Beautifully Damaged

School had been okay after all; I was a little rusty on some subjects but had the basic knowledge to get me through them. I walked out of the double doors of the entrance and into a bright sunny day. I still heard snippets of conversation as people glanced my way.

            “God she’s so rude, I can’t believe what she said to Tina and Courtney.”

            “You think she’d talk to us? Morgan said that she was alright.”

            “How’d she get so rich?”

            I blocked all of the comments, but the one about Tina and Courtney got to me. What had I done? Or rather, what had they said I’d done? Bear, sensing my distressed feelings, nudged his head under my head and whined lowly. I banished the thoughts in my head and kept walking. As soon as we were in the car, I tilted my head back and closed my eyes. I was sucked into the darkness and the voices spoke again.

            “Do your job!”

            “No! It’s not my job anymore.”

            “Yes it is, and if you don’t do it, what I did was for nothing.”

            “And the world will be right again.”

            “How can you live with your-?”

            “Shh!”

            Silence.

            “I think she’s listening.”

            My eyes snapped open. Who were these people speaking in my head? A few moments later I realized I was shaking. All right, so no closing my eyes for a while. It hadn’t happened when I slept so that should be okay, right? I was preoccupied with my thoughts when the car in front of me backed up too far. My Audi was jostled and I heard a crunch. Bear started barking uncontrollably and my eyes widened in shock.

            “Bear, quiet!” I snapped, though he wouldn’t listen.

            The car in front of me quickly drove forward and the driver cut the engine. I was still a little bit shaken as the driver hopped out of his pickup truck and jogged toward my car. Sighing, I decided to face the damage instead of sitting in the Audi forever. I opened the door and Bear climbed over me to face the stranger first.

            “Bear!” I yelled again, and grabbed his harness as soon as we were out of the car.

            The stranger looked amused as my breath was taken away. His jet-black hair shone in the sunshine, his skin was perfectly tanned and his eyes an inky brown. Bear still growled, but had stopped his barking since I had gotten a hold of him. People were staring again. I so did not need this.

            “I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you behind me.” He apologized, though his voice lacked sincerity.

            I flinched, thinking about what the front of my Audi would look like now. “It’s alright.” I lied through my teeth. Lowering my eyes, I stopped gawking at him and went round to see the damage. The front of my car was wrecked. First day and it already had to be repaired. I sighed and put my face in my hands; telling myself to breathe in and out.

            “Do you need a ride?” He asked, appearing out of nowhere behind me. Bear growled in the back of his throat again.

            I didn’t like this guy’s close proximity, or his tone, no matter how good looking he was. Turning to face him, I was aware of how close he was. “I’m sorry, I don’t know you.”