Trusting You, Falling After

"Was I in a coma for eight years? Are we in heaven?"

The papers rustled in his pockets every time he took a step, like a confession of his guilt. The rain had frozen into snow on the way to his house, and the sound of his heavy shoes thumping on the ground was muffled drastically.
"Dude, I'm going now," Jack called in a low voice. Not bothering to look back, Nate raised a hand in a lazy wave and kept walking. Thump. Thump. Thump.
"Are you okay, bro?"
Thump. Thump. Thump.
"I'm talking to you!" Jack shouted, clutching Nate's collar. "You fucking look at me when I talk to you!"
"I will," he mumbled through frozen lips. "Let me down."
"You better," Jack retorted, letting go. "I'm off now."
"Bye."
Thump. Thump. Thump.
What was in the file? What was it that made Jack risk being discovered, that made Jack go through the effort of breaking into his school; what was it that made him so... Scared?
He had hurt someone.
But that information wasn't enough. And all Jack had ever shared on the topic was, "She called the police. They got my fingerprint. A week in Juvie." Other days, when he was angry, he'd snap, "None of your fucking business! Go back to fucking your pretty hoes."
Was she killed?
No. Seven days in Juvie wasn't enough for that. Besides, she'd called the police.
So what happened?
Groaning in frustration, he unlocked his door and tossed his bag in before him before taking off his shoes.
"Hey, mom! I'm home!"
His voice echoed around the hallway, and he frowned. Where was his mom? And the lights were off...
Fumbling around the wall, he flicked on the switch and immediately screamed.
Screamed.
A figure sprawled on the sofa, yellowish-white paste on its face, sunken green eyes, and a blood-spattered apron.
It raised its head, and the green eyes fell off.
"Hello, Nate."
Screamed.
***
"I'm sorry, I didn't think it would have scared you so much!" his mom apologized for the twentieth time. She scrubbed furiously at her face, rinsed away the yogurt, tossed away the cucumbers, and folded her ketchup-stained apron in the cupboard.
"Seriously, mom, it's okay," Nate muttered, sitting at the table with his head in his hands.
He had screamed.
"But really, I should have kept the lights on- only, I was so tired and I had time to rest, and I had just finished all the work I had to do!"
"Stop apologizing!" he snapped. "It's not your fault!"
She flinched away and bowed her head. "Do you want something to eat?"
"Yeah, sure," he muttered, sprawling on the sofa. She did her magic in the kitchen, and in no time, he sensed the delicious smell of pizza wafting through the halls.
Meanwhile, he took the papers out of his pocket and scanned them. Hmm...
Ryder, Jack
Age: 17, Height: 6"1, Profile: [picture]
Personal Doctrines: Arrogant young man - has much to work on if wanting to accomplish college. Lazy, acknowledged as school "bad boy", hated by many teachers. Low, if not failing, grades.
Files:
Nate stopped slouching and sat up straight as he scanned the list.
Just as he got to files, his mom set down a plate of pizza. "Here you go, Nate."
"Can't you see I'm busy?" he interrupted, glaring at her. She cringed and muttered, "Sorry," before taking away the plate.
"Wait, I'm going to eat that."
Immediately, she placed it back in front of him and backed away. "I'm going to go rest now, u-unless there's something else you'd like me to do?"
"Nah, go and sleep," he murmured, eating the pizza.
He could wait.
And wait he did, eating his way down to the crust just as the door flew open and a very angry Jack stepped in.
"Where is it?" he demanded, eyes flashing furiously. "Where is it?"
*
She'd been witty, quick to judge, and most importantly, beautiful. Nothing had separated her from those common cheerleaders at school. But when she'd mentioned that she was a nerd, the world had suddenly shifted for him. It was as though she suddenly lost to right to be visible to him. And for the first time, Rory found himself questioning the loss.
"Rory..." his mom whispered, clutching his hand. He took it immediately. "You're awake, mom!"
He had returned to the hospital in the slight hopes of seeing the girl again, possibly telling her his name, engaging her in some more friendly conversation. But of course, that hadn't happened. Yet.
"Of course I'm awake, Rory - wait, shouldn't I be? What's wrong? Was I..." She drew in a horrified gasp. "You look taller! Was I in a coma for eight years? Are we in heaven?"
"Shut up," he laughed, patting her reassuringly. "None of that happened, mom."
"Then what-" Her face visibly paled as she remembered the last moments of her being conscious. "Porn... You were watching... No, wait, it wasn't.... That was your father and his boss!"
"It was."
He made no move otherwise to explain, and she didn't ask questions. They sat in comfortable yet awkward silence, until she finally worked up enough curiosity to ask, "What was going on?"
"You see it in front of you, yet you wonder," he muttered. "Your faith in the faithless is astonishing."
"And since when has my jock of a son become a poet?" Her tone was biting and warned him not to mock her. "Hurry and do tell."
