Breaking Loose

The Second Day of Struggles

Chapter 3
Hazardous Liaisons

Cristina stood now at the top of the stairs watching all the happy teens and it was not fun standing on one leg and unable to use the other one. For once she began appreciating what she had, two legs and two feet.

"How would it be for people that miss a leg for their whole life?!" she thought.

The French guy was about to speak to Cristina when Reese reached them holding her pair of crutches and backpack. Both faced each other measuring up.

"Listen, I would love to help you further," Gerard said in a thick French accent, "but I have a Chemistry test. Anyway, the skinny guy has your stuff."

"Okay, thank you very much! I really appreciate it!" Cristina said, hopping on one leg, "what is your name by the way?"

"Gerard Richeliu, I am an exchange student."

"My name is Cristina," she said, "you saved my day!"

"If you wait for me down there tomorrow, I can bring you up again."

Cristina was so grateful for the effort she was spared that she could almost kiss Gerard but she was too shy to try.

"Your backpack" Reese presented Cristina her backpack, which she took with one hand and hurled it on her back before grabbing her crutches from his hands.

"My name is Reese by the way," he said, "Reese Everton at your service."

Cristina held her crutches which he still had his hands on, she was captivated by the color of his eyes and his beautiful smile.

"Listen, I..." Reese started to say until he was interrupted by Skylar.

"Hello, my love! glad to see you!" Skylar gave Cristina a noisy kiss on the edge of her mouth. Cristina got a tingling feeling in her stomach. "we are waiting for you."

And off went Cristina hobbling on her crutches with Skylar by her side. Again, poor Reese stood speechless and alone and all he could see was the girl of his dreams walk away with a stiff plastered leg swinging uselessly between the crutches.

"Yeah, right. I bring her stuff and this is what I get." Reese thought to himself and walked away looking down at his feet. He felt so clumsy and unwanted. None of his efforts towards her had ever paid off.

"What have you been up, lovely?" Skylar patted slightly patted Cristina's hand on the crutch hand grip, just briefly enough that it would not interfere with her swinging her crutches forward.

"Not much, I am tired even though I slept like 15 hours," Cristina said, "in the end, my mom found out I had broken my leg."

"Eh, like it was possible to hide that for so many weeks, silly."

"This is a nightmare for me, you know?" Cristina responded, "I do not feel comfortable with this cast and all the stares."

"You poor thing, I almost forgot that I am like the only one who has ever seen your bare feet with the exception of your parents. You never wear that pair of sandals I gave you as a present." Skylar said, slightly amused.

"Yes, I do! At home"

"That is not the idea lovely, if it was not for me nearly forcing you to try my pair of sandals last year in my bedroom, you probably would never ever wear them!"

"Okay, okay, Skylar," Cristina tried to calm her friend's emotions, "I am not finding it amusing to have people stare at my ugly toes all day long just because my leg is in a cast."

They continued walking towards the entrance of their classroom. Cristina tried to avoid tripping into people at the same time the happy youngsters made some space for her when she was nearby, not without first staring at her cast.

Cristina was also growing emotionally tired and this was just the beginning of all these weeks with her leg in a cast up to three-quarters of her slender leg.

Every time someone came near and suddenly made way for her to pass with her crutches, they stared at her cast. Almost automatically, Cristina curled her toes down. Skylar noticed because she too somehow liked staring at Skylar's toes.

There was a silence between them for a minute or so, just long enough for Skylar to recall that day last Summer.