Sanity Siphoned

Ch21: New Challenged

Chapter 21

Michael was starting to hate school and it was only the first day, hell it hadn't even started and he was itching to go back home and sleep a few more hours. He was standing around the yard with his friends waiting for the first bell to ring bored out of his mind.

Anna was hanging all over Cody, they became an item over the summer, some drunken mistake gone too far and if it was possible the girl was even more annoying. Michael was tempted to stab himself in the ears with pencils to stop the screeching she implanted there. Every so often the screeching formed words that peaked his interest. "Oh here comes my biggest mistake." She spat when Nick Sheldon walked past.

"Nope you can't regret our time together anymore then I do." He replied with a smile before turning all his attention to the parking lot.

"Why are you littering up precious air by standing here?" Anna asked.

Nick didn't bother to glance at her. "Waiting for someone. Why don't you go away?"

Everyone was a bit surprised to hear Nick talk back to Anna, he normally stayed silent when she got on his case or walked away. Michael on the other hand could care less about the bitch fest going on around him. His heart began to race, could the person Nick be waiting for be Julienne? Who else could it be? He had thought about the day he'd see her again, sometimes dreamed about it.

Annoyed enough with Anna's attitude Nick moved away from the front doors of the school and closer to the gate. Michael snuck glances that way when his friends weren't looking. It was about five minutes later when the mystery was solved.

"Finally! The torture of this place is already too much added to the torture of my parents summoning me home early."

Julienne jumped into Nick's waiting arms. "Three weeks apart and we can't handle it. I think we have a dependency problem." She was all smiles as Nick set her back down on her feet. Three weeks apart? Michael questioned as he listened. She had been gone for months. Her voice caught his attention again as he spied on them. "What happened to your hair?" she asked, the mohawk was gone and a short buzz cut replaced it.

"I'm conforming, there was some family reunion and my folks put on enough guilt and bribes. Your hair on the other hand looks very nice." He ruffled her new shorter cut.

Instead of unkempt long hair down her back it was cut above her shoulders in layers and easier to tame. It framed her face in a way that had Michael's heart beat speeding even faster. She looked damn good.

Nick and Julienne linked their arms together and headed inside the school. She never once glanced Michael's way. Ouch, he thought, but then again she had every reason to ignore him. He had to speak to her; the question now was how was he going to get her alone?

IIII

It wasn't easy to be back there. Dr. Sharon had warned her it wouldn't be but no matter what she had to remain in control. She kept a firm grasp on her emotions and forced herself to stay in the present; she couldn't run away and hide inside herself.

"You alright?" Nick asked as they stopped at his locker next.

"Yeah, I can do this. She told me to just push through it and the next day will be easier. If I start to space out she suggested I keep talking." She kept her focus on Nick instead of the faces that tormented her for years walking by or the whispers about her new appearance. They couldn't whisper about her absence because no one realized she was gone for months. They wouldn't have noticed if she was there in town or not.

"I can help with that. Who talks more then me?" he smiled and her nerves started to ease. "Thankfully we have a lot of classes together."

The last bell rung and it was time to get the day started. At the door of her first class it happened; Michael was there. She almost bumped into him except she walked with her head up now, another tip Dr. Sharon made her promise to follow, and saw him before they touched. Everything inside her froze as she looked into his blue eyes. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Nick turn around to see why she had stopped. He didn't immediately run to her defense. They both knew this was coming and she had to handle it herself.

She stood a little straighter and offered a slight smile. "Excuse me." with that she walked into class and took her seat. He wasn't going to get the best of her anymore.

She spotted Michael here and there but he made no attempt to talk to her. She was thankful for that. She tried to stop thinking about him and noticing him but those were steps she'd have to work harder at.

During lunch flashes of the past started to reappear. She sat with Nick and not five minutes later Anna showed up, her shadow looming over their table like the nuisance she was. Julienne secretly thought Anna couldn't pass up tormenting Nick every time he was around because she missed him. Nick was a hell lot more attractive and a better guy then the one she was with now.

Julienne was really sick and tired of Anna and refused to cower ever again. "What the hell do you want?" she asked. "I'm sure somewhere along the line your parents taught you it's rude to impose."

Anna's eyes lit with anger. "Oh yeah I'm sure it's really important whatever you two dorks find interesting."

"Doesn't matter if it is or isn't, it's called a private conversation." Julienne spat.

Anna crossed her arms and an amused smile appeared across her face. "Look at you full of fire now. I guess that time at the loony bin really helped."

Julienne stopped herself in time before visibly wincing. She knew getting back to school wouldn't be easy but she had prayed no one would use the truth against her. How the hell did Anna know? She swallowed hard and reminded herself; no backing down. "Are you so bored this is how you have to entertain yourself? Or are you going to suck it up and admit you just want to be near Nick?" by now other kids were listening in and gasped at her comeback.

Anna's tough girl façade started to shake, her stance weakened. "You don't know what you're talking about."

Julienne smiled in her face. "Keep telling yourself that." She looked back at Nick and noticed him trying not to laugh.

Realizing she was beat but appearing to have grown tired of the battle of words, Anna walked back to her table.

"Good one." Nick said while he resumed eating.

"It's true. She can't ignore you to save her life even if it's just a comment in passing. Even someone as stupid as her sees what she screwed up. But if you were ever to get back together with her or someone like her I'd have to kick you hard somewhere soft."

A roar of laughter erupted past his lips. "Damn! I'll keep that in mind but you really have nothing to worry about. Anna makes my skin crawl now. I learned from my mistake. Yours hasn't stopped staring at you since we sat."

Julienne shrugged and resisted the urge to look. "Doesn't matter to me. There is nothing on this planet that will make me forgive him."