Dream Catch Me (Student/Teacher)

Dream Catch Me - Chapter Sixteen

"What the hell happened to you?" Someone pulled me from my sleep, and I found myself laying in the exact position I had fallen last night. I looked up to see Alex towering over me, with what I thought I saw was concern but must have been mistaken. I rolled over slowly, trying to ignore the even more intense pain stabbing into me.

"Uggh," I grunted and I felt Alex take me by the elbow to help me up. I didn't know what was happening, on a usual day if this had ever happened he would've left me to it on the floor, not woken me up and left. Maybe he might be catching on to the fact that our Mother is a monster. Maybe, but I doubted it.

"Well, you look delightful this morning!" he said sarcastically.

"Thanks," I mumbled before staggering slowly to the bathroom and showering carefully, washing away the sweat and grime from last night's run. I was bent over, not able to stand up as it immediately brought a knife to my gut.

I tried to move quickly, knowing I had work quite soon and managed to dress reasonably fast considering the conditions I was in and left the house. I grabbed my newly filled iPod and scuffled out, under the watchful eye of Alex. He was watching me from the kitchen as I left, trying to be inconspicuous but I could sense him watching me so he wasn't doing a good job.

I didn't have enough time to antagonise over the antics of my very peculiar brother, I was going to be late for work. I walked as normally and comfortably as I could, but the walking just made clear of one thing. I had done some serious damage to my ribs, either just a crack or they were actually broken. It was a familiar pain though, and no this time surprisingly it wasn't inflicted by my Mother.

I was quite young and at the park swinging on jungle gym when a group of 'big kids' came over and started taunting me.

"Hey little girl! I bet you can't do a flip! A fatty like you couldn't even get over the bar!" Their teasing about my weight didn't hurt me at all, but the fact that my weight could hold me back at doing something I wanted to do didn't sit well with me.

"I bet you couldn't do it off the high one!" A preadolescent boy teased, with the faint beginnings of a moustache on his upper lip. Being the immature little Jane that I was, I stood up on the small bar below the higher bar I was challenged to flip off. My legs had started to shake as I was never comfortable with large heights.

I managed to haul myself up onto the bar so that I was leaning my stomach against the bar but still holding my weight up with my arms. I then shifted my weight by putting me head down, which the rest of my hefty weight then followed suit. I felt smug as I flipped around, I had finally done something they all said I couldn't do! But unfortunately it was a premature celebration as the bar which was wet from last night's rain caused my arms to slip and I fell. Directly onto the bar below me.

It was this pain that I was experiencing now that brought back the old horrible memories. I had to drag myself home after the bigger kids had left, taking small steps so I could still breathe through the gasping pain. Once I had returned home my Mother (who was still caring at this point) took me to the hospital which revealed I had cracked two ribs from the impact of falling on the bar.

And it was now that I was feeling that same pain. But worse. So let's just say the usually peaceful stroll to work was tainted by my pain, the flowers weren't as colourful and the fresh winter smell was infected by the passing cars. The relaxing Sunday morning ruined. I made sure to dodge the ice patches on the path. While the sun was out shining it had yet to melt the effect of last night's cool temperatures. My feet shuffled, scared to take bigger steps. I took a look at my watch as I got into town. I was already 20 minutes late and I was hoping that no one wanted to buy books this early today. Oh I was wrong.. As I finally got to work and walked through the door I couldn't take one step inside before I walked straight into the back of someone. Not only did it inflict a lot of pain, in which I had to take small, fast breaths and look upwards to prevent the tears welling up in my eyes to fall down my face. But it also caused shock, seems like every one in this small town loves to read on a Sunday!

"Jane! Where've you been?!" I heard Joe shout over the crowd and I spotted his head bobbing up and down trying to find me in the gathering of people. The line stretched right from the counter to the door and around a bookshelf. I quickly walked to the counter, ignoring the pain in my side for now so I could do my job. I hoped like hell I wasn't going to get fired now, it was only my second day and I had started late, a quality I hated in people. There really wasn't a reason for tardiness, except perhaps a couple of broken ribs..

Joe opened up the second cash register which I assumed was bought for this very reason, and started addressing customers. I went through the usual "Hello how are you?" and sold them their books. This carried on for at least 2 hours before there were a quarter of the customers there originally were spread out across the store. The shop was quite like a library, with people whispering in hushed voices and others reading their books between the shelves.

Between customers I tried to stand upright but the pain was too much so I ended up standing strangely, in a hunched sort of way against the counter. My hair was hiding my face today as I didn't have enough time to style it, just letting it out and flow freely. I hadn't really paid too much attention as to what I had dressed in today, I had just chucked on a pair of jeans and my baggy sweatshirt with the famous Nike phrase 'Just do it' on and slipped my feet into my converse which didn't require me to tie the laces. I'll admit that I did a pretty good job dressing myself, but I hoped it hadn't done any more damage.

I worked for another half hour before Joe said I could go for my lunch break as things had calmed down. So without my mobility I had to pick somewhere close to have lunch, and seeing that Al's was just around the corner I headed that way, shuffling across the pavement like earlier on this morning. I felt 90 years old! Maybe I should invest in a walking stick for situations like these, except that would be the opposite of inconspicuous..

