Seneca State University - Sophomore Year - The Beginning

Chapter 11. Kidnapped

Brent felt it before he saw what happened. The strangest weakness like a gentle breeze went through his body and stopped him from walking. It disappeared as quickly as it came. He stood there in the middle of the campus wondering if he was having some sort of health issue, his coach had been pushing him pretty hard the past few days.

And then he saw the crowd.

A handful of students stood together staring at something on the ground. One of them ran away in a panic and that's when he saw the long, black hair covering the grass.

His heart began to pound.

Another person stepped away.

Brent dropped his backpack and took off in a full run when he saw her face.

Cathy!!

She was lying on the ground her skin pale and damp, her breathing erratic, her eyelids blinking rapidly as she tried to adjust her eyes to the people surrounding her.

"Move back!" Brent demanded the crowd. "What happened?" he asked as he kneeled beside her and gently began to lift her in his arms.

"She was walking and then collapsed," someone told him.

"Cathy?!" Brent spoke her name gently.

Her eyelids fluttered as she tried to focus on him. "Brent?" she asked weakly.

"Yes, it's me. I'm here. I got you."

She started to close her eyes again, but Brent wouldn't let her. "Look at me!"

She opened them and focused on his face. "Too many people...this is so embarrassing," she said softly, trying to turn away from them.

"I don't like it when I... faint... It makes me feel vulnerable...I hate feeling vulnerable, helpless...I don't ever want you to see that side of me."

Her words played in his mind. He hadn't spent much time with her since the day she showed up at his football practice to cheer him on which had been Tuesday. It was now Monday. Five days had gone by. He had wanted to give himself time to figure out his feelings for her. He'd texted her and called her every day and they chatted for a little bit when they passed by each other, but he had pretty much kept his distance from her, and Cathy hadn't even noticed because she was too busy with her classes and studies.

Brent stared everyone down as he stood up with her cradling her possessively against him. "Thank you for your concern. I got this."

"Brent who is she..." someone asked.

"I said I got this! You can leave now," he said in such an authoritative voice that everyone tensed and quickly left.

Brent turned to Cathy. "I'm taking you to the clinic."

"NO!" Cathy said. "It's ok, I'm fine."

"You are not fine!"

Cathy stared at him. "I'm fine. If I can argue with you that means I'm fine..."

They stared at each other.

Brent began to walk with her. "Nope, still taking you to the clinic. I need to know what's wrong with you. If I don't know what's wrong, then I can't fix it."

"Brent...you can't fix this...."You don't have to take me the clinic, I'll be fine in a few minutes it's just a little fainting spell, it's no big deal."

"Stop talking," he demanded. "Close your eyes, lean against me, and just rest."

Stubborn, stubborn man! How dare he boss her around like this.