Wandering Alone

Chapter 8

"Common Demi, time to eat dinner." Zane tried yet again, giving me a pleading look.  I glared at him, but it had little effect.  It was Saturday night, two days from my heat stroke, and he wanted me to go to some dinner at his church.

"Zane, I said I'm not going." I said for what felt like the hundredth time.  He just couldn't understand that I had absolutely no desire whatsoever for human interaction.

"Oh, yes you are."  Before I could respond, Zane had me over his shoulder. 

"ZANE!"  I screamed, pounding on his back.  Two seconds later I was deposited on the bathroom floor and locked inside.  It happened so fast I could hardly process it.

"We'll talk about this after you take a shower." He said.  I sighed and tried to push the door open, but it wouldn't budge.  I pushed harder, only to have it lean into me.  "I'm leaning on it, smart one.  You'll never get it open."  I walked over to the shower and turned on the water, grumbling about how Zane is so annoying and so pushy.  "Hey, I can hear you!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah.  When do I get to go home?"  I asked, stripping from my clothes and jumping in the shower.  I could hear him laughing outside the door.  There was nothing funny, I was being serious.   The water pounded on my shoulders in a steady rhythm, calming me and striping me of my annoyed attitude.  After I was all clean, I jumped out of the tub and wraped myself in a towel.

"Zane, you need to leave now, I have to get clothes."   I yelled, once again at the bathroom door.

"Nope, your clothes are in there."  He was still leaning on the door, the idiot.  I glanced around, trying to find these so called "clothes."  My eyes fell on a white sun dress hanging from a towel rack.  It was strapless, skimpy, and so totally and completely something I would never wear. Oh hell no.

"I'm not wearing this!" I screeched, crossing my arms.  Sure, I still didn't know Zane too well, but I was positive that he knew I would never agree so something this revealing.

"Yeah, you are."  He laughed.  I tried the door again, this time it opened a crack before it snapped back in my face.  "Oh no you don't!"   Sighing, I pulled the dress over my head.  It fit perfectly, to my surprise.  It came to just above my knees, with little flowers around the hem.  The only problem was, it was a strapless.  Not only did I still have a nasty but fading bruise on my shoulder, the scars on my forearms were in plain sight.

I quickly applied my make up, which Zane had brought from my house, and pulled my hair into a loose and messy bun on the top of my head.  Taking the heated curling iron, I curled the little pieces that fell from the bun, but left my bangs straight.  Using gel, I swept my bangs to the side so that the just barely covered my eyes.

"Okay, I'm dressed.  Let me out."   I demanded, pounding my fists on the door.  It slowly creaked open, and I eagerly stepped out.  I jumped on the bed, screaming, "Freedom!"  Zane laughed and jumped on the bed next to me.

"Good, your ready.  Come on, my family is waiting."  Zane said, grabbing my wrist and dragging me to the door.  I was half way there when I was able to process what was happening.  I dug my heals into the ground, trying to stop him.  When that didn't work, I began to squirm.

"I said I'm not going!"   Why couldn't he just let me stay  home?!  I had proven that I wasn't going to try and kill myself again anytime soon, so there shouldn't have been an issue!  He suddenly turned around, staring, no glaring, at me.

"Look Demi, it's just a dinner.  It's not like were going to force you to become a Christian or anything.  You're going, even if I have to throw you over my shoulder and drag you there."  I gasped, pulling out of his grasp.  I thought he was dead serious, until I saw the slight smile tugging on his lips.  "So get those shoes and lets go!"