Capture It

Chapter Two~ Sick Days and Deadly Keys

The fire crackled in the fire place, and Idina Menzel was rioting on my TV screen in the movie Rent. Thanks to Paige and I's epic snowball fight in shorts and boots we had on Sunday, I was home sick with the flu. Note to self, no snowball fights while in shorts and a T-Shirt.

"C'mon people, moo with me!" Maureen/Idina crooned from the television.

"Mooooo." I muttered weakly. Wrapping another blanket around myself, I turned over to sleep. A few seconds later, my phone starts ringing.

It was Paige.

"What Paige?" I growled, flopping back onto my couch after I grabbed my phone.

Someone was yelling in the backround. "Alex is pissed. He wants to get into the photography room but you are the only one with the key."

I paused. "Not even the janitors have one?"

"No one. And Alex is throwing a fit because he says he has every right to be in there."

I groaned. "Paige if he wants the keys he has to come get them. I can hardly stand I'm so shakey, there is NO way I'm driving." There was a click, and the call ended.

Curling back under my three blankets, I watched as Maureen danced on a table and mooned Benny.

My cousin calls me crazy for having her as my idol. I can't help it! She has an amazing voice, and was the original Elphaba in Wicked.

I watched as the group of crazy adults danced through the restaurant, singing and laughing. Angel strut his way across the tabletops, showing off his new fashion. Angel is the best character there is in Rent.

A few minutes later, someone pounded on my front door. I wrapped a blanket around myself and got up to answer it.

"It's about time!" Alex scoffed, standing on my doorstep. I staggered back a step and shook my head.

"How..."

"Paige gave me your address. Now give me the god damn keys!" I stiffened, and turned around to retrieve the keys from the counter. Alex stepped into my entryway and looked around. "Man, how could a girl who dresses and looks so shabby live in a nice house as this? I mean look at you." I looked down at my attire. The Rent shorts Paige got me, white shirt, and some zebra slippers. My hair was back in a messy bun.

"Sorry I'm not looking like a model when I'm sick." I grabbed the keys, and was going to hand them to him when I slipped on one of my cat's squeaky toys and fell. Everything happened in slow motion after that. The keys went flying from my hand, and smashed into Alex's glasses, shattering the right lens. His face turned bright red as I lay sprawled on the floor.

"Alice, you will pay BIG for that." He grabbed the keys and stormed out of my house, leaving me regretful and afraid on my kitchen floor.

* * *

I didn't return to school until Thursday. Partially because I really was scared, but mainly because of Alex. The stare he gave me when I accidently broke his glasses, it was one straight from hell. I wasn't sure what he would do.

I found out two seconds later, as I walked to my locker. There was a crowd of people surrounding it. Shoving my way through the boides of student, I saw my locker. Drawn in thick black permanent marker, was a stick girl with a camera in front of her face, her tongue sticking out. Underneath were the words "The anti-social geek who hides her problems behind her camera!" If that wasn't enough, a picture of me laying on my kitchen floor in a tangled mess from Monday was blown up and taped to my locker. I stepped back, and broke into a run. That wasn't bad, but I was scared for my photography room.

Racing through the crowds, I slammed into a girl and fell. I didn't care. I got back up as quick as possible and started running.

"Alice!" Paige called. I ignored her deperate tone and kept on, tears slipping down my face. Stop it Alice. It's some stupid boy. Nothing to cry over. What would dad think of you?

Screeching to a halt, I thought for a moment. What would dad think?

He would think I was brave for trying to deal with this alone, then he would pound the crap out of Alex for doing this to me.

Finally making it to the photography room, I fumbled for my keys and unlocked it. When I opened it, all I saw were white walls.

White, blank walls.

Where my photos used to hang from the walls and the ceiling, it was bare. There were scraps of my old torn photos all over the floor. My photos, the ones I spent three years taking, organizing, decorating. Torn to shreds and thrown away. All the money and time I had spent in this room...I had even painted the walls mint greeen. Now it was sterile white.

Bile rose in my throat, and I rushed to the nearest bathroom and threw up. I was sick to my stomach.

Alex had just ruined the safest place I had ever known.