Shatter

Chapter 10

               As the few water droplets fell from the sky, I could hear the odd car passing me on the street, girls laughing and shrieking at the rain touching their flattened hair, worrying about their looks when all I can think of is Chandler.

               What an absolute mess we're both in.

               When we were painting, I couldn't help but start to think about him in the classroom. It was his knuckles. They were a little red and I wondered why. I know it's none of my business, but I still wanted to find out what was wrong.

               So what else did I do?

               Before the gray clouds started to drain every color known to man, I sighed and sat on a bench in front of me, letting the rain drops gather on my clothes and skin, the wooden seat slightly damp beneath my legs and I could already feel the water touching my skirt and underwear.

               They should really make these skirts longer...

               Much longer.

-Few Hours Earlier-

               As he moved his hand up and down, the white spreading over the wall, the redness at the base of his fingers started to scare me. It looks painful.

               "What happened?" I mumble and look away before Chandler can catch my eyes.

               "What do you mean?"

               I sigh, feeling like a traitor for giving in, and point my brush to his beat up hand before coloring the wall in front of me some more, a surprised look overtaking Chandler's blue eyes after I recognized his injury.

               "I punched somebody. What do you think?" He muttered.

               "What did he do?"

               "Nothing." I see him sigh before closing his eyes. "Just stop asking."

               "Sorry. I won't ask anything else. I was just wondering." I turn and see him squat to paint the lower half of the wall when he gasps, distracting me. "What?"

               "Nothing." He turns his head, my body melting to jelly at the sound of his voice, labored and it takes a lot in me to ignore him and keep on working, but it's difficult when he stops moving, his eyes clamping shut as he shifts a bit. "Fvck...Raven, could you leave for a second?" He gasps and I almost frown.

               "What?" I see his face turning a dark red and I bend down to put my brush next to the can so I can walk over, but when I look at him, his mouth is open and his eyes a bit wide, like he just saw something overwhelming.

               Did something happen?

               What's wrong with him?

               "Rae...I'd really appreciate it if you fvcked off...like right now?" He presses his back to the wall, turning to look away and I give in to my panic that something is really wrong with him.

               I haven't seen him in a year...I haven't kept up with him in a year. What if something I don't know about is happening and he's in trouble? What if he's in pain?

               "I'm not leaving you." I frown and hurry over to him, his shaggy hair resting on his red cheeks and I scan his face before biting the inside of my mouth. "Is there anything you need?" I lean in a bit, the sudden movement causing him to back away from me with a whimper.