Fragile Hearts

19: Hallway Surprise

Part Two: Tyce

It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.

--William Shakespeare

Late August

The hallway is crowded as I head toward class. This is the first day of my senior year at Brookside University and I couldn't be happier. My goal has been to become a physical therapist and I'm almost there.

I turn into the hallway and stop dead. She's here—looking lost and scared. I can't believe Morgan Weston is right in front of me. She maneuvers her wheelchair closer to the building to avoid students rushing to class. The students just filter past her—no one stops to help.

I inhale a calming breath. I've never actually spoken to her, although I've seen her many times from afar. I step in front of her chair. "Ah, you look a little lost. Can I help you find wherever you're supposed to be?"

She glances up at me with an expression that touches my heart. She doesn't say anything, so I glance at the printout in her lap. Her class is located close to mine. I say, "Room 11A. Well, it just so happens my class is a few doors down so I can personally escort you there."

In a soft voice she responds, "Oh, hey, no need. I don't want to hold you up. Just point me in the right direction."

I see her looking at my snake tat and I shift my backpack. I'm probably scaring the crap out of her. I know her parents have been protective over her since the accident. I'm surprised she's not taking college classes online since that's how she finished high school. I know this because I checked out the yearbook of the school she would have attended and saw a listing of online students with their pictures. It makes me happy that she's now stepping out into the world. I'd like to tell her that, but, of course, I can't because it would give away the fact that I know a lot about her.

I start to say that she's not holding me up, but she says, "Ah, okay. I'll follow you."

I walk ahead of her, but turn around to make sure she's following. She keeps lifting a hand to her cheek. It's probably a habit to cover some scarring. I've only seen her up close once before, and that was years ago when the scars were worse. They're barely noticeable now.

When we pause in front of the door to her classroom, she says, "Thank you for coming to the rescue."

Her words make me sad. I wish I could have been her rescuer years ago. I introduce myself and reach my hand out for her to shake. She looks at my hand and I see an almost imperceptible cringe. It makes me wonder if she knows about me, but that's not possible. She lifts watery eyes to mine and the compassion I have felt for her all these years slams me in the gut. She says, "I'm Morgan Weston."

Quickly, she spins her wheelchair around and rolls into the room. I can't leave things like this so I step in front of her. When she pauses, I kneel down. She looks shocked, but I have to tell her something. "Morgan, if you need anything, you just let me know." She doesn't respond so I prod, "Promise?"

Slowly, she nods, and I'm happy to get that response. I feel so protective over her that I don't want to leave. She's a sweet girl and didn't deserve what happened.

Before I make a fool of myself, I leave the room and head down the hallway. After class, like a magnet, I return to Morgan's classroom and make my way to the back. I'm happy to see she seems to have made a friend.

I drop onto the seat beside Morgan. "Hello, Morgan Weston. How was psych class?" She looks surprised to see me.

"It was, um...long and boring."

"I can relate. My class was also long and boring."

I say to the red head sitting next to her, "Hello, I'm Tyce Brandon. And you are...?"

"L-Lucy Arnez."

"Seriously? That's your name?"

"Seriously, it is."

This girl is funny and I grin. "Cute name."

I want to groan when I see Tina approach. She says, "Hellooo Tyce." Her creepy girlfriends wave at me.

"Hello Tina. How's it going?"

"Great. Hey, are you coming to the party at Lenny's tonight?"

"You know I'm not into those parties."

Tina gives me a smile that's supposed to turn me on. She says, "One can always hope. Hey, I'll tell Cindy I saw you."

I want to cringe when she mentions Cindy. I can't believe I let my libido get me involved with her. Too many beers and her crawling all over me ended in something I'll always regret. "You do that."

Tina and her clones finally leave and I turn my attention back to Morgan. "What's your next class?"

She reaches for her class schedule with one hand and nervously covers her cheek with her other.

"It's water aerobics. It doesn't start for almost an hour. Ah, I know where the gym is located."

"Okay. What about your class after that?"

She glances at the paper again and I can see she's not happy about that class. "Speech. Room 7, Building G."

"Hey, speech class isn't that bad. Who's your teacher?"

"Professor Wilkes."

"He's great. Believe me, you'll enjoy the class." I give her directions and then look at Lucy. I remember seeing her around. "You were a student here last year, right? Do you need directions?"

"N-no. I'm good."

If I stay any longer, I'll probably look like a stalker. "Well, ladies, it was nice meeting you. Let me know if I can help with anything. See you around."