Malediction

8 - Asking for trouble

Friday morning, I sat at the kitchen counter, arguing with mum.

"I'm fine" I rolled my eyes "Please, I don't want to stay home anymore, it's getting boring and lonely, and I'm going to fall behind with work"

Who was I? Begging my mother to go back to school. I had a genuine reason to stay home, yet all I wanted was to return to normal life, to school. I missed my friends, my social life, even just being outdoors. There was rarely a day I didn't go outside, soak in the sun, feel the wind, walk Mollie and hang out with Skyler, Cara or Paisley. I needed routine, normalcy.

"Are you sure you're ready?" She sighed, staring at me "How is your head?"

"I haven't even taken any painkillers today, that's how fine I feel, I told you, if I start to feel dizzy, or sore, I'll come home straight away" I bargained

I hated having her worry about me. I was sick of everyone asking how I was feeling. While I loved the gorgeous bunches of flowers I'd been brought and the constant concern from both friends and family, I was over the sympathy, it felt completely wasted now.

"Okay, okay" She finally succumbed with her hands up

Luke stood by the front door, waiting as he watched the argument take place.
Before she could change her mind, I stood and picked my backpack up, heading for the street with my brother, eager

"Why do you want to go back to school so bad? You could have stayed home and had the whole house to yourself" Luke casually made conversation as we walked to school together, Andy nowhere in sight

"Where is Andy?" I ignored his question

He shrugged "His mum is driving him today, she doesn't work Friday he told me"

"Oh" I answered, remembering the Newscot boys and my original dilemma, the one I'd actually forgotten all about since my near death experience.

For three whole days I hadn't thought for once about the drama of Danny and Andy Newscot. I had been too preoccupied to even think about what my next move with them would be

"Hey you!" Skyler greeted, emerging from her house, her body bouncing toward me with open arms, hugging me tightly

"Before you ask, I'm fine" I rolled my eyes, Luke already walking ahead of me - I admired him for no longer caring, he was the only one that had stopped asking if I was alright, clearly understanding my distain for it

"You scared us all!" Skyler held me by my shoulders, looking over my face, a small cut over my eyebrow

I pushed her arms off and began forward with her "I hope Cara is getting more attention from this than I am, she saved my life, I'd be dead if it weren't for her"

I was forever grateful to her. She was a hero. She was my hero.

"You'd be happy to know she is, she's practically famous now, the newspaper even wants to do an article with her about it" Skyler informed me

I hadn't heard of this yet. But it made me happy, genuinly.

"Good, she needs to be recognised for what she did" I sighed

I had prepared myself to return to normal school life, but school life was not the same. The moment I walked into the halls to meet my friends, people began to stare, whispers shortly followed, to which I was unsure were a good thing or a bad thing.

"There she is!" Paisley greeted, wrapping her arms around me

"Hey" I mumbled into her shoulder, pulling back to then receive a hug from everyone else in our group, including Cara.
I embraced her unusually long, holding on to her tightly as I whispered to her