I sat down at the counter this time as I only had to slide onto a high stool instead of bending down and getting into a booth or onto a couch. I wasn't quite sure if I was able to stomach any food so when the young waitress came over, the one I recognised from school, I just ordered a berry smoothie. She presented it to me with a sprig of mint on top and a curly straw, which I think was used to try brighten my day. People love curly straws. I sipped on it carefully and was half way through when the waitress came back over to me.

"Hey, I've seen you around school and you're new here right?" she asked tentatively. "Yeah I'm Jane," I fake smiled widely through the pain and she seemed to relax a bit more.

"Oh yeah, the rumour mill told me that already. I'm Jasmine, but you can call me Jaz if you like," She said. I smiled at her as a reply, but I was curious about something she had said.

"What else has the rumour mill told you about me?" I wanted to know how much people supposedly 'knew' about me in the short time I've been here, but being new in a small town I knew there was going to be some interesting rumours. Perhaps I had two fathers, or I had a fake eye? The list could go on forever. Jaz was wiping the counter in front of me, a classic waitress move to make it look like she was long something while chatting to me. I took another sip of my smoothie as she spoke.

"Where do I start?" she laughed nervously before liking again. "Okay well, first off you moved here because you got kicked out of your old school because you were pregnant but then you had an abortion. And if you were wondering, that's why some of the Christians give you horrible looks when you walk past." I raised my brow in amusement. It never ceased to amaze me how a rumour can start off small and then grow and grow into something utterly grotesque until it can't even be compared to the original rumour. This rumour in particular most likely started from someone questioning why I had moved in the middle of the school year, a rarity for someone my age and year level. It didn't stop there though and Jaz continued to describe what was stewing in the rumour mill.

"You trained with Usain Bolt one summer and that's why you're so good at running, you got a nose job because and I quote, 'No one has a nose that perfect'. You have a fake hand. You also are bulimic, cut yourself and tried to commit suicide as a baby by jumping from your cot." I had to laugh loudly at that one, clutching my side for support. Where do people even get these ideas from? A baby trying to commit suicide? I don't even know if that is possible, let alone something I supposedly did.

"Oh Jaz, it's funny how wrong they are. Teenagers these days huh?" I asked her and she giggled like a young girl.

"Yeah! I know! Your arm looks perfectly real to me!" Jaz said and wiped the counter again as her boss (possibly named Al) walked past.

And that, everybody is how Jaz and I became friends! We continued to talk as I finished my smoothie till every last drop was gone. I found out that Jaz is a quarter Indian and and Spanish on her Mum's side and full French on her Dad's side, giving her a tanned complexion with straight dark hair, almost the opposite to me. She was in my Geography class, biology and my art class which I was happy to hear knowing I would have someone else to sit with, other then Fletch in biology. Except I hoped like hell Jaz hadn't fallen for his good looks and 'charm'.

By the time my break was over and I had to head back to the store we had made plans to meet up for lunch on Monday. Admittedly I was trying to get out of having lunch with Mr Hunter and Fletch again. I slipped down from the stool and said a quick goodbye as I left the store and did my awkward shuffle-walk back to the book store. I was smiling for real this time, not the fake smile I had first given Jaz.

"Thank god you're back! I'm starving!" Joe shouted out desperately as I walked through the door. I had barely taken a step in the door before he asked me,

"What did you have for lunch?" he had caught me off guard so I spilled out a completely fake story of my lunch hour.

"Oh I had the omelette at Al's and a berry smoothie to wash it down. You can go in and ask Jaz the waitress if I did because she will tell you the truth!" I said accusingly, I knew if I could make him feel guilty for being interrogative abut my lunch I could easily deceive him. And it worked as he held up both his arms playfully and said "Okay! I believe you!" and walked out the door without so much as a goodbye. I smirked to myself, happy I was able to fool him so easily.

The store had cleared out considerably as I sat behind the counter and selling people their books. There were a few select people in the store just browsing the books. I was still stunned as to how popular the shop is, back in my old town the book store was deserted for 80 percent of the year. But then again that shows the overall intellectual status and level of the people in that town. This place could do with a clean up though, there was dust on some surfaces and the shelves were mismatched. While it had character, it still needed updating.

Between customers I was inspecting the room and spotted some long legs in a short skirt. Blonde hair and boobs. She was watching me quite obviously and not reading the book she was holding. How did I know that? Well apart from the blatant stares in my direction, she was also holding the book upside down. Now unless she had a special ability o read books upside down without actually looking at the page, I could gauge quite clearly that she was eyeing me up in a threatening way. She was scowling lightly and her lips were pursed in anger when we made eye contact.

Shannon strutted up to the front counter, making sure there was no one I was attending to. Yes everyone, the person who was dumb enough to pick up a book upside down and pretend to read it was Shannon, the last person you'd expect to come into a store like Walton's. Her scowl deepened as she came closer.

"You shouldn't scowl, it gives you wrinkles," I said to her once she was within earshot. Shannon immediately stopped and composed her face to an emotionless state.

