought I might hurt you."

He was right and Melanie winced at that fact but quickly moved on.

"That too, but listen Cam, we can still be friends...right?"

"No. There's no such thing as 'friends' when it comes to us…I love you and I refuse to let you go."

Out of all the things that scared her that evening, that was the worst. He loved her? They'd been going out for at the most, three months. Was that really long enough for someone to fall in love? And if it was, why weren't the feelings mutual? The rain picked up speed and Melanie swallowed hard as she felt herself getting a slight headache.

"Love? That's such a strong word don't you think?"

"And you're a strong girl, Melanie." He stared into her light brown eyes, his nostrils flaring. A moment of silence passed between them and both remained still until Camden stood up and dropped the rose. "But even you should know not to play with fire."

His words sent shivers up her spine as she watched him walk away angrily, stepping on the rose in the process.

"And hey, you better tell your new guy to watch his back!" he yelled over his shoulder. "Before it ends up in a grave!"

All she could do was sit still and watch him leave. Did he really just say that? Was he threatening to kill her new boyfriend? No…Melanie knew good and well he wasn't threatening…he was promising. And Camden was a man of his word.

By the time she was finally was able to get up the rain was coming down harder. Melanie cursed herself for not bringing an umbrella and tried to get back to her dorm quickly. She didn't make it far before the thunder boomed and the lightning flashed, causing her to freeze. Shutting her eyes, she took deep breaths again and tried to move but failed. It was hard enough before but now it was even harder because she was all alone.

"Come on…come on…it's just a storm…just a storm…"

She tried to encourage herself and it seemed to work but as soon as she took another step the thunder made its presence known. Once again she was frozen in place, but only until the lightning flashed. It blinded her for a few seconds, causing her to stumble backwards. Unfortunately Melanie lost her balance and fell to the ground. The storm was relentless and left the petrified nineteen year old in the mud while breathing heavily.

The rain hit her like tiny needles which only served to make the situation worse. Lightning continued to flash and the thunder kept roaring and even worse, worms were all around her. After convincing herself that she'd be stuck there until morning, Melanie let out a few tears. She then shut her eyes tightly and silently prayed for the next day to come quickly.

"Melanie? Melanie…are you out here? Mel!" Someone called her.

She opened her eyes immediately at the sound of a familiar voice. Still scared, she was unable to move or speak so she just stared in the direction of the voice. She couldn't tell who it was immediately but by the voice she could eliminate Camden.

"Mel! Melanie?" Whoever it was got closer and eventually spotted her. "Melanie! Are you okay? What happened?"

Melanie was surprised to see that it was Zach Paris; the guy she just left Camden for.

"Melanie, are you hurt?" He rushed to her aid and tried to help her up but it seemed as though her legs were made of jelly. "What's wrong?"

His voice was full of concern which made Melanie try her hardest to tell him but she still couldn't get out much. "…S-storm…c-cant…s-scared…"

Realization set in on Zach's face, as well as a bit of relief that she wasn't hurt. He had been another one of the very few people who had known about her little secret, so he understood why she was in the condition that she was.

"Come on." He picked her up bridal style. "It's okay, Mel…everything's going to be okay."

The rain dampened his long, curly hair and made his face wet which only served to make him more handsome to her. She stared at him, not just because he was good looking, but also because he had rescued her. It was like something straight out of a movie. What was he even doing out here? She didn't tell him that she'd be there tonight. And yet somehow he showed up at the right time like a hero. Her hero.

Zach began to walk back to the dorms and Melanie buried her head in his chest as the storm raged on.

"What are you even doing out here?" Zach chastised lightly. "Didn't you watch the news? It said rain tonight and maybe tomorrow. You could've gotten sick."

"I kn-know," she mumbled.

"And stop crying. Everything's going to be fine; I'm here."

She nodded and wiped away her tears. Even though he wasn't saying it in a romantic way, Melanie felt like it was more romantic than the way Camden said it. Thinking about Camden made her think about his words and she winced as she remembered. Zach felt her suddenly become tense and looked at her as he walked.

"What's wrong? I told you that I've got you, there's no need to worry. My name is Zach, remember?" He grinned a little and despite the way she was feeling Melanie grinned too.

That's the one thing she loved about him above all; his smile…his cocky but warm, contagious grin. That grin could make anyone smile, even on their worst day.

"I-idiot." She chuckled softly, slowly but surely forgetting about the storm.

Zach walked on and it wasn't long before Melanie fell asleep in his strong arms. Zach just rolled his eyes as he headed for the dorm room she shared with her best friend, Aaliyah.

"You're the idiot." He mumbled as he walked.

 












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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.