by Emery Skye
"Here," I retrieve an apple from my pocket.
"Thanks. Perfect." She evaluates the apple and I sigh at the activity. After carefully turning it over repeatedly, she gives Memphis the giant, green apple and he happily gobbles it down.
"No problem." We walk a little. "How come you didn't say anything about changing my clothes?" I ask her.
She continues walking and doesn't say anything as she uncinches the horse. I think she must have missed what I said.
I’m about to repeat myself, but she stops me.
"Hunter told you that?" she scowls.
"Hunter? I thought you didn't know who he was," my tone critical.
"I didn't," she backtracks.
"But--"
"He approached me today and said thanks. You know, for the help. I asked him his name."
“You've seen him?" He’s been glued to my side the whole morning. I find it hard to believe what she’s saying.
I help her finish untacking, taking care with her saddle. I'm paying much more attention to the things this bouncy-haired girl has to say from here on out.
"Yeah," she pauses and looks at me. She bends down to take off her half-chaps. “Haven’t you.”
"I have. He usually comes with me to the stables actually.”
She drops the bridle, staring at me, “He does?”
“Yeah, he’s not bad with the horses.”
She hoots. “Hunter? Good with horses?”
The sun’s rays are blinding as we talk Memphis outside.
“You say that like you know him?”
She coughs. “I… He doesn’t seem like an animal guy?”
“Why not?” I defend.
“I don’t know,” she shakes her hand. “I’m being judgey, sorry.”
I shake off the mistrust. I don’t know Beth and should give her the benefit of the doubt. I didn’t guess Hunter would be animal guy or a helpful person and he’s surprised me, after all.
“I get that. He surprises you." I say more to myself than her, but the words escape my lips. I think back to our strange exchange in Ms. Gosselin’s class.
"What do you mean?" She looks at me with those watchful, swampy green eyes again. She's completely focused on me. I squirm under her gaze. I comb my fingers through my coarse hair as a few more strands annoyingly fall into my eyes.
I bear down as the stomach pain comes again; I try to ignore it.
"I don’t know,” gnawing pain distracts me.
He acts like an ass, but stayed with me after the Chase incidents. He went to every class with me today. He’s attentive and kind. I don’t know why.
Hunter is gorgeous and it certainly isn't a secret. The more I think about him, the more I think about all his scars, the blemishes on his arms, the little dent in his nose. He's not perfect by any means. Then again, it's his flaws that are most captivating.
EIGHTEEN
"Lexi, will you please head over to the main office. You're needed, immediately," Mr. Detzil says.
A few days ago, I went to Miss Lawry and voiced my grievances about Pierce and Caity. She told me that both of them had been excused, but that if she heard anything, she’d let me know. Maybe she’d discovered something.
"Thanks, Mr. Detzil."
I sprint to the Administration Building. I haven’t heard from my best friends and the worry eats at me
The sun is brilliant amber; red with hues of blue weaved through. The morning air is fresh and crisp against my face, which feels fiery from the flush caused by overexerting my already tired muscles. Since the event at Saxy's, my entire body aches.
I rush up the stairs and haul ass through the fine-glassed double doors.
"Miss Lawry?" I call out. "You sent for me," my voice cracks, my throat's sore and dry from inhaling the bitter air.
"Lexi, pup." Miss Lawry’s eyes swim with tears; dark bags signal her exhaustion. My heart beat races faster. There's something wrong.
"I have some bad news, dear," she sighs heavily.
My stomach drops. "What do you mean, bad news? Pierce? Nana? Caity?" I force myself to inhale slowly.
She swallows. "It's your grandmother, pup."
"What about her, Miss Lawry?" I shift my weight. Please don't let her be dead. Please, please, please.
"She’s in the hospital.”
"In the hospital?" I manage a faint whisper. "What happened?"
My jaw clenches together to keep the tears back.
The atmosphere in this small room seems cold and full of bereavement.
"They aren't sure, dear. The police say it's urgent that you get down there to see her." She extracts a paper from the archives in the filing cabinet behind her desk and hands it to me. I don't notice it.
