Jack frowned at hearing her say that, before shaking his head.
“You’re not. Please, don’t say that. You m-may think that now, you may have even felt it before but please. You’re many th-things to me, but you’re not a burden, Katelynn…”
You’re nothing but a burden!
Her mother had shouted that at some point when all Katelynn could do was stay locked in her room, hiding from the world, doing nothing for herself. Katelynn had run away from home after that, not wishing to hear such words. Her father had found her not too long after, taking her home only for her mother to continue to argue, saying that running away was stupid, taking precious time out of their lives to have to find her.
Katelynn hated her.
“But…I’m here making..you worry about….the way..you looked before…you..said so yourself..you were so..worried..But I..I didn’t mean to…get hit…to have this..happen..I didn’t…! I..never meant for..anything bad..to happen..but people..blamed me…”
Jack reached both his hands up and gently touched her face, and looked into her eyes.
“People can not blame you for this.” he said firmly. “This was nothing but a horrible accident. You didn’t make the car hit you. You didn’t make the driver careless. You did nothing wrong, Katelynn.” Jack said in a voice he never thought he’d use in his life. Authoritativeness. Sure of himself. Not for himself, but for her. “I don’t… I don’t know what people have told you in the past, Katelynn but now, this is not you fault. And you’re not a burden at all. You’re my best friend, you’re my girlfriend, you’re the reason why I leave my apartment at least once a day now. Y-you’ve inspired such change in me, you can see it, so how can you still call yourself these horrible things?”
Jack Maple 