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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐎𝐍𝐄
the spectrum of peace
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( formality; pt.iii — code breaker; pt.i )
A sense of relief washes over Maddie as she walks out of the school, her black denim jacket protecting her from the winter air. Her ears are ringing from the change in volume, the high pitched whistle nestling in her brain as the music blasts from inside the school, quieter now that there're thick walls between them. But she wants it to stop, the music, the excited shouting and screaming wafting out from open windows, the clicking of her heels, the sounds of the wildlife in the surrounding forests. She can hear it all, the owls hooting, the crickets chirping, wings flapping.
The cold isn't bitter, but it's bothersome. Goosebumps grow on her skin, pulling up and she can feel each individual one from beneath her jacket and her sheer sleeves. She bites down on her tongue with her molars, trying to cause a distraction for her brain to stop bothering her, and she reaches into her pocket to grab her phone, the cold screen a shock to her system that causes her teeth to let go of her tongue as the shock comes out as a frustrated whine.
She sits down on the stone carved bench, flattening her dress and she has to put up with the numbing cold it sends to her legs because she doesn't want to stand up anymore. As the phone rings, her focus moving from the tone to the music sporadically, Maddie starts to rapidly tap her fingers against the side of her ribcage, hoping for a distraction but the fast movement only serves to make things worse.
Her eyes shut in relief when the call connects, her mom answering. "Hey, sweetie, is everything okay?"
"Uh, I think so?" Maddie replies, her head twitching in regret, realising that sounded more like a question than a response. "I think I've had enough. I, um, I'm having sensory overload so can you just pick me up? I wanna go home."
"I'll be there in fifteen," her mom doesn't even hesitate. "I love you."
"Yeah, you too." Maddie ends the call, turning off her phone before putting it back in her pocket. She fumbles to close the button but manages to succeed. Now left to wait, anxiety bubbles to the surface, making her look around the parking lot in paranoia. Last time she was here at night was when they were chased through the school.
After a few minutes of breathing exercises to help her calm down, the pressure in Maddie's lungs starts to lessen, much to her relief. She really doesn't want her first high school dance marked by an anxiety attack. She contemplates going inside, just to warm up, but she also realises that that would risk restarting the overload and she would be back where she started, rushing outside to be free of her mind. The longer she's outside, the more her paranoia increases. She keeps thinking she's hearing something in the forest, or there's something behind her.
After everything she's gone through doesn't she deserve a break. Is that too much to ask for? A tiny break where she just doesn't feel anything.
"Jackson!"
Maddie looks up at the sound, trying to locate voice. Of course she finds no one other than Lydia Martin walking through the parking lot, arms crossed across her chest to protect herself from the cold, continuing to call out Jackson's name a few more times. As Maddie watches, an uneasy feeling settles in her gut and surrounds her heart, almost desperate, exactly how Lydia sounds.
YOU ARE READING
Empathy ⌯ Stiles Stilinski
Fanfiction❝ the way he looks at her, i don't think he's never looked at me that way ❞ ❝ maybe you just weren't looking ❞ High school is supposed to be hard. The homework, the socialisation, the worry of deciding your future. At least, that's what's supposed t...
