A Walk Through Hell *ABANDONED*

Over the next few days I avoided Jaimie with all that I could. When he would try to talk to me in class, I would just nod my head, and point at the board.  But there was no shaking this kid, he wanted to talk to me, and be around me more than I wanted to get out of the house and as far away as possible from Tom.  Though, today I was not going to let him occupy my mind, for I got to sit with my best friend at lunch, and even on top of that, the lunch ladies had made my favorite food. Well my favorite for caffeteria food, that is. 

I sat alone waiting for Paul to come back. He'd gone to talk to our english teacher about getting an extension on the due date for his essay.  Which she'd give him, the teachers loved him, and even if he hadn't asked she would have given him full credit for turning it in a month late.  I rolled my eyes at the thought.   

"Can I sit with you?"  I hear a voice ask.    I recognize that voice. I think, and looking up my suspicions were correct. There stood a nervous looking Jaimie, his seemingly perminant smile plastered across his face.  

"Did somebody put you up to this?"  I ask him, looking back down at my food. 

"Nope." He grins.  I don't see it, but I feel his grin.  

"Sit down." I sigh.   

He must have been rather excited, because as he stepped to sit down next to me, he tripped.  And well, let's be honest, You have to laugh at a kid who falls face first into your lap.    Thankfully he hadn't dropped his lunch on me, because if he had that would be the end of it for me.  Tom hated even the thought of a dirty home, so for me to come home with food splattered all over me would have been my demise.  

"You okay, there?"  I can't seem to stop laughing.

Jaimie doesn't respond, pulling himself out of my lap.    I look down and theres blood on my jeans.  

"Holy shit man, are you okay?" I hear Paul call out as he comes back. "Damn Liz, all you had to do was tell him you didn't like him." Paul says, staring down at Jaimie.

"Shut up Paul." I say, looking into Jaimie's face, trying to find the source of the blood flow.  He'd bitten his lip as he fell, and on top of the bight, he had braces. 

"Come on, I'll walk you to the office." I say, handing him a couple tissues from my book bag.    I always seemed to carry a lot of useless things, such as Tissues, cotton balls and even an extra shirt for a while.  Jaimie nods and follows me as I lead him to the office.

"You gonna speak?"  I say, looking back at him.   He just stares at me.

"Can you speak?" I giggle.  He looks down at the ground, and then back up at me.

"He mutters something I can't quite make out.  "What was that?"  I ask. 

"I'm embarassed."  He finally blurts out. A blush runs over my face, as he continues.

"A pretty girl lets you sit with her at lunch and what do you do? You fall straight on your face."  He rambles.  My face turns a bright red, as I lead him into the girls bathroom.

"This doesn't look like a nurses office." He says.

"That's cuz it's not."  I laugh, grabbing some paper towels and running them under warm watter.

"Nurse Liz at your servace." I smile, taking the tissues from his hand and blotting his lip with the paper towels.  He looks confused, but let's me continue.   I'd learned how to dress and conceal my own wounds since Tom had moved in with us.  

"And...There we go,"  I smile. "You're as good as new."   We laugh.

This kid really is nice, he even offers to buy me new jeans if the blood doesn't come out.  When we walk back out I'm on his back, him giving me a piggy back ride as a thank you for cleaning his ass up.   People stare at us as he runs back to the tree, which, thankfully he doesn't notice.  But I do, but yet, I don't care.  I'm having fun, riding on this kid's back, like I'd done on my dad before he'd left us, and like Caroline, my little sister, get's to when ever Paul is willing. 

Paul looks up at us, the surprised expression on his face cracks me up.  Paul knew how antisocial I was. Infact, he knew it better than even I did, so to see me ride up on the new kid's back was surprising to him.  But never the less, he smiles. 

"I see you're doing better." He laugh.

We both smile, Jaimie letting out a slight giggle. 

"Do you wanna invite your new friend to pizza/movie night, tonight Liz?"  Paul smiles, pulling me into his arms.  Paul was a protective kid, much like an older brother to me.  Though we were the same age, you'd swear he was in his 20s, and me 15.  I try to get him to reliece me, but to no prevail.  After a while, I just nod.   Paul looks at Jaimie, and then tells him his address. 

"Tonight around 6ish.  Be at my place, and bring drinks!"  Paul calls back to Jaimie as the lunch bell rings.  He just holds up a thumbs up and walks to his next class.   The next period was the only one I didn't have with him.   AP Biology. Ugh.    Though the time did seem to speed by, and before I knew it I was in 8th period, sitting with Paul and Jaimie on either side of me.  I felt like I was on the top of the world, I'd made another friend, and he didn't even know my secret, or ask me about my recent abortion. (Which did not exist, Just sayin'. )  

After school I rushed home, hoping to beat Tom, so I could change my clothes before he noticed the blood stains on my jeans.  But to no prevail, as I walked in he was sitting on the couch, as if he had waited for me to come home, so he could find something wrong with me. 

"What's that on your pants?" He growls.

"Nothing." I say, not looking at him, I try to make a mad dash for the stairs but he gets there faster.  Damn my short legs.

"It sure as hell don't look like nothing." He grabs me by the colar of my shirt.

"It was an accident, okay?"  I say, closing my eyes.

Paul back hands me a few times, and then throws me into the stairs.  How my mother never noticed this flabergasted me, but she didn't.  I called out in pain as I ran up the stairs. I had landed dead on my hip. Thankfully nothing broke, but it sure as hell did hurt for me to move.  As I put my jeans on I noticed a huge bruise had already began to form on my hip, and the feeling of my jeans rubbing up against it was to much to bare.  As good as I was at holding in tears, I let a few roll down my face.  I removed my jeans, and pulled out a pair of sweats from my drawer.  "I'll just wear these."  I think allowed, pulling them onto my body.  They hurt my bruise, but not nearly as bad as my other pants had.  I walk into the bathroom, and notice also a bruise forming on my face. The strongest concealer out there wouldn't even cover it.  "Great."  I sigh, walking down the stairs towards the door.  "I just need to get out the door."  I think.  Though before I open the door,  I hear Tom call my name. "Oh Liz."  He says. "Don't dare come home like that, again."  He groans.  I just nod, and head out the door. 

Thankfully, Pauls house isn't too terribly far away from my own.  If it had been, I would have had to borrow the car, and no good things ever come from me borrowing the car.   As I ring the door bell, I hear shuffling, and the the door opens.  "Hey Li-  Whoa."  He says.  "Is it that bad?" I ask. 

"Is what bad?" I hear another familiar voice call.  

Shit, Shit, Shit, Shit.  I repeat in my head, why was he here first? Why could I have just cancelled?  

"Nothing man, just go back in the kitchen." Paul calls back. "Oh...kay..." I hear the voice say.

"What Happened Liz?" Paul whispers.

A tear rolls down my cheek, and he pulls me into his arms.  "shh." he whispers, pulling me into his house.  "Is everyth-"  Jaimie says, he cut his self off this time.  As he walked over, I could feel Pauls grip on me tighten. "Is she okay?" I hear Jaimie as Paul, thinking I was oblivious to the world around me.  He tries to touch me, but Paul waves his hand away.

"I'm fine." I say, pulling away, a semi-fake smile on my face.  There was something about Jaimie that made me want to hug him and never let him go. To not let him know the troubles of the world. I opened my arms up, and he gladly accepted, embracing me whole-heartedly.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"  He asks.  I just nod my head no, walking over to the couch.

"I think we should pull the bed out, and watch something sappy." I smile.