"The police?" Oh, God. Not again. Please, don't let this be happening again.
Miss Lawry must notice my distress; she jumps up from behind her desk and walks to me. She places her hands on my shoulders and rubs them roughly with pen-like fingers. I don't want her this close to me and feel no comfort from the gesture, even though I know I should.
"Lexi, we don't know anything yet. We do know that your grandmother is alive and that you are to go see her."
She continues talking, but I’m scrutinizing the peeling paint on the far wall.
"Lexi, did you hear what I said?" She grabs my shoulders again with her bony fingers and pain shoots up my neck before I notice the pang in my stomach pecking away at my muscles.
"I don't feel well, Miss Lawry."
The room spins and a dizziness overcomes me. The stars swell and I'm swallowed by darkness.
NINTEEN
My brain pulses, and I taste metal.
I'm not the queen of migraines, but this sure feels like one and I know light isn't good for those.
"Lex, can you hear me?" That voice, so beautiful and deep. I've heard it before. "Lex, it's me, Hunter."
Hunter. I'm assaulted by a robust odor of sanitizing solution. I peel my eyes open and try to sit up, but it's too much too fast. The light scorches my corneas. I reflexively shoot my hand up to cover my face. "Motherfucker!" I shout.
"Alexis!" Miss Lawry screeches.
"Well, we know she's awake." I hear the amusement in Hunter's voice.
"Yes, I can see that, Hunter. Thank you." She sneers at him. "Lexi, pup," her voice turns more coaxing.
I wish I could tell her that her old lady perfume is making me nauseous and it would be in my best interest if she left the room but it’d take more effort than I have to give.
"How are you feeling, pup?"
I'm going to die.
There’s a rattling to my left and the light dims down drastically.
"Hey, Lex. I shut the blinds. You should be okay to open your eyes, and I have some water here for you too." Hunter’s the first person I see when I open my eyes.
He’s sitting on a silver stool wearing dark clothing that stands out in the white room. His cocky smirk makes me smile.
"Lexi, how are you feeling, dearie?" Miss Lawry queries.
"Better," I squeak.
"You fainted!" She wails. It’s like my brain’s been stung by bee as pain shoots across my skull. "It is a good thing that Hunter was there to catch you." She throws her hands up. "Have you seen how petite I am, Alexis? There is no way I would have be able to do much other than break your fall." She sounds so frustrated and I'm trying to stay serious, but with one look at her hair I laugh.
"Ahh, sorry."
What was Hunter doing there?
Miss Lawry lets out an exasperated sigh. "Don't be sorry."
Miss Lawry leans against a white, narrow counter against the far wall. It’s crowded in the closet-sized space and I feel like the walls are moving in on us.
"My name is Dr. Mayberry. Has this happened before?" A woman with long, brown hair, square glasses and a square jaw enters the room. She’s like a life-size Lego piece dressed in a long, white lab coat.
"No!" I say a bit too forcibly. I'm afraid Hunter will say something about th
e past occurrences before I can tell him not to. The last thing I want is to get shipped to the hospital or worse, a padded white room to be poked and prodded.
"Umm, sorry. No. This has never happened before." I glance at Hunter; his eyebrow’s arched. I give him what I hope looks like a death stare.
I'm happy he finds this entertaining.
"Interesting. I want to say it was a migraine. However, I can't be sure until I conduct further testing." She scribbles something on her little board. I want to see what she's writing.
Testing. Shit. No. I open my mouth, but Hunter cuts in. "Is that necessary, right now?"
"It's very important that I see my grandmother as soon as possible." I look to Miss Lawry for help, but she averts her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Lexi. I can't allow you to drive or travel alone in your condition."
"I'm fine. See?" I jump up and twirl around for effect; I wish I hadn't. Fireworks explode in my head and my stomach's in knots.
"I see that you're fine, for now, Lexi." She strides closer. "But what if this happens again and you're driving? That's a major liability. If this is a sign of seizure activity, then you could kill someone." I guess making light isn't this doctor's forte.
