Pictures Worth a Thousand Words

Chapter Seventeen

My phone was off. After the third missed call from Carter, the texts started. First, they were just from Carter and an unknown number I could only assume was Lucas. But then Isaac joined in, then Skylar. I ignored them all and I knew I was starting to freak everyone out and Skylar would be pissed at me, I could tell from the all caps texts she was sending. I just wanted to be alone, to sort through the swarm of mess that was now my mind.

When I left Lucas I felt like my eyes would never dry up, my heart breaking in two once again. How could he still say he loves me and then go and do something like that? Couldn't he have just told me he didn't want to be with me anymore? That I wasn't enough for him.

The image of Isaac talking to Carter after the footy game pops into my head. I know I wasn't meant to hear that conversation but I did. I run my hand through my brown locks, frustrated with my own emotions.

I wandered around town aimlessly, both aware of my surroundings and yet everything passing by in a blur. I just kept walking. As I walked time seemed to speed up yet stop at the same time. I couldn't tell how long it hand been since I left, the sun was still up so it wasn't too late.

My mind was a blank, yet a million things were running around. I wanted to scream and pull my hair out. I didn't know what to do, didn't know what I could do. I started biting my lip, tasting the salt of my tears as they continued down my face. I couldn't tell if I was crying silently or not, but my lungs left on fire. The air around me both giving me a slight relief and suffocating all at once.

My chest felt tight like I was being crushed. My head started to spin, my vision going black for a moment, and then when it cleared there was nothing. I felt nothing. My breathing became steady once again and I just stared blankly out to the world.

I couldn't tell how far, or for how long I had walked, but slowly my feet began to ache. I half-heartedly looked for somewhere to rest. As soon as I sit down on a nearby set of front steps my feet started throbbing. I shake my legs out and almost fall off where I am sitting.

"Char?"

I look up and see Isaac, his blue eyes wide and hair unruly as if he had been running his hand through it a lot. He comes running up to me and frantically throws his arms around me, holding me tight.

"We have been calling you for hours. How did you end up here on foot?"

"Um, I don't really know. I just kept walking, didn't really pay attention to where I was or where I was going." I step back, away from Zac and his embrace. "I'll head home now. Tell everyone I'm fine yeah?"

He reaches out and grabs my hand.

"Hold on. I'm not letting you out of my sight until you tell me what happened that made you leave so suddenly, not answer any of our calls and texts, and has made you cry so much." I lock eyes with him, wondering how he knew I had been crying. "Your eyes are red and puffy."

"I-I, do I have to?"

Isaac sighs, running a hand through this already unruly hair. He looks to his house then to me.

"No, you don't have to talk about it. But could at least come in for a while? We could watch a movie." Slowly I nod my head, realising how exhausted I actually am and not wanting Grandma to see me like this. "Alright you go pick a movie and I'm going to call the others and let them know you're safe."

I nod again and follow him inside, making a beeline for the lounge room. I spend the next twenty minutes sorting through his families DVD collection and still couldn't find anything to watch. As soon as Isaac comes into the room I pick up the High School Musical 3 DVD case.