The Lunacy Fringe

Twenty-Five

I leaned back and took a deep breath. My hand went to my ribs to rub the growing ache, but sitting on the ground was causing more pain than I wanted to admit to my friends. I didn't have anything to lean against, so my ribs were burning as I tried to hold myself up.

"Ruby, are you okay?" Billie asked.

"I'm fine. Just—I think my meds are wearing off," I told her.

"Do you want to go to the nurse?"

"No, but I think I'm gonna go to class so I can take more and hope it kicks in before class starts." She looked like she wanted to stand up and help, but she looked at Felix instead. And they must have had a silent understanding because he was there at my side a moment later.

"Here, I'll help you," he said quietly. He bent to my level and wrapped his arms around me. I held onto his shoulders as he lifted me to my feet. My knees wobbled, and I whimpered as my ribs stretched and shifted. His eyes went wide, and he didn't let me go. As if he was afraid I'd topple right over.

"Are you okay?" he asked. I had my lips pinched shut.

"I'm fine," I whispered.

"Then why are you whispering?" I opened my eyes and glanced at the tree.

"Because Quinn is glaring at us." He suddenly let me go as if he didn't even notice he was still holding me. I almost regretted bringing it to his attention, but Quinn was still staring when Felix bent down for my bag.

"I'm going to class early," I announced.

"Do you want me to walk with you?" Billie asked, shooting a glance at Felix. But he'd gone back to sitting down after handing over my bag.

"No, I'll be fine. I just need to move around a bit. Bye, guys." I turned and headed toward the building.

Once I was inside, I turned to make sure no one had followed me. But everyone seemed to have gone back to talking. So I relaxed against a locker to let my body get used to being upright again. Then I headed off to the music room.

The room was empty when I arrived. I sat down on the piano bench and pulled a thermos of water out of my bag. I had to dig around for the bottle of pills that had buried itself in the bottom of the satchel. I sat there for a minute, hoping it would kick in quickly. It didn't. So I wasted time with the piano. I lifted the lid and hit the keys with my left hand. It hummed loudly in the otherwise silent room. I wasn't sure if I could play because of my cast, but I reached up to release my arm from the sling anyway. My muscles ached as I moved my arm from the stiff position.

It took a moment to get used to the movement, and then I tried to strike a key. My cast thumped against the wood and made the keys clang loudly. I paused before trying again, but my fingers were too slow and achy. Every time I tried to start something, my hand would slip. I'd hit three keys at once, or I'd scratch the wood with the plaster on my wrist. Or it would make an aching pain shoot up my arm.

After I messed up for the thirteenth time, I slammed the cover back down over the keys. I was frustrated, and I wanted to cry. They said I'd likely regain full use of my arm, but it would take time. I set my injured arm on my lap and used my other one to cradle my head, so I could put my head down. But then I heard footsteps and the bench slid as someone took a seat beside me. I sighed because I knew exactly who it was and didn't know how long he'd been watching me. I felt a hand on my shoulder as he attempted to comfort me.

"You okay?" Felix asked. I sat back up to face him.

"I can't play anymore," I admitted. I knew he'd understand why this upset me, but I didn't want him to see how my eyes were watering. He just nodded and lifted the cover again.

"It'll take time," he said. "Took me a while after I broke my elbow. I can help in the meantime." He put his right hand on the keys and waited. His other hand was resting on his lap, only a short distance from my leg. I took a deep breath and set my left hand on the keys. "What were you trying to play?"

"I was trying to learn Clair de Lune before." He nodded and began to move his fingers.

"That was one of my favorite songs growing up," he said. "My mom used to play it for me when I was upset."

I moved my fingers to keep up with the few things I learned, but it didn't work at all. Occasionally one of us forgot what we were supposed to do. Or his foot would hit mine accidentally. Or our fingers would bump when we tried to reach the same key. So even though the song was a horrible attempt, it still felt nice to have someone to play with.

"I didn't know you played," I said after a while. "Miss Kay mentioned it, but you never said anything." I saw him nod from the corner of my eye.

"Unlike you," he started. "I didn't take my lessons voluntarily." I smiled.

"You're really good." He smiled back.

"Not as good as you."

"How long were you watching me?" He focused on the piano for a moment before answering.

"Long enough."

"I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't be."

We said nothing as we attempted to finish our disaster of a song. His fingers lingered over the last key as the note hung in the air. I turned to look from his hand to his face, and he met my gaze. I saw his eyes go soft. He glanced from my eyes to my lips and back again. I couldn't breathe and swore he was about to kiss me. But I never got to find out for sure. As soon as the string hummed to a halt, someone started clapping.

We both turned so sharply that I almost fell off the bench. He grabbed my shoulder to stop me from knocking the whole thing over. Miss Kay was standing in the doorway.

"Wonderful," she said in her usual dramatic tone. "It needs a little work, but I knew what it was supposed to be, so that's a start." I smiled nervously, and Felix cleared his throat.

"Uh...," he started. "Thanks."