Don't Let Him Get You

Chapter 9

Two weeks after Lillian and Ronan found Kiara passed out in front of her old home, they were still cautious around her when anything relating to her parents came up. All three hoped that school would be a distraction for Kiara, especially because her classmates were unaware of who she really was, as were most of the staff. With permission from Lillian and Ronan, Mr. Alder had approached Kiara one day during homeroom, letting her know that he had been close friends with her father and if she ever needed somewhere private to think or just get away from other students, his door was always open to her, as were his ears.

Kiara was both embarrassed and annoyed around her aunt and uncle; embarrassed because she had passed out from a panic attack outside her old home and annoyed because Ronan and Lillian had turned into helicopter guardians. Not only were they constantly asking her where she was outside of school hours, but they were also extremely cautious around her as if a single word would send her shattering into a million pieces like a china mug being thrown to the floor. No matter what Kiara said, no matter how many times she reassured them about her mentality, they continued to treat her like a bird with a broken wing; injured and unable to fend for itself.

She distracted herself by spending time with the others whom she had now grown close to, especially Dani, Kat and Alisson. They spent almost all their time outside of school hanging out at The Bookshelf, Note-Worthy, or someone's home. Because they all had mostly the same teachers for classes, just different periods, they did homework together, the other six mostly mooching off of Garrett and Kiara's knowledge.

Kiara had yet to invite them to her home, but with each passing day that they grew closer and she grew more comfortable with being around so many different personalities. She felt a little guilty for not telling them the full truth about her parents. She tried to tell herself that they would look at her differently if she did tell them, and the less they knew about the events, the safer they would be; she wanted them to live a life of oblivion when it came to the horrors this world had to offer. She knew she would tell them eventually, but until that day came, she would let the small drop of guilt fester inside her.

True to what Ronan told her, public school was entirely different compared to homeschooling. Sure, her tutor had kept her to a tight schedule when it came to assignments and homework, but nothing prepared Kiara for the amount of homework she had every single night; work that often kept her busy from the end of school until she went to bed. There was a perk to her homeschooling which was that she had learnt many of the things already and so she could see this as revision; however, looking at what was coming ahead, she knew that there was no time to relax as the next units were entirely new to her.

An understanding grew within Kiara about why so many people overused the comparison between high school and hell: the strict teachers, the scowling principals and guidance counselor that seemed to lurk around every corner, the endless amount of homework, the overcrowded hallways, and the people who would just not stop talking no matter how many times you imagined their heads exploding like grapes in a microwave.

Lillian tried to convince Kiara to use her art as a way to deal with stress. She knew Kiara didn't appreciate their constant hovering and hoped painting would be a great outlet for her anger or frustration. Kiara didn't want to associate her art with frustration or anger, but once a week passed after her panic attack, she was armed with a paint brush dripping a mixture of yellow and gray. She used shades of this color to create monotone portraits of whatever she could think of.

At first, all she could do was make harsh splashes of color that soaked into the paper, absorbing her thoughts and anger. As the second week was coming to an end, new colors appeared throughout the canvas—only in small spots. The blues, reds, and purples stood out against the graying yellow, calling attention to themselves, much like the details they represented.