"But--"
"No buts, Lexi." I peek back over at Hunter for help, but he remains quiet this time. Heat boils my blood.
He stands, a good foot taller than the doctor.
"She won't be traveling alone," he says.
"Oh, no?" The doctor asks, her forehead furrows.
"No, she'll be with me."
I widen my eyes at him and am about to object, but Miss Lawry beats me to the punch.
"You absolutely will not, Mr. Daniels!" she screeches; the hairs on her head tango.
"Why not?" God, his voice is hypnotic, even when he sounds annoyed.
"You have classes and the campus hasn't provided permission. You are still on probationary status." Her lips purse together.
Probationary status?
"You said it yourself, Miss. Lawry, I need to see my grandmother and it's an emergency." I try to stress the emergency part, but it does nothing to her resolve.
"This is bullshit. I'm free to leave whenever I want!" Hunter snaps. A vein, in his neck, throbs.
“That may be true, for you, Mr. Daniels. It is not, however, true for Alexis. Please don’t put me in the position that I have to call your father,” Miss Lawry tells him.
I shrink away in fear of the elderly woman.
Hunter glowers at her, but argues no more.
TWENTY
“Crazy old bat,” he mutters when Miss Lawry leaves the room.
"I know what you're thinking,” he tells me.
I stare at him.
How can he know what I’m thinking when I don’t?
Hunter drew in a long breath. "You need to take care of yourself. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. Something's obviously wrong, Lex," he says.
“What were you doing there? When I fainted?”
He scratches his brow. “I got a message that Miss Lawry needed me.”
“For what?” I inquire.
He swallows. “Family stuff. Back to you. What’s next? At the very least, you need rest and maybe one of those awful movies.”
I narrow my eyes. He’s definitely not being wholly honest.
I could tell him he's right. I could also tell him that his care and concern put me on Cloud 9, but I don’t.
Instead, I say, "Disney movies are the best. I can take care of myself, Hunter. You don’t have to worry.”
He frowns, then says, “Oh right, cause I’ve definitely seen that.”
"Why do you care so much anyway?" I huff.
He pauses and what he says next, causes my heart to sink.
He places his hands in his pockets. “Just don't feel like Caity or Pierce deserve to bury their best friend or wipe her off the side of some highway."
Whoa. Low blow. How could he bring them into this? I would never cause them pain, not intentionally, at least. I would give my life for either of them. I know more about loss, death and burying loved ones than Hunter could ever understand.
"Get out!" I shout at him.
The door slams behind him.
I lay alone in my bed and think about how I'm going to get out of here to see my grandma. I decide when it's dark, I’ll make a run for it.
"How are you feeling, Lexi?" in strolls the doc.
"Much better. Anxious to get back to my room to do some homework. I have a lot of catching up to do."
She nods and writes some things down on the chart.
"Any light sensitivity?"
"Nope."
"Nausea?"
"Nope."
"Fatigue or pain?"
"Nope and nope. Can I go back to my room?"
"Well, if you're sure... Then I don't see why not. Beth will be watching over you. I let her know you aren't feeling too well and that is why you weren't in your classes today. She to let me know if anything strange happens."
"Thanks.”
I jump out of bed and launch myself out of the room, down the stairs and over to my room, racing through the icy air.
TWENTY-ONE
When I enter my apartment, I half expect, and 100% hope, to see Beth asleep.
Of course, she's not.
How do I handle sneaking out with her here? I don’t know if my car can make it down the mountain right now, it’s not exactly a four-wheel drive vehicle and the weather’s been snowier than not lately.
I can't afford to wait any longer either. My grandma's sick or worse, hurt and I have to get to her.
"Hey, Lexi.” Beth shuts her textbook. “How are you feeling? I tried to come see you, but the crazy old lady told me you needed rest." She’s sprawled out on her bed.
I chuckle. “Miss Lawry,” I tell her.
