Pattern

Chapter Thirty-Six

Chapter Thirty Six

// Avery //

I didn't know if she was coming to school or not, but I called to Prudence's door at ten past eight Monday morning, and stood outside nervously, hoping Robert wouldn't open the door. He had seen me just over twelve hours ago, and I'd been fast asleep beside his daughter, who also happened to be half-lying on me, so he wasn't exactly happy with me. He'd grumpily told me to get out, even after all we'd been through together. I guess a few weeks of being good couldn't make up for three years of being trouble.

But Prudence answered, her hair tousled, wearing fluffy pyjamas. Her eyes widened when she saw me, and she turned her head the opposite way, as if to hide her face. "Avery! Why do you never call?"

"I've seen you without make-up before," I reminded her. "For like, a week."

"That was different, I was in hospital," She muttered.

"And yesterday," I added. She seemed to have forgotten that, and after a moment of hesitation, she turned her face back to look at me.

"So, are you coming to school?" I tried for an encouraging smile.

She paused, then sighed. "Give me ten minutes."

She dashed upstairs, and returned less than ten minutes later, in a shirt and jeans, her usual attire. It occurred to me that I'd never seen her in a dress, but I had seen her in a skirt, though it had been that awful party, and it had been weird. I'd sort-of wanted to give her leggings or something.

Prudence's hair had been brushed, but it still looked a bit mad. However, it amused me so I didn't say anything. It was nice to see past someone's perfect. Her scar, still a bit red, was clearly exposed though, and she seemed to realise, as she ran back upstairs and came down in a sweater zipped the whole way up. "Can you still see it?"

I decided to be honest. "Yeah." It was on her neck, so the only way to cover it was if she wore a scarf, and wearing a scarf all the time was weird. "But it's fine, you shouldn't be ashamed of it. It's like, a battle scar."

She smiled softly. "Battle scar, huh? That's nice, and all, but.." She didn't finish her sentence. "Never mind." She leaned down, grabbed her bag and walked out the door. "Let's go face the world."

--

Prudence was nervous the whole way to school - not scared, I don't think she could go through much worse, but worried. She was a different person in the eyes of her classmates now, I guessed. No longer the weird girl, or the girl that hung out with Avery Watts. Now she was 'the girl who had survived' or something cheesy like that. I was willing to bet everyone would act relieved and sympathetic, when in reality they were just fishing for gossip. But I didn't have the best view of people, so not everything I thought was true.

Not everyone had ulterior motives to being nice.

"You'll be fine," I reassured her. "You've got friends in your classes, and I'm always around, just text me or something."

"Thanks," She said. "How has school been, though? While I was, y'know, dying?" She spoke so casually. I wondered if she had come up with any kidnapping jokes yet.

"Um. Nothing much happened. Gareth and I had a .. confrontation."

She looked at me. "I didn't even know you knew that word."

I grinned. "My vocabulary is expanding."

"I'm proud. Anyway, what happened?"

"You know him. He was just being himself."

"A dick, then."

"Yeah. But I threatened to break his ribs again, and your friends supported me, so he backed off."