Falling Too Far

Chapter 14- The girl that got away.

Silence.

Warily, I turned back to Emma who was gaping increduosly at me, as if I had done something really bad. "What is it?" I asked her slowly, tugging at my sleeves. She snapped out of her trance.

"Oh my gods, Noelle, you're a complete idiot," she breathed out, turning to the lunch lady who smacked a sandwich into her plate. Emma crinkled her face.

It was my turn to gape. "Why am I an idiot?"

She huffed and glanced back at me. "Come on, Noelle, Harper doesn't want you talking to another guy? He gets all protective when you do and distances himself from you when you claim to like another guy? It's pretty self explanatory, really."

I continued to gape at her. What does she mean? He's only doing it because we're friends, and that's what friends do, right? Save you from bad guys?

Emma just looked at my confused expression, before chuckling. "You'll get it soon."

I frowned and turned to the lunch lady. "Hi, can I please have a burger and- "

"Are you sure about that, freak?"

I froze at the high pitched squeaky girl voice. Slowly I turned around, my shoulders weighed with dread. The sound made Emma turn as well. Amanda was stood there, in all her designer clothing glory, surrounded by her cronies like any cliché mean girl, a perfectly manicured hand resting on her hip. She was smiling evily, eyeing me up and down in disgust. The whole cafeteria went quiet, all eyes turning to us. I instantly felt uncomfortable.

"I don't think you want to have that, freak, I mean, you're fat enough already. Don't want to weigh you down with anymore fast food." She laughed her fake squeal, her cronies giggling along with her. The whole cafeteria erupted in laughter, their roars of amusement seeming to bounce of the walls and fill my brain. I felt as if a bomb had gone off inside me.

I felt the panic rise yet again, filling me to the brim. I felt body start trembling and shaking, as a hand seemed to clutch at my throat. I couldn't breathe.

I couldn't breathe.

This can't be happening.

By habit, I scanned the cafeteria, searching for that familiar pair of deep green eyes that seemed to rule my life at the moment.

Stop it, Noelle. Stop acting like a damsel in distress, he isn't your prince, this isn't a fairytale.

I felt a deep ache at the thought. I felt my eyes brimming with tears, simply at the intensity of the panic attack, and world before me turned blurry, just a mess of colors. I tried to walk away, or preferably run, but I stumbled, almost falling flat on my face. I reached around, gripping Emma's arm tightly. A year ago, when my panic attacks started, we had this code- whenever I would grip her forearm tightly, it would mean I was having a panic attack, as when it was happening, I couldn't speak.

I saw the blur that was Emma turn quickly towards me, and I could almost hear her gasp of surprise.

I could feel the muscles in her arm tense under my palm, and the action was then followed by shouting from Emma's behalf. My throat hurt.

Suddenly my feet started moving, slapping against the floor. Emma's arm was around my shoulder, guiding me away from the cafeteria, supporting me as I stumbled forwards.

"It's okay, Noelle, it's fine, you're fine. Okay?"

I nodded in response. "Okay, I'm going to take you into the janitor's closet. Alright? Don't worry, you'll be alone soon. Just hang on."