"You'll not only be scowling but also crying if you don't stay away from Mr Lewis, hear me? I saw you two the other day as I was walking past the store, you looked very intimate with each other. Which I know was all you, plain Jane. I'm watching your every move and don't doubt it, so watch yourself!" Shannon's use of my old nickname before I got extremely fat 'plain Jane' didn't even make me flinch. Maybe because I was so used to hearing it by now it had no meaning anymore. Or maybe because it was coming from her, someone so dumb that it didn't have an effect of me other than amusement at her trying to scare me.

As she had said her bit she left, not wanting to hear my reply which probably would've been some smart-arse comment on her reading level being the same as a 6 year old's. Shannon strutted out, the same way she had probably entered, the same time Joe walked back in patting his stomach. "You always miss all the fun.." I muttered under my breath, recalling how yesterday he had missed the threat from Mr Lewis due to a phone call and now Shannon's petty threat.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Oh nothing, I just asked how your lunch was." I lied, covering up my mutterings.

"Oh great thanks, it really hit the spot you know?" I nodded and smiled politely before I asked where a cloth and spray would be. "What do you want that for?" he asked confusedly.

"You're such a boy, you're not even bothered by the dust? No? Well I am so where can I get a cloth?" he rolled his eyes at my 'such a boy' comment and fetched a cloth and spray from the back room. I walked around the store wing the dusty surfaces, ridding them of the thick layer of dust and somehow bringing s bit more life into the place. Obviously I was limited to what I could wipe by the searing pain which seemed to have increased steadily throughout the day. I noticed the time on my watch after I had been wiping for an hour and realised it was a half hour after we had closed for the day. Without the curious eyes of the customers I bent down with the spray and cloth and got to my knees to wipe the lower shelves of Walton's.

Bad idea.

As soon as I started to bend over, the pain increased to an indescribable level, possibly even worse than the actual blow delivered by my Mother. I was sent to the floor, crippled by the throbbing stabs to my side. I curled into a ball trying to nurse myself by clutching at my torso. I was taking small shallow breaths trying to allow oxygen into my system without causing too much pain.

"Jane! Time to go!" I faintly heard over the shelves. I tried hopelessly to get myself up off the floor. Maybe Joe will think I've already left and leave me here, allowing me to escape later on when the pain wasn't so bad. My plan fell to ruins as Joe rounded the book shelf and discovered me on the floor, curled up in a foetal position.

"Jane! My god Jane! Dusting shouldn't be that vigorous!" he exclaimed as he gripped my shoulder slightly and hunched over me trying to look at my face. My hair had fallen away from my face where it had been curled over all day.

"Jane! Your face is bruised badly! And what're you doing on the floor?" I didn't have the time or effort to reply as he quickly said, "I'm getting my car around the front and I'm taking you to the hospital." and he was off. It was less than a minute although it felt like a lifetime before he was bak at my side and helping me to stand up. His strong arms held me upright as he lead me to the car. My mind was going crazy being so close to him, I was able to ignore the pain for a bit focusing on the strange feeling invading my body. But it soon returned as I was placed delicately in the passenger seat of his car and had a seatbelt across my torso. The drive to the hospital was long, the closest being two towns away. It was even longer with the awkward silence in the car. I knew he was dying to ask what had happened but he stopped himself for two reasons; 1. He didn't want to invade my privacy and 2. Technically he opulent really ask in a teacher way because we weren't in school. The whole ride was quiet except for the occasional groan of pain as we turned a corner in the road or we hit a bump. This was usually followed by a look of concern or a question of my well being from Joe.

Joe took me right to the emergency room, insisting I had to be seen immediately to the staff at the counter. After filling in some mandatory paperwork I was seen by a doctor on call named Dr Peters. It amused me slightly as he looked just like Peter from family guy. He saw me quickly and assured me that my face wasn't bad, which I had already assumed seeing as I didn't even realise it until Joe had pointed it out to me. Although my ribs were a little different. Dr Peters sent me down to a different ward for an x-ray which confirmed my broken ribs. Three of them. Joe wasn't allowed in the room as I had requested him to stay outside as he wasn't my family or guardian. Not that I would've let my family in anyway.

"Now what happened here Miss?" Dr Peters asked me with the usual emergency doctor tone, the one that stemmed to care but his face told otherwise.

"Oh I'm clumsy you know? I fell down the stairs this morning while rushing to work and fell straight on the step!" I explained. He bought it easily, advising me to take it easy for at least 3 weeks and prescribed me some painkillers that were a little heavier than the usual headache dosage. I walked out of the exam room and up to Joe, showing him the doctor's prescription in my hand. We walked to the pharmacy next to the hospital reception and picked up the painkillers. Unfortunately because of this trip to the hospital I had to pay for it in some way, but Joe wasn't having any of it and insisted to pay for it being a get well soon present.

"I'll pay you back at some point," I reassured him as we shuffled back to his car in the parking lot. The once painful ride became more lulling as the painkillers kicked in and made me feel drowsy. My eyes started to close involuntarily and I leant my head back on the seat, settling in for a little nap, just until we got to my house...

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