Fight For Me ✔

Chapter 17

"It's one in the morning. Why don't you stay the night and let Liam take you home and then to school when you wake?" she offers kindly but this time I shake my head.

"It's been a long day Mrs. Paine and, really, all I want is my bed and some familiarity. I kind of need it." She nods her head thoughtfully.

"Okay. Do you want a ride? I can wake Liam or take you myself?"

"A ride would be nice. Please don't wake Liam, he's done enough for me today."

With a decisive nod she gracefully descent the stairs and grab a coat from a rack. She leads me out the door and I can't help but scan the dark surroundings for small, four legged silhouettes.

"Don't worry dear, you are safe as long as you're with me. The cars are in the garage over here."

The inside of the garage is kind of disappointing. I expected row upon row of fancy cars, classic cars, fast cars and maybe some other machinery. However there's only three cars and a motorcycle which I recognize as Liam's.

Mrs. Paine taps the car keys and the silver BMW clicks and blinks twice. Without a word we both enter on our respective sides and when Mrs. Paine start the car the garage doors slide open. The great gates at the border of their property does the same.

When she asks I give her my address but other than that not a word is exchanged between us. I wonder if she's annoyed that she had to drive me home in the middle of the night. I feel bad for making her but I don't think Liam would have let me leave or sleep alone if I stayed and I'm still a little intimidated by what happened between us earlier. I need time for myself to gather my thoughts and get my defenses back up and in place.

Practically no one is on the roads and we reach my apartment without incident. I turn to Mrs. Paine and thank her for the ride.

"No problem dear, anytime." I nod and bid her goodnight but she stops me from exiting. "Caia those attacks... are you getting any help for that?" she looks at me with motherly concern and it's been so long that I almost break down in tears again and spill my beans.

"I..." I clear my throat to get rid of the raspy quality of my voice. "I'm okay. I got help and it's not something that happens randomly anymore. It has to be triggered and this is the first time in six months that I've had an... episode." She nods hesitantly.

"And your therapist? Are you still in contact?"

"I still have her number and an open invitation to call or drop by if I ever need it. I'll probably call her tomorrow."

That seems to satisfy her. "Good. If there's anything you need you can call me too." She reaches over to a build-in storage compartment in the dashboard and hands me a card. On it there's nothing but her name and a phone number. "Call anytime. And tomorrow I'll have Liam give you some yoga and meditation pamphlets."

"Oh Mrs. Paine you don't have to-"

"No but I will. Yoga and meditation is good for the body and soul and I think it will really help you. So I'll get you some easy beginner exercises for now. And if you ever want to go further all you have to do is ask."

Deeply touched by her help and concern it take me a few tries to answer. "Thank you Mrs. Paine."

She smiles. "No need to thank me sweetie. Goodnight Caia, make sure you get plenty of sleep."

I nod. "I will. Goodnight Mrs. Paine."

*****

I come to school blurry eyed and with bags the size of the Grand Canyon. I slept fitfully last night and around half past five I finally gave up on sleep and began tidying up my apartment. Then I treated myself to an early breakfast consisting of bacon, eggs and pancakes at the diner two blocks from my apartment. I think I deserved it.

I also bought a large coffee-to-go which I'm now sipping in an effort to wake up. With all the sugar I put in it you would think that I would be on a sugar rush by now, but I think that my metabolism is still asleep because I'm no more awake than I was two hours ago. On my way to my locker I make a detour - as I have done all week - and walk past Liam's locker. Again he's nowhere in sight but at least now I know that he's not dying in a hospital somewhere.

I shake my head and continue on to my locker. Placing my bag at my feet, I open the locker and have to scramble to catch the books, papers and a ton of other random stuff that falls out. A quick look inside reveals something like Hiroshima after WWII. How in the world have I managed to make such a big mess out of my locker in only a month?

Awkwardly pulling my cell from my pocket, arms still full of junk, I see that I have over half an hour to my first class. Might as well clean it up now and be done with it. I carefully place my load on the floor before emptying the rest of my locker. Then I sit down and begin sorting though it all.

Fifteen minutes later and the rest of the students begin to arrive to school, and small groups begin to form everywhere in the hallway.

I'm almost done and have made a pile of old assignments, candy paper and random notes, when two boys walk past me deep in conversation. A quiet clatter catches my attention and I look up from studying the paper in my hand - the pop quiz our teacher sprang on us last week - to see a pair of keys laying to my right. I look further to the right where the two boys are continuing down the hall.

"Hey you dropped something." I call after them. They don't react and I call again "Hey!"

When they still don't stop I grab the keys and jog after them to catch up. Placing a hand on each of their shoulders I say "Hey guys, one of you dropped your keys."

They both turn to look at me and their eyes widen. The one to the left cast a fleeting look on the keys I'm holding out towards them and quickly grabs them. Then they turn as one and run down the hall away from me. Leaving me behind to stare astonished after them.

"Rude." I mumble and walk back to my locker.

*****

For my second class today I meet up with Camille in English literature and we spend the class not listening to the teacher as she talks us through the next chapter of Wuthering Heights. Instead we giggle and snot over the latest issues of US Weekly, we are reading on the sly and the ridiculous relationship advises they are featuring this week.

"Take him on a romantic dinner date in a small, intimate restaurant. Share your life goals, your wants and what you're looking for in a relationship. This will equalize both of your expectations for the future and let you plan ahead. Seriously, the guy would run away screaming if a girl dumped everything on him on the first date. Can you imagine" Camille turns to me. "if a girl just went ahead and told a guy that she wanted to marry and have his babies and, oh by the way, I expect you to be a rich, successful lawyer by the end of the year so you can afford the gargantuan house I want to have and the Botox in my lips?" she does a sad headshake. "Running. For. The hills. I guarantee it."

The image she painted had me releasing a snot of amusement and Mrs. Clauss turns to us.

"Something you want to share Ms. Jackson?"

"No ma'am."

Her eyes narrow. "Hmm." Normally she would ask a question by now about something she just said, but she has discovered that I always answer correctly so she doesn't bother anymore.

"Hey, I saw Liam when we had recess." Camille whisper to me. "He looked okay. He's been in a fight though."

"What?" my head snap towards her. I just saw Liam last night, how could he already have gotten in another fight?

"Yeah, he has a healing lip and some spots of his face are quite colorful. Must have been why he missed school this week." I relax.

"Oh, I thought he had been in a new fight. You scared me." Her shocked eyes turn to me.

"New fight? You knew why he wasn't in school?"

Me and my big mouth. "Ah, yeah it's a long story." Like a blessing from above Mrs. Clauss announce that she is gonna distribute a pop-quiz now, and while most of the class groaned in misery I am thankful for the reprieve. While it lasts.

"We will be having words after class!" Camille whisper vehemently.

Oh my god, why is there never a fire drill when you need it?