Obsessive Book Nerd

3. Do you talk?

Everyone went completely silent. Phones coming out, waiting for something to capture, anything.

"Why would you want to defend her?" Jake says pushing her,which was probably not meant to inflict pain upon Annabelle . But that didn't happen. The push made her stumble back on to the pile of ripped book pages that were scattered on the ground. And that's how Annabelle ended up on the floor holding her ankle, close to tears.

Numerous gasps were heard, everyone's eyes glued to her.

"What did you do?" Christopher yelled, running over to Annabelle, bending down to see that her ankle was already swelling.

"Oh c'mon, she'll be fine! Jest let her crawl back inter her little hole and she should be fine!"

That crossed the line for Christopher. He gets up, stomps over to Jake, is in mid swing aiming for the face until someone catches his fist.

"What is going on here?" The principle asks, eyeing the boys.

After stories coming both of the boys, Christopher was let off with a warning while Jake was led to the principle's office. Let's just say his story wasn't that convincing.

Once everyone clears the halls, Christopher looks around until his eyes land on Annabelle. She was still sitting on the ground but scooted to where she could lean her back against the school wall.

The pain was excruciating, her ankle burning every time she moved it, sending jolts of pain up her leg.

"Are you okay?" This makes her jump, looking up to find Christopher still there, he was blurry because of the tears she was letting out.

Annabelle couldn't speak, not because of her ankle, but because she just doesn't speak to others. Even if they help them in a situation. If she doesn't know them, she can't trust them.

So she simply shakes her head.

"Can you try to get up? So we can take you to the nurse."

She's already tried several times. So she just shakes her head again.

"Alright, well I'm going to carry you then."

Normally, human contact bothers Annabelle but since she's not in the most normal state of mind or of physical being, she makes an exception just this one. So she lets him.

She's surprised by how he picks her up like she's five pounds. Like a feather. Like a piece of paper. So yeah, she could say he was strong.

"What's your name?" Christopher asks, even though he already knew the answer to that question. He just hasn't heard her talk before.

Annabelle doesn't answer him though. She couldn't even look at him.

Once they get to the nurse, Christopher explains what happened and exits the room to give them some privacy. So the nurse pokes and prods at Annabelle's ankle which make her want to yell at her for causing her even more pain. But she knows she is just doing her job so she controls herself.

"Well it seems like she has a fracture right above her ankle, so she needs to go to hospital right away so they can fix her up."

The nurse hands Annabelle a permission slip to leave school early, but the only problem is, she doesn't have a car. Even though she is seventeen, soon to be eighteen, she's never really thought about getting a drivers license let alone a car. Instead, she has a bicycle she rides around everywhere on, and she loves it.

"You will need to have someone to take you, since it's your right foot, the one you use in cars." She was just about to explain to the nurse that she didn't have a car, but Christopher came in and interrupted.

"I'll drive her." He must have been listening right outside the door. So much for privacy.

"Would that be okay with you Annabelle?" The nurse asks.

Once again, she couldn't turn Christopher down. She would call up her parents, but that would just disrupt them from work. And that would gain her the silent treatment from both of them for at least a week.

She nods, looking to Christopher.

"Alrighty then, here are some crutches that you can use, but next time you come back, I will need them." Annabelle nods in response, giving the nurse a slight smile to show her that she is grateful.

"Just follow me, I'll lead you to my car." Christopher says.

It takes them about ten minutes to get to his truck since Annabelle was on crutches, something she's never used before, and not to mention that his vehicle was on the far end side of the parking lot.

He opens the door for her and sticks the crutches in the bed of his truck.

When they get to the hospital, Annabelle's ankle is looking even more swollen and bruised. He gets her crutches for her and they both walk into the hospital to fill out paper work.

While they were in the waiting area, Christopher decides to speak up.

"Do you talk?"

"Yes" She speaks in a whisper.

He looks at her with a shocked expression, he didn't actually think she would respond to his question.

"Well okay then. Can you tell me your name?"

"It's um... Annabelle Grace." She's says, not looking up from the ground. To shy.

"That's a beautiful name." Christopher says while looking at her. He noticed that she cringes when he says that but decides not to ask.

A couple minutes pass before a soft voice asks,"What's your name?"

This surprises Christopher, she actually talked to him. Like voluntarily talked to him.

"It's Christopher Davidson."

"That is a very nice name." Still not looking up from her shoes.

"Thank you very much." She nods at his response.

Just when Christopher was about to ask her something else, a nurse comes into the waiting area and calls Annabelle's name.

"Do you want me to go with you?" She nods and he wraps his arm around her waist to help her walk more steadily. She almost protests at this gestures but she reminds her that he has been very nice and has helped her.

The doctor comes in and does the same thing as the nurse did back at the school, pokes, prods, all sorts of things. He decided that she did in fact has a broken bone so with that she has to get a cast. So with that it takes about an hour to get Annabelle sorted and comfortable in her new purple cast. They tell her what and what not to do on her foot and many other things.

"I'll drive you home if that's okay?" Christopher asks her as they were walking and limping out of the hospital.

So they get into his car and drive off to her house.

"I never said thank you for helping me... So um, thank you."

"It wasn't a problem, the guy was being a jerk and was hurting you so I had to step in." Annabelle looks at him with appreciation, she almost even wants to give him a hug but decides against it.

"This is my house." They pull up to the small one story house that wasn't that well put together.

Christopher stopped the car and got out of the drivers side to help get Annabelle out of the car.

Once they get up to the front porch, she turns to face him. She just stared at him while he waits for her to say something, when she never does he starts to walk away. But then something stops him.

Annabelle is hugging Christopher.

She is hugging him.

He almost couldn't believe it. Annabelle surly couldn't. They stay in that position for a couple of minutes until she pulls back.

With that Annabelle says thank you one last time before walking into her house, closing the door behind her.

Christopher just stands there staring at nothing, not being able to shake the feeling of her arms wrapped tightly around him. He knew there was something special about her, and he wasn't about to let her slip through his fingers.