Ace had found a couch in the back of the library to wedge herself into the corner of, rocking and tugging at her hair harshly.
It took Andrew a few minutes to find her, gently dropping her jacket around her shoulders, before sitting down next to her, "You're gonna hurt yourself, tugging your hair like that."
She quickly pulled on the jacket properly, relaxing somewhat as she muttered, "Thank you."
"You're going to pull your hair out, you've gotta stop." He repeated gently.
She bit the inside of her lip, mumbling shakily, "Sometimes I just can't- can't- like- stop it."
He sighed, "I get it- just- you're gonna hurt yourself doing that..."
"....Try not to..." She mumbled, seeming to force her hands away from her hair, tightly gripping the fabric of her jacket sleeves.
Andrew smiled softly, "Just don't want you hurting yourself like that."
She nodded quietly, ducking her head as her cheeks began to go red. They sat quietly for a few minutes, and when she let go of the jacket and managed to run a hand through her hair somewhat peacefully, he couldn't help but smile again.
The hand just fell back to her side, and he took it gently, half lacing their fingers together, before faltering, "Is this okay?"
She nodded, "Yeah."
"Okay."
After a few moments, Ace sighed, "They didn't even tell Vernon- or anyone that I was locked in there till the end of the day..."
"State testing starts in the morning..." He said quietly, realizing what had happened.
She nodded, "I didn't do anything on purpose, didn't try to leave, just sat there and took it... tried to at least."
"What happened when they called your folks?" Andrew asked softly, brushing a thumb over her knuckles.
"My ma was pissed at me, because now they're trying to force her hand... they don't want me causing a ruckus here anymore. They want me at that institution..."
He frowned, "In my health class they said that most institutions were shut down... thirty years ago."
"Well... the one they've been thinking of sending me to is still holding on... My brother says it's horrible there."
"What happened after your mother found out?" He said, switching the subject back.
"She came in, yelling up a storm... essentially traded them not outing the diagnosis for my being stuck in detention.The old man wasn't happy with me..." She trailed off, shaking her head again.
"Hey," Andrew said suddenly, "Let's just- forget about that institution bull shit... Why'd you start learning all those languages?"
"Well I grew up speaking Spanish and English... Italian and French are just... variations on that... it was a distraction." She seemed to shuffle further into the couch.
"Is it easy? To learn a second- third language?" He asked.
She shrugged, "It was to me."
Andrew hummed, "Say something in Spanish- French- either."
"No sé qué decir... Eres más amable que todos los demás. De hecho, parece que te importa," Ace sighed, looking up at him, a softness in her eyes, "Me gusta eso de ti."
"What does that mean? I take reading- not a language..."
She smiled softly, "It doesn't matter."
YOU ARE READING
The Freak
Fanfiction"So what are you in for?" "I lifted Vernon's hubcaps." "Why are you really here?" "Because this school isn't kind to people like me." Saturday detention, not an uncommon place for Ace Franco, though things certainly would change when a few uncom...
