Ruin Me

31. Powerful me

I'm watching Mrs Clement's lips move but I'm not hearing any of the words that are coming out. I see her painted pink lips made shapes and her tongue flick around behind her overly white teeth but my ears hear only the faintest of buzzing noises. My whole head throbs too much for me to concentrate on anything.

"Cara," Sawyer waves a hand in front of my face pulling me back down to reality. I haven't told him anything yet. I walked right back to him after the threatening and allowed him to lead me over to his mom.

"I'm sorry," I shook my head, "I'm not feeling too well will you excuse me for a second."

"Of course honey, do you need anything?" Mrs Clement tilted her head and wore the most mothering concerned look that I wished I'd had throughout my childhood.

I just shook my head as I backed away from the group,

"Cara, is everything okay," Sawyer took my arm gently, his whole face alight with worry.

I kept nodding frantically, speak I instructed my mouth firmly, "I won't be a minute, I'll be right back."

I turned and scurried away, my need to get away had overpowered my logic and I realised I had no clue where the bathroom was. So I was wondering aimlessly around the white walls thinking I hadn't moved at all as everything looked so similar.

"Are you lost honey?" A wrinkled hand touched my shoulder and I couldn't help flinching back in surprise. The face of a kind looking man obscured my vision, I stared at him blankly for a moment. There was something similar about him but I just couldn't place what, I felt like I'd seen him before.

"The restroom?" I fumbled incoherently, luckily he managed to understand enough to point me the the direction I'd entered, towards the front door.

"Second door on the right, you be careful where you go now Miss," His voice was so formal and proper, like someone who had been through years of finishing school and the way he stood was bolt upright with both arms clamped firmly at his sides.

"Yes thank you very much," I started shuffling away down the bright white hallway. I lost count of the number of doors I'd passed, just the one? Or two? Or three?

I opened the door I was stood by anyway. They already knew I was here so what did I have to lose?

I froze. My breath hitched in my thought.

It took me a moment to process the scene that was going on in front of me.

Mitch's mom was sat on the desk, and her lips were locked with none other than Grey's dad who had his hands knotted in her platinum blonde hair. I stood frozen stock still for a moment and not a single muscle in my body would allow me to move.

Then something in my brain clicked, I had to get out of there now, I stepped back and closed the door as silently as I could. I didn't need to cause a scene, this wasn't any of my business.

So I walked away.

Thankfully the next door I tried led to the bathroom. I leaned on the marble counter and stared at my reflection in the well polished mirror lit by the bright artificial lights that extinguished all the colour from my face. I washed my hands for no reason and let cold water run across my wrists, I'd heard somewhere that was supposed to calm you down.

Suck it up. I told the reflection of myself as I peered right into her brown eyes. You are not weak. You are strong.

***

"Listen to me Cara," mom pressed her hands either side of my face forcing me to stare directly into her defiant eyes, "get it together now."