Chapter 21: Face our fear

Caleb stays on my side and lets me hug him for a few hours until I hear he has difficulty breathing. I moved my head and saw his face was so red. I frowned, and my jaw sank. I grab the blanket and cover my chest.

“I…” I whisper, but no words follow. My face blushes, and I pull my body to Caleb and give him space. He gets up and stares at me momentarily, then fixes my pillow and grabs my blouse on the floor. He places it on my bed, tapping his hand on the mattress while I nod and lay back. He sighs and walks out the door. Even though he did not say a word, I knew he wanted to ask what had happened to me, but I didn’t know how to answer it. That moment of doubt I felt inside my chest gave me goosebumps, and the fear started to linger in my system again.

I never had this fear while staying at the orphanage for eighteen years. Even though the bullies kept making pranks to hurt me, I never had this scary moment. I keep letting them and never fight back. I move to the side and face the w