Apathetic Psycometric (book 1) #wattys2016

Chapter 3

A few days went by uneventfully and by Thursday I was feeling a little relieved. Since I was no longer hiding from Kenzie, I decided to ditch my hoodie in my locker before lunch. As I looked down I realized that my tank showed more than I wanted it to so I grabbed the red low cut tee I kept in my locker from last week. I smiled at the way it accentuated everything in a pleasant way. For the first time in a long time I felt good in my body. Having changed I made my way to the cafeteria for a lunch I had been looking forward to and dreading. What if I was his prank? What if he was going to torment me? Oh god. He's probably going to mock me for the gloves. I stopped walking. I was in front of the cafeteria doors but I simply could not move. I was frozen in fear. I slowly began walking backwards fully ready to skip out on lunch when who should I bump into but Jordan. I gasped and spun around to face him and backed up a bit. He reached out to touch my arm but I quickly side stepped from his reach.

"You can't touch me" I whispered wide eyed and fearfully. I needed my hoodie. I wanted it desperately. I backed up a little more. "You can never touch me." I backed into a wall and slid down it with my head in my hands. I felt the beginnings of a panic attack well up inside of me and I looked around frantically for an escape as I began to hyperventilate. Too close. So close. How could I be so careless?He came up beside me and knelt down looking concerned.

"Hey, hey Laurel what is it? What's wrong?"

All I could do was look into his stunning blue eyes and say "me. I'm what is wrong. And you'll get rid of me." I let out a shaky laugh. "Assuming i'm not a prank or some kind of pity thing, once you know you won't want me near you ever again." And the thought of never being wanted brought me to tears and a moment later his arms were around me, his hands touching my bare arms and I felt.... Nothing. There were no images or feelings. Just peace. He was like a blank slate and I pushed him back a little. "How?" And I sat there completely baffled and stared at him. I realized later on that his embrace had driven away my panic attack.He looked confused for a moment.

"How what? And you know what? Get those thoughts out of your head now because no matter what, I want to be with you. I mean look at you. You are beauty personified. You are honest and I can tell you are a kind person and clearly very smart. Why wouldn't I want to be the one to make you smile each and every day?" He smiled down at me and helped me stand up again touching my arm and still I neither felt nor saw anything.As his hand lingered, giving me goose bumps, I just stared at it and then at him and at it again.

"But how?" I just kept repeating until his words registered in my head and I shut up as a blush crept across my pale face.

"Again, how what?" he asked me and I realized I would have to tell him everything and it honestly did not terrify me like I thought it would. I found myself.... Happy. Happy to be able to tell someone about the horrible things I had seen and done about it and that maybe, just maybe it might not scare him off and that thought made me smile.

I looked at him and said simply," I will tell you only after I have cleaned my face off because I'm more than certain I look terrible." I laughed a little and it sounded so foreign I almost didn't recognize that the laugh was mine and I would need to get used to it. "And don't go lying to me about it because even I know makeup runs when someone cries."

He walked with me to the girls restroom and stood outside waiting. I looked dreadful. I decided there was no salvaging it so I simply washed any trace of makeup off and reapplied my eye liner and mascara. I was making my way towards the door when Kenzie came out of a stall and stood in front of me a smirk on her face and dread crept into my stomach. This was not going to end well. Before I could blink she had reached out and latched onto my arm. Skin on skin. The images came and they were every bit as terrible and terrifying as the first time. I could do nothing to stop them and I felt all of her pain and couldn't bear it. I fell to the floor and curled into a ball sobbing and swinging my arms about. They wouldn't stop and closing my eyes wouldn't stop them so I continued laying there sobbing even as I heard her leave. I moaned and curled up tighter.

"Make it stop." I begged. All of a sudden it did stop and I could breathe again. I cried softly feeling limp. I smelled Jordan and knew I was safe and in Jordan's arms. He had saved me again. That's all I could think before falling asleep with my face in his neck. I fell asleep to the smell of his axe body spray and something distinctly him

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I woke up feeling groggy and looked around wondering where I was. "You're in the nurse's office again." Jordan said looking at me a little worried.

"What happened in the bathroom?"I smiled lazily at him still feeling out of it. "I guess I did promise to tell you." I laughed barely audibly and sighed dejectedly looking in the direction away from him. I guess things were fun while it lasted. I closed my eyes, hung my head, took a deep breathe and open my eyes and face him. "I'm a psychometric. I can see and feel things through touch. Skin contact usually causes it hence the gloves and hoodie." I sigh and close my eyes. "Feel free to run away screaming but please just don't tell anyone else. They all think I'm crazy as it is what with barely talking and the panic attacks and.... I'll stop talking now." I felt a tear slide down and I swiped it away swiftly realizing I've cried more today than I have in the year and a half.

"Hey." He said softly. "Who said I was running?" He grabbed my hand and held it softly. I opened my eyes to see his sincere expression and all I could do was gape at him. He smiled at me and I took note of his dimples. "How long have you had to deal with this?" He asked me.

"Since my sixteenth birthday so a little over a year and a half." I said softly. "Did you know you're a negater?" I asked. He didn't look as if he understood.

"What in the world is a negater?" He asked me and I couldn't help but laugh."A negater. You negate the effects of my ability. I can't read you. It's why I was so surprised when you touched me earlier. Nothing flashed." I smiled at him. "You're the first one I've ever met." I sighed. "So why haven't you gone running yet?" I closed my eyes and waited.He laughed and kissed my forehead.

"Well maybe it's because I have an amazing date later. She's this gorgeous girl but you see the best part is she doesn't even know it." He smiled at me and walked towards the door. He turned around at the door. "I need to get back to class now, you ok?"I smiled up at him through my lashes and nodded blushing.

"I'm ok." was all I could manage to whisper. He nodded back at me and smiled again letting me know he would text me.