𝙋𝙀𝙍𝙁𝙀𝘾𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 || EDDIE MUNSON

Silence

BRANDY watched the nurse cautiously, her stern face remained unreadable as steel while she rummaged around her metal desk drawers. The room made Brandy squirm, it smelled so clinical. She despised it. Brandy readjusted her body on the nurse's cot. The room was so chilly, a shiver traveled up her spine and goosebumps spread across her arms at the temperature.

"These should help your stomach." The older woman held out a hand full of peppermints. "Try not to do anything that would make you go into a frenzy." She said coldly.

Brandy took a deep inhale, in all her years of high school she had always avoided the nurse's office. Purely because of this reason. The teen could be puking blood and vomit would be coming out of her eye sockets, yet she wouldn't be taken seriously. Sure a school nurse could only do so much, but a little compassion wouldn't hurt the old woman. Brandy fixed her jaw, her still jumbled nerves getting the best of her as she looked at the nurse with a hard stare.

"It's wasn't a frenzy-" Brandy began.

"Yes, yes." She droned. "It was a panic attack, just keep your blood pressure to a minimum, or we'll have to send you home."

"Can I get a note for class?" Brandy asked, her eyes shifting to the digital clock on the nurses desk. 9:37 AM.

"Yeah, sure." she huffed, scribbling onto an already partially filled-out form. Brandy fiddled with the red and white candies in her hand, her body still reaping the cosequences from the incident in the parking lot. "You take the yellow one," The woman said with a groan as she leaned across her desk.

"Thanks," Brandy mumbled, grabbing the note she stood, her legs shaking below her but not too terribly. There was an occasional shake in her breath, where her chest would hitch and momentarily spasm. Walking into the main area of the front office she shuffled awkwardly next to the front desk. Eddie looked up from his slouched position in the office waiting chairs. He stood nearly instantaneously. Walking to her.

"You all okay now?" He asked, his eyes shifting to the side. Brandy nodded in silence, Eddie watched her with fixation. Her body language was much more reserved than he had been before. Her arms were crossed, and her shoulders hunched. Brandy's eyes kept shifting around, like she was waiting for something to pop out and terrify her. "You sure?"

"Just-" She began quietly, clearing her throat. "Just a little rattled," Brandy reassured with a small smile. She held out her hand, showing him the abundance of mints she had. "I'm not going to eat them all," She told him quietly.

Eddie grabbed two, stuffing one in his pocket, and untwisting the wrapper on the other one before popping the peppermint on his tongue. "Tastes like Christmas," He joked, hoping it would provoke a smile from the blonde.

"Now I'm going to have Christmas songs stuck in my head," She rolled her eyes, giving him a tiny grin. Even if it wasn't at full potential, he was glad he could bring one to her face.

The pair walked to the office door. Brandy's hand hovered over knob, her eyes staring intently through the small glass window. Eddie looked in the way in which her gaze was directed, she watched with a mix of nervousness and dare he even say anger as Jason Carver walked down the hall, his smug grin wide as he goofed around with his jock friends. Eddie looked down at her as she stood frozen.

Brandy turned her head, sensing his eyes on her. "What?" She asked quietly.

"Nothing- nothing," He shook his head. "You just kind of had a one-sided staring contest."

Brandy turned her head back to the door. "I don't really feel like being interrogated by Jason today," She muttered, almost inaudible to Eddie.

"Huh?" He asked, not quite sure if what he heard was correct.