I awoke to my alarm going off at six-thirty in the morning. I groaned, really wishing I hadn't agreed to go back to school. I sat up in my bed, feeling pretty lousy. I knew I couldn't tell dad that I felt sick, because in the coming months, I'd probably feel sick almost every day, at least in the morning. I pushed away the feeling of nausea and carried on with my morning; getting dressed, doing my hair, and doing my makeup.
Once I was finished, I felt a little better, and I made my way into the kitchen, where Joe was pouring Summer a bowl of cereal. I took a seat next to Summer and stared at the bowl in front of me. The mere thought of eating made me sick to my stomach again, and before I knew it, I was jumping off the chair and running down the hallway, pushing passed Andy. I couldn't even close the door before I was emptying what little was in my stomach into the toilet. I heard Andy run down the hallway, and I soon felt his hand rubbing my back.
He reached over me, flushing the toilet. I sighed and wrapped myself around his waist, trying not to cry already, since the day had barely even started. He shushed me, rubbing my back again. I sighed once more, composing myself. He and I walked back down the hallway, where I took my seat again. I gathered up enough courage to eat a little bit of my cereal. I felt better once I had a little something in my stomach, since I wasn't just feeding myself anymore.
"Ready to go?" Andy asked.
I nodded, mustering up as much of a smile as I could. It seemed to do the trick, because he smiled at me and slipped his flip flops on. Summer was nearly halfway to the car already, and Joe was running after her. Andy and I walked out of the house, walking towards the vehicle. Joe helped Summer in, and Andy and I hopped in. Soon, we left, heading towards Summer's preschool, which was only a few blocks from my high school.
Once we arrived, Andy and Joe both got out, walking inside with her hands in theirs. I sat there, waiting for them, twirling my phone around in my hands. I hadn't received any texts lately from anyone, which made my happy, because it was one less thing I had to deal with. Although, I hadn't received any from Gage either, and that worried me. Maybe he regretted what he said, maybe he didn't and he was just scared; who knew.
Andy and Joe came back shortly later, starting the vehicle and heading towards school. The closer we got, the harder my heart started to beat. I was worried about the looks I would get, the things that would get said to me. I could only imagine what Halle and everyone else had spread around school while I was gone. I just prayed Gage hadn't slipped up and told anyone I was pregnant.
Maybe that's why he wasn't texting me; maybe he told somebody.
My heart started to beat faster, my breathing picked up. I began to feel dizzy and I started to sweat. As much as I tried to not let Joe and Andy know I was in the midst of an anxiety attack, it didn't work. I saw Joe look back at me, then he tapped Andy's shoulder. My hearing was muffled, but I heard him ask Andy to pull over. Andy glanced in the rearview mirror and quickly pulled over.
Things seemed to be in slow motion as they both hopped out of their seats. Andy opened my door and unbuckled my seatbelt. He told me to focus on my breathing and helped me by counting to ten over and over until I had calmed down. I took a few deep breaths until I had fully calmed down. I wrapped my arms around Andy, silently thanking him.
"You don't have to go back if you're not ready, babe," Joe said from behind Andy. "We're not forcing you."
I knew they weren't forcing me, but I still wanted to go back. I felt like I had to, like I owed it to them to go. I had been home for weeks, burdening them with my problems. It was time to go back, and I knew they secretly agreed. I told them I knew that, but said I was going, even after my attack. They both nodded, then got back in the vehicle.
We arrived in front of school, but I didn't get out. They both looked back at me and gave me a reassuring smile. I took a deep breath and grabbed my book bag. I opened the door and got out, then looked back at the two of them as I began walking. I waved, giving them a small smile. They waved back, then drove off as I walked through the front doors.
The noticeable smell of the school filled my nose, the talking of random kids filled my ears. So far, things were alright; no one had given me any weird looks, no one had said anything to me. A smile grew on my face, hoping that the rest of the day would stay that way. I made my way down the hallway towards my locker, avoiding looking at anyone. As I was feet from my locker, I ran into somebody.
"Oh, I'm so so- Gage?!" I said, wrapping my arms around his small waist.
"Hey," he chuckled, putting his arms around me. "I thought I recognized the bright red hair coming down the hallway."
He walked me to my locker, and we continued talking. I asked him why he hadn't texted me since the night in the woods. He said he told his dads everything that happened that night, and though they were proud of him, they were still disappointed about what happened at the party - and the aftermath. He said he got his phone taken away for two weeks, which wasn't up for another week.
"Well, sorry about that," I chuckled. "Anyway, have you gotten any shit lately with anyo-"
"Well, well, well, look who's back?" I heard a familiar voice from behind me. I turned around, meeting Mack, Halle, and Cody. "Finally decided to show your face again, huh?"
"Hey, just leave me alone. I said I was sorry about everything, why push it?" I said, putting books in my bag.
Halle slammed my locker shut, getting my hand caught in it, making me scream at her as I pulled my hand out. "What the fuck was that for?!" I screamed.
"Oops, my hand slipped," she laughed.
"Leave her alone, Halle," Gage stood in front of me.
"What? Are you two like a thing now? Sloppy seconds, huh?" she asked.
"So what if we are?" Gage defended me. "As far as I'm concerned, she's ten times better than you'll ever be, so don't you go insulting her when you have a lot of work to do on yourself."
Gage took my hand - the one that I could actually move - and pulled me down the hallway. We both looked back at them, then Gage stopped me. Before I could ask what was wrong, I felt his lips on mine in the middle of the hallway. I didn't push him away or pull back, because I actually liked it. It was our first kiss since the night I told him I was pregnant with his child.
"Now," he pulled away, his hand still in my hair. "let's go get your hand checked out by the nurse."
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Okay so this chapter isn't great, but I like it:3 I hope you guys do too! So sorry it took me a couple weeks to update this!!
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A Do Or Die Situation (Sequel to To Offset The Shakes) // Andy Hurley/Trohley
FanfictionAndy now has full custody of Elizabeth, and they're finishing their first tour with her along with them. As the tour comes to an end, Joe and Andy decide to enroll Libbie in a high school near them, which Libbie is less than thrilled about. She gets...