“That’s the one. She’s scary,” Beth shivers like a spider’s crawling up her back.
Beth’s bed is covered in funky-colored blankets and a tapestry of Bob Marley hangs on the wall behind her.
“Nice decorating,” I tell her.
She smiles. “Right! Glad you’re not dead.”
The smell of Listerine in the bathroom, and the remnants of strawberry Febreze I sprayed the day before, linger in the air.
"I'm feeling much better. Thanks for trying to visit.”
I’m touched by the sentiment.
I saunter over to the closet, pull out my big duffel bag and fill it with clothes.
"Whoa, where are you going?" she sits up, her shoulders tense.
"Didn’t Miss Lawry tell you?" She shakes her head. "My grandmother is sick. I have to go visit her and I have to head out immediately," I tell her as convincingly as I can.
Beth tosses her hair behind her.
"Shit. I'm so sorry, Lexi. No, she didn't say anything to me about that. Oh, by the way, a doctor called and asked a bunch of questions about you, too."
"Really?" I jerk my head up. "Like what?"
"Oh, all sorts of bizarre, personal questions like your drug history. If you drank? Sexually active? She was crazy weird to talk to." My jaw drops in disbelief. That bitch. Way to pry into my personal life. "Don't worry, I didn't say anything, of course." She shakes her head again and scrunches up her face. "Psycho, if you ask me."
"Seriously." Why did she ask questions like that? Eesh. "I have half a mind to break her face with my foot," I mutter under my breath.
"What'd ya' say?"
"Nothing."
"I'll hold. You punch?" She makes a fist and slams it into her other open palm. She smiles wide.
I sling my bag over my shoulder and walk to the door. "If anyone comes, can you say I'm in the bathroom or something?"
Beth fiddles with her feather earing.
Noticing the apprehension, I add, "I told Miss Lawry I wouldn't be leaving until tomorrow and I don't want her to be concerned."
"I guess that would be okay."
"Thanks, Beth. I mean
it."
"Of course." She smiles. "Is anyone going with you?" she asks.
I frown. "No, why would you think that?"
She draws on her textbook and I want to tell her that she'll have to return it eventually, but don't.
"Is Hunter going with you?" she sings his name and I laugh.
"No.”
"Why?" her mouth stretches angrily.
"Umm...because," I say. “I’ll be fine.”
She sighs and her eyes squint in deep thought. "Someone should go with you," she rolls off the bed and heads to her dresser. She collects clothes from the drawers.
"What are you doing?" I step back.
"I'm coming with you."
"No, you're not, Beth. Thanks, but I don't need a babysitter," I object and turn the knob on the door.
Her hand slams the door shut. "What the hell?"
She purses her lips.
"You've got some muscle for being so small," I tell her.
"Either I'm going, or Hunter is!" She declares with authority.
If it weren’t for the feather earrings, bangles, and curls, I wouldn’t have guessed her to be the same sixteen-year-old girl I spoke with earlier. Maybe a robot?
"It'll be fine," I tell her and move past.
Beth rubs her eyes.
On my walk to the car, I crash into something large.
"Ow!" I yelp, folding over to check my foot.
I realize that I’ve collided with a man. He grabs my wrist and yanks me around. My heart feels like it will jump out of my chest and I suddenly think I'm going to die. I reach down and bring the man’s hand to my mouth. I take a chunk out of whoever's hand. When his grasp lightens, I pull forward.
The perpetrator grunts loudly. He gains speed quickly, I only have a stride on him now. As I am about to scream at the top of lungs, the wind gets knocked out of me; the guy lands on top of me and covers my mouth with his large hand.
"Where do you think you're going?" That voice-- the hauntingly, deep, seductive voice--only belongs to one person. I raise my eyebrow and elbow him in the stomach, causing him to release his hand from my mouth.
"Hunter!" I cry out.
"Don't scream! You'll wake up the whole school! If you haven’t already." He grips his stomach with his arm. He's such a baby. I know I didn't hurt him that badly. I roll my eyes.