"Yes, ma'am," he replied quickly, his throat dry. Whenever she went into that mood, he became terrified. There was no telling what the woman in beast mode could do.
"I walked in on Dad and Ms. Piper a few weeks ago," he began. His mom arched an eyebrow. "Weeks?"
"He didn't want me to tell you, and besides, I had no proof. You wouldn't have believed me, mom," he pleaded. She mulled over it, then nodded slowly. "I'm afraid not. Continue."
He continued. He told her all about his plan, what he'd done, how the secretary had helped, and the final moment when his mom had walked in. "... And then you fainted from shock, I guess," he finished. Hardly a second passed before she exploded, red faced and all, "Fainted? From shock?!"
"Mom-"
"You, young sir, are the most unbelievably sexist man I've ever met! Fainted from shock, eh? Because I'm a woman, and that's what women do? Little delicate things, can't handle the shock? And tell me, kind gentleman, what you'd have done, if you'd walked in, seeing your wife do so? Would you have fainted? No! Because you're a man? No again! It's because-"
"Mom, mom-" It was no use. She'd gone into a full tirade.
It was a complete five minutes before she stopped. Five minutes.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she muttered. "Actually, I feel a bit dizzy..."
The monitor began to beep loudly, frantically, and knowing immediately that it wasn't a good thing - monitors beeping loudly are never good - Rory raised his voice and shouted desperately, "Nurse! Doctor! Come in! My mom is... I don't know, just help her, please!"
The door burst open a few seconds after he'd shouted, and doctors filed in, along with their nurses.
"Emergency protocol, everyone! Clear out all unauthorized presence, pull her out, ER, and check her over!"
Immediately, Rory was ushered out, and he watched desperately as his mom was wheeled out.
"I should have told the nurse as soon as I'd seen her wake," he muttered to himself. "Ugh."
He started banging his head on the wall. "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"
"Yes, you are," a gentle voice interrupted. He turned to see warm brown eyes staring at him.
"You," he whispered.
*
"It's me," Andria said nervously.
She'd been watching him for the past five minutes, stalking him as he'd gone into the room, gasping when he'd been pushed out of the way, and ultimately making a decision when he started to hurt himself.
"Um, so I guess something bad happened to your mom?" she asked. Idiot.
"Correct." He was still staring at her, and for some reason, that gave her a warm fuzzy feeling all over.
Stop it, she scolded herself. He thinks you're not worth his time.
Her heart sank when he repeated what she had been thinking.
"Listen, about the other day," he started awkwardly, running his hands trough his hair. She didn't meet his eyes. "What about it?"
"I'm-"
"Excuse me, sir, but your mom has woken," a nurse interrupted. The boy groaned. "Can it wait a bit?"
"She's calling for you," the nurse replied nervously. "A-And her condition is serious."
"Oh shit," he muttered. Without a backward glance, he strode off. "I'll see you later! Now," he continued to the nurse. "Where's my mom? And hurry!"
"Right this way, sir," she answered. Their voices grew faint as they went down the hall.
Not worth his time.
Four words have never been truer, she thought.
Hurrying home, she worried about her mom in the cold bed, worried about her neglected goldfish, and worried about her homework. Worried about everything but the dark brown eyes that pierced her soul. Worried about everything but the boy.
She hesitated when she got home, then gave in to her urge. She had to write some more. And so, she did.
Writing whatever came to her mind, she didn't write with complex desires. She just flat out wrote what she thought.
Let the world know.
Anxiety
-anonymous-
It's stupid, really. Being worried, vexed, or plain anxious, doesn't help us at all. It makes us think slower most of the time, out of rage or other forms of hasty assemblage. But it doesn't do anything positive.
Like boys, for instance. They can be many things. One is cute. Another is arrogant.
So what if you like a cute one, and a arrogant one... Let's not call it like. Closer to has an interest in you?
What happens?
Worry. Anxiety. It's taking years off of my life because I'm terrified of what going on. I never cared about guys. And suddenly two are thinking about me.
Only, I'm worried because... What'll happen when one gets what they want - and the other doesn't?
The thing is - I don't plan on letting either get me.
-anonymous-
*
Sorry for the long wait, severe case of writer's block!
Anyway, I will try to twist things up in the upcoming chapters... So far, they're just letting you glimpse the characters! Next few will give you a deep dive into their lives!
First part: Nate has been confronted by an angry Jack, at a totally unexpected time, with the incriminating files in his pocket!
(My fingers went wild here and wrote 2048 and now I'm terrified, but as Andria says, don't worry)
Second part: Rory has once again bumped into trouble, though this time it's twice over - his mom and an angry girl!
Third part: Andria seriously needs to get her tangled life into order! She can't cope with all of these worries so... Maybe a plot twist will emerge. Eh you never know!
From your best and favorite author, bye bye!
-stelewolfe-