White Lies

Part 1: Chapter 4

Thomas's POV:

   I was heading down the street, Ramona by my side, the sky now a peachy-orange. I checked the time. 7:49 p.m. Earlier in the day, school was easy, yet my spots seemed to have acted up a little. They had grown itchy in the middle of phys. ed. and I was sent to the nurse. The school had already known about my situation, and I was allowed to stay at the nurses until the sensation stopped. That was the usual. They act up, go to the nurse, wait, go back to class.

   Oddly enough, they've been almost hurting lately. It wasn't just a small feeling anymore, an urge to scratch. They felt like pin-pricks, small sharp pains. I hated it.

   Enough of that. We currently headed down to our favorite restaurant, or more specifically, a diner. It was a cute, little place full of an extremely friendly staff. It had an overall 50's retro look to it, offering breakfast, lunch and dinner, any meal at any time of the day. Ramona and I walked across the black and white checkered floor to a red booth. A waitress called over, "Hey you two! Back again I see. Weird, it's not the weekend though?" The people here were quite familiar and fond of us since we came almost every Sunday, yet we decided to come today, on a Thursday.

    Ramona smiled, "Nah. We just thought we'd pop in today Natalia". Natalia was a curvy woman with her black hair tied up into a bun, her brown eyes framed by circular lenses, wearing her uniform; A white pencil skirt, light blue and white pinstriped shirt with a white collar, and a short apron. She slipped out a small writing pad, "Well, what can I get for ya?" Ramona ordered a sub and lemonade. I grinned as the waitress looked to me, "Pancakes! You know how I like 'em". Natalia chuckled, writing it down before giving me a wink, "'Course I do Tommy", before turning, her white pumps clacking against the tiles as she walked off.

   Ramona glanced to me, "So, heard you went to the nurse again today. Spots?" It was the last thing I wanted to talk about, but I sighed, "What else would it be?" She furrowed her brows, obviously concerned, "They've been acting up, haven't they? It's weird. Are you positive the doctor said it was fine?"

   I gave her a nod, "Yes Ray. Just a form of eczema. It can get more dry and itchy sometimes. It's just one of those cases.." She rested her chin on her fist, giving me a long, hard look. It was a tendency of hers, she was trying to read me, and she clearly saw I was getting uncomfortable talking about it. I knew that, cause the next thing she did was shake her head, dropping the conversation, and sat back sighing.

   It wasn't until a couple minutes that our meals came over. I was greeted by blueberry pancakes, drizzled in chocolate with a dollop of whipped cream and a strawberry. Ramona picked up her sandwich, only to pause, "Maybe you shouldn't eat that every week.. Why don't you change it up? That.." She laughed, giving it another glance, "Can't be healthy".

   I pouted, pretending to be mad as I stabbed my fork into it, "You're not my mom, y'know". That only made her smile more, "Yes I am," before biting into her food.

   It wasn't until halfway through my meal, I couldn't help but to feel.. Odd. I grew stiff, glancing to my side where the sensation was coming from. It didn't itch though, it just felt as if my muscle tensed. Though the next thing I knew, it had felt like I had been stabbed.

   Ten times over.

   I cried out, gripping my side, causing Ramona to stand, "T-Tommy?! What's wrong, what hurts?" I wanted to point to the spot, yet the pain only grew, spreading. Ramona realized where my hand remained holding onto and slipped from her seat, now beside me.

   Simply her touch helped to settle me, but not enough to stop the tears welling from my eyes. She gently took my hand away, holding it, and lifted my shirt with her other.

   My patches. They had spread a bit, clearly irritated; The area red, almost pulsating. She touched her hand to them, pressing her lips flat, "Hot to the touch.. And your muscle feels tight, as if it's almost knotted.." Natalia noticed, her eyes widening, "Sh-Should I call an ambulance?"

   There was a voice though that cut her off.

   It was calm, smooth, "That won't be necessary. I've got this under control".

   Yet it was followed by the click of a gun.