Be My Eyes

6: After Math

"WOOHHHOOO" Iona screamed at the top of her lungs as they sped further and further up the rising, bending road on the motorcycle.

Iona felt Parker's stomach jump slightly as he chuckled and Iona responded by wrapping her arms more tightly around him before letting go.

Slowly she brought one arm up into the air, the other still holding Parker. She smiled up at the evening sky as the lights of cars sped past and the wind streamed through her fingertips. She had never felt more awake!

When she looked to the right she could see down accross the small village and was surprised by how far up they were, street lights were beginning to come on and the town was most brightly lit. It was breathtaking.

Once it began to get darker, the two teens decided to head back and Parker walked Iona to her door.

She turned to face him before going inside and he reached over with one hand to ruffle her hair, as it swayed she felt it tickle her bare arms and it made her shiver so she pushed him off, giggling.

"What was that?" She exclaimed but Parker was watching her smugly.

"Helmet hair" he stated simply and Iona felt foolish for not thinking about that and her cheeks turned slightly pink. Parker had clearly already sorted his own hair as it sat scruffily on top of his head like always.

Iona stared up at Parker for a moment, the stars reflecting slightly in his almost black eyes and although she had just found her balance after being on the bike, her heart was still thumping wildly against her chest and she feared her knees would buckle at any second.

"I should probably head back or Tom will think i crashed his bike somewhere!" Parker laughed and Iona had been amazed at how well he rode the bike but she knew he had wanted to ride his Stepdad, Tom's bike for ages, as he often spoke about it.

"That was amazing wasnt it..." Iona breathed, still in shock, adrenaline coursing through her veins. "Thank y-"

"Dont hug me again." Parker fake winced and that settled her mind and she leapt foward, tying her arms around his neck, he reacted instantly this time unlike the first time she had hugged him in the woods and she nestled her head in his shoulder slightly, not wanting him to let her go.

Sadly he soon did and went home, leaving Iona in her house alone. Her dad was working late and she saw he had left her a bowl of food on the dining room table. There was a sticky note attached that said something about cooking it but as she read it, the words began to blur in front of her and she couldnt quite make them all out.

She realised that her heart rate still hadnt slowed down and it was beating dangerously fast for someone who was stood still. She heaved as she struggled to breathe and leaned foward, gripping the edge of the table with her hands.

It was almost pitch black all around her and no one was here to help. Her phone was accross the room and she felt like she would fall over the second she let the table go. Now she was really panicking.

She was hot and struggling to get any air to her lungs. She tried to think what she usually did when she had panic attacks but she couldnt think straight, the loud booming of her heart echoing through her mind.

Breathe she thought to herself and she closed her eyes trying to imagine something to focus on but all she could see was speeding images as if she were back on the motorbike.

Eventually she gave up, feeling more sick than before and she sped upstairs, as fast as she could, she ran straight into the rail at the top but ignored the pain and made it to the bathroom where she proceeded to splash water on her face.

Finally her heart rate began to slow and her throat reopened so she could breathe and with dripping wet hair, water on her clothes and an aching pain in her shin she collapsed on the floor, curling into her knees and closing her eyes. Thats when the tears came.

......

The next morning she groggily rolled out of bed, having only had a couple hours sleep. To her dismay there was a knock on her door, it was her dad.

"Honey, are you okay?" He said, coming in and looking sadly into Iona's eyes. "You didnt eat your dinner last night..." he said and Iona had completely forgotten.

"Oh, i had some homework to catch up on, i completely forgot and just fell right alseep, sorry dad! I'll have it tonight" she said in the cheeriest voice she could muster, forcing a smile onto her lips. He nodded softly before leaving again.

Iona moved straight for her mirror and groaned out loud at how awful she looked! Bags under her eyes and blotchy cheeks. Her hair felt and looked like straw and her shin was still aching.

She hopped in the shower before shoving on a black vest, a cropped jacket and dark blue jeans. She shoved her hair into a pony tail once it dried, which due to its length took a long time under the heat of the hairdryer and she rushed to school, arriving just on time.

She smiled at the memory of yesterday evening and the rush she had felt. The fun of the motorcycle ride outweighed the pain of the panic attack in her mind and she realised she wouldnt hesitate to do it again.

Maths went by slowly and painfully as the quiet boffin beside her didnt speak one word and didnt offer a single note of help when she was stuck. She had never felt more glad to hear the bell ring and she packed up as fast as possible, still the rest of the class managed to make it to and out of the door before her.

When she walked out, having just shoved her bag onto her shoulder, she walked into the crowded hall and instantly crashed into someone.

They had obviously been walking quite quickly as the impact sent her stumbling. Of course she tripped on her own feet and went flying backwards onto the ground.

She expected the person to keep walking but when she looked up, a boy was holding out his hand, looking extremely apologetic.

"Oh my god! I am so sorry i didn't see you" he said as he helped Iona to her feet. She pulled her bag up her shoulder and awkwardly smiled, still not used to socialising. She didnt even know this guy, he was tall and looked quite strong, his light brown hair sat neatly on his head.

"Dont worry about it" Iona mumbled, just wanting him to go away.

"Hey are you the new girl? I would recognise the hair..." he said with a kind smile and Iona forced a small, fake laugh as she nodded, not wanting to be rude. She just wanted to meet Razor, Tatty and Parker for break but this guy wasn't't moving. "Whats your name? I'm Mike"