Do You Know Indigo?

Chapter Twenty Eight

In Lucas' professional opinion, Tom had had a seizure "of some sort". He had made quick work, however, of carrying Tom away, dismissing the ambulance and speeding of in his flashy car. I hadn't known what to think. Lucas had not been himself.

After a restless night, I sat alone at the breakfast table and awaited a text from Tom. Though I had sent numerous messages and informed him his health came before the Scotland v All Blacks game I had had no response.

To add to my lonliness, Beth wasn’t waiting for me outside the flat door, a puddle lying in her place. It was odd but I wasn't disheartened. Maybe there was a bug going around. I fumbled my hair in my fingers and tied the wild corkscrews into a ponytail. My muscles were aching and bones were creaking. Perhaps a day in bed might have done me some good.

To my surprise, Beth was waiting on her lonesome at the bus stop, tapping her foot impatiently. The back of her collar was standing stiff, her textbook poking from the top of her shoulder bag and her socks were at odd lengths. She looked normal.

Aware of the loud clunk of my shoes, she confronted me, eyes wide.

"You're here," she said. I frowned.

“Why wouldn't I be?” I asked. Beth gripped her bag strap.

“Well I called last night...and your mum, well she told me what happened.”

“Oh,” I said. Beth bit her lip.

“Is he OK?” she muttered, readying her bus pass.

“I don't know," I replied, ascending into the bus. Perhaps I should have been skipping school to go and see Tom. Sitting down, Beth slipped her hand in mine. She was there and that was enough. Sophia's slap by my hand was forgotten.

The bus halted to let on Jude and Mandy. Only looking downward, I saw their shoes said a lot about them. Mandy’s intricate and worn, Jude’s expensive but plain. They sat down silently, not sure what to say. Beth must have told them.

Mandy nudged my foot with her shoe. I gazed up at her. I tried a weak smile, probably failing mistake. She was crying. Jude was equally as sympathetic but chewed on her Alpen bar sullenly; chewing on mashed oats and words she couldn’t form into an adequate sentence.

The bus rolled into the school stop and wheezed as it halted. I rose from the chair and shuffled off of the bus behind my friends. They swarmed me as I stepped down from the bus. In the midst of them I felt protected.

We ambled through the gates, our feet dragging along the tarmac. The school grounds were almost empty.

Our huddle was in the midst of an awkward silence; what was there to say? No one wanted to break the silence, not if they couldn’t help it. My patience was going to run out quickly, it was impossible to stare and your own feet forever.

Mandy was about to say something, alarm in her expression, when I was dragged around abruptly, my shoulder cracking. I sensed the others all tense behind me and knew I was in trouble.

“Heard about lover boy! Was he not man enough for you princess? No stamina?” Devon scoffed, his hand unforgivingly taught on my shoulder. His blonde hair shadowed his face. He was dangerous.

“Get off me,” I ordered. His eyebrow quirked. Devon was amused by my resistance. “Get your scummy hands of me.” I raised my knee, hoping it would meet lax gut. Devon was too fast, it was an old trick. He grabbed my knee cap and twisted so I fell, breath stolen, to the ground. The crack of bone to tarmac made me grimace, but I didn’t whine. I could not show him weakness.

“Always with the attitude but I have to ask myself if I’d like you better any other way.” He kicked me over, gravel scowering my face.

“What the hell do I care,” I snapped, my face suddenly between his fingers. “When will you get it into your thick skull that I hate you?” I hissed, regarding his eyes as they shimmered with anger. Sophia knew nothing.