Toxic

Silence that knows

"Are you crazy?" He seethed.

"JJ. What are you talking about?"  She asked wriggling out of his grasp

"Why was he holding your hand? Why was he speaking in your ear? We're you trying to make me jealous? On purpose?"

"What are you talking about? He wasn't holding my hand"

"Are you calling me a liar?"

"JJ. I love you" Mariah said

"Really?"

"Yes. JJ. I wasn't holding his hand and he was only asking me why we were cutting the line. He's new, Mr Micah asked me and Kami to show him around" she lied through her teeth.

"Are you telling me the truth?" he asked her.

"Yes"

"OK. I'm sorry for yelling at you."

She nodded. She was struggling to maintain her breathing. Do not hyperventilate. Do not hyperventilate. She told herself.

"I wrote a new song, want to hear it?"

"Okay baby. I'll listen to it." she replied

He began to climb the steps.
"Are you coming?" he asked when he saw she didn't budge.

"Yes. I just want to ease myself. I'll be up soon"

"Ok" he smiled. She smiled back at him and ran into the bathroom. The bathroom behind the refectory was shared for both sexes.  There were kind of an after thought. Very small, only two stalls, one for boys and the other for girls, a mirror and sink in front of each stall and a hand dryer by the side.
She leaned on one of the sinks her breathing quickened as she held her chest. Her head was spinning and she felt dizzy. "Oh God" she was mumbling over and over again.  She heard the door open.  She heard footsteps. She hoped it was Kami,  she couldn't see. Her vision was blurry.

"Caiaphas" she heard.

Strong arms wrapped around her as she struggled to regularise her breathing.

"Relax...  Relax..." the voice was saying.

"Count your breaths...one...  Two....  Three"

Slowly,  her breathing was going back to normal and her vision was clearing.
She looked up at the person holding her.

"Harrison" she coughed out

"Yeah" he said awkwardly scratching his head.
"Don't freak out" he said holding out his hands.
In a flash she was in his arms crying. Bawling. He placed his hand on her back as he gently soothed her. The metal contraption that served as the tissue paper holder, stuck out of the wall his back was pressed against. Hurting him, he stayed still letting her cry her heart out, soaking his shift in the process. She was tall for a girl, he would say but she barely got up to his shoulder when he was at his full height. Her reddish brown hair stopped just about where the pockets in a dress shirt would normally be.

After a few minutes she lifted up, her head slowly.

"How are you?" he asked handing her a couple of tissues and finally moving away from the metal pressing into his back.

Mariah shrugged. "Why are you here?"

"To use the bathroom. Is he your boyfriend?"

She nodded

"Then why are you scared of him?"

"Stop it" she said walking past him

"Hold on." he pulled her back, "I'm sorry. I can never get it right with you can I?"