Scream with Me

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

All in all Jensen had a pretty good day with his mother that Sunday. After he cooked they sat together and ate, catching up on what had been going on that week. At least what he was willing to admit about it.

Over the weekend he kept waiting for Maryanne to call so they could talk as promised but the call never came. He called her, they had exchanged numbers while they shared breakfast that Saturday morning, but she never answered. After the fourth time he gave up. It was obvious she didn’t want to speak to him.

That didn’t stop him from scanning the crowd though that Monday morning. He wasn’t going to go up and talk to her, that’d create too much drama with the people she hung out with, but he did want to see that she was ok with his own eyes. Last night he had dreamt up some pretty horrible scenarios.

There was no sign of her but he did spot Nate. Friendships be damn, he walked up to his cousin. Nate light up when he spotted him, it was really as if he didn’t notice how much his friends disliked Jensen or if he did notice he didn’t care.

“Hey.” Nate greeted.

“Hey. Can I talk to you alone?” Jensen kept his eyes on his cousin and ignored the glares Trevor was sending him. Right now he wasn’t in the mood to acknowledge the jerk and put him in his place.

“Yeah come on.” Nate led the way away from the small crowd. “What’s up?” they stopped outside the school near the patio tables, there was still a little time before the bell rung.

“This might sound weird but I wanted to talk to you about Maryanne.”

“Why is it weird?” Nate asked with a humorous smile.

“She’s your girlfriend.” Jensen thought that was obvious, what guy wanted to hear from another guy about his girl?

“And you’re my cousin, I trust you.”

Jensen felt his heart beat a little faster and there was no mistaking the sudden increase came from guilt. He hadn’t done anything with Maryanne, he helped her, simple as that, but he had been looking at her in a way he truly shouldn’t. He was attracted to her.

Nate spoke again. “We do need to talk about Mary. There’s something I need to tell you but probably when we have more time.” He looked nervous now.

Jensen wondered; had Nate learned the truth about Maryanne’s drug use? “Ok, let’s meet after school.”

“Alright, I’ll see you then.” Nate turned around and rushed back inside before he was late for class.

Jensen stood there with the same questions beating at his skull and now there was new ones thrown into the mix.

Maryanne was late to school that morning but the teacher let it side since it had been the first time. That morning she had to get Annalise bathed and changed before running out the door for school. She had wanted to do as much as possible, the least her mom had to do the better. It had gotten to the point Maryanne didn’t want her parents around her child.

Saturday the veil had been ripped from her eyes and it was painfully clear all the errors she had been making over these last six months. Her parents weren’t good for her as a child, they weren’t good for her daughter either.

Her hands shook at an uncomfortable rate. Rushing to tend to Annalise she had skipped tending to her own needs. It had nearly six hours since her last hit and she was feeling it. Sweat broke out along her brow and the back of her neck.

The sound of the teacher’s voice was a drone in the back of her head, try as she might she couldn’t hear him. She prayed for class to be over as soon as possible and there wouldn’t be any homework she’d have to focus for.

She jumped up when the bell rung and the teacher said everyone could go. She was dizzy, all the figures of people blurred into colors on a pinwheel.

She rushed past everyone, she needed to get away and breathe. She couldn’t breathe.

She bumped into someone, muttering apologies she kept walking. With each step the hallway seemed to grow longer.

“Maryanne.” The person gripped both her arms.

She looked up and saw Jensen’s hazel eyes through the clouds of dizziness gripping her. She couldn’t express it but she was glad to see him. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him all weekend.

“Come on.” He was saying now as he tugged her along to where he was going.

Maryanne could breathe a little easier when the crowds began to thin. Everyone was rushing to their next class.

All the blurs of color went black as they stepped into some room. Next a glaring light covered her eyes; she placed her hand over them. “What….?”

“The bathroom. Ironically the one I caught you in last week. What are you feeling?” He nudged her to sit down.

“Like shit.” Maryanne rubbed at her eyes and tried to clear some of the fog. “I won’t let my parents take care of Annalise….I did everything for her yesterday….today.” she was proud of that and to bond with her child the sickness she felt gripping her form the inside was worth it. 

“That’s good.” She could feel him smoothing out her hair and tucking it behind her ears. “We need to get out of here.” He was saying.

“No….” she reached around her side for her bag. “I can’t skip school. My dad would be disappointed.” She was scared of what he’d do if he found out.

“No.” he grabbed her bag and held it out of her reach. “How long has it been since you’ve used?”

“Six hours and twenty three minutes.” It sounded crazy, insane, just like an addict, to remember the exact moment she used. She was saddened with herself but what else was new?

“Come on, I’m going to get you out of here.”

“Jensen no!” she panicked as she was lifted from her seat and into his arms. Her head continued to spin and now her heart raced with fear and gratitude. Somewhere in her addict mind she was grateful to Jensen for not abandoning her when so many had and would.

“You’ve gone all this time without using. Don’t let it be for nothing. You can make it through this. I know a place you can get through the worst of this.”

Maryanne took comfort in the warmth radiating from his body; she inched closer and buried her face in the crook of his neck. “Don’t leave me.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”