binded

grace ; hemophobia

As I fall to the ground, I feel a sharp, stinging pain in my ankle. Crimson red blood trickles down and stains my fresh converse. My entire world goes completely blank, the sky fading into white and my hearing becoming blurred. Am I dying?

Luckily, I'm not and my senses return to me. I simply passed out, something common when I see blood. However, Zane's face is painted with utter concern.

"Are you okay?" he asks, kneeling down in front of me, "That was a nasty fall and you're bleeding-"

"Cover it." I simply say, not daring to look down at the wound, "Just...cover it. Please."

Zane surprisingly does as I say, taking his jacket off and wrapping it securely around my ankle. The cozy fabric consumes the fresh blood that was previously dripping down my skin.

In this instance, I see a new version of him. One that has thrown me on one of those tilt-a-whirl that can be found at a run-down carnival. There is way too much spinning at once and it leaves my mouth feeling like it has become a pool of saliva. That sensation just prior to throwing up. Luckily, nothing comes out and I just stare at him with my mouth opened.

His mouth moves as well, but whatever he is saying, I am drowning out. Why did he take me to this place?

"Can you help me up?" I ask, the pain beginning to subside and my heart thumping as if I am running a marathon and need to pass the person in front of me.

Zane stands up and grabs my hand, pulling me back onto my feet. I wince when pressure is exerted on it, but the discomfort isn't as terrible as I expect. He smiles and begins to walk away, expecting for me to follow after him.

"We aren't walking very far, just down to the edge to watch the sunset." he announces, keeping his pace slower so I can keep up.

When we reach the end of a hill, both of us sit down side by side and gaze off at the

horizon. The sun hasn't fully set yet but it appears that it is nearing so. I cross my legs, my hurt ankle concealed from my view.

"Your friend..." Zane finally speaks, staring at his dirty Vans, "Penelope, I think. Is she..."

"Deaf." I ask, finally nodding, "Yeah, she lost her hearing during spring break. She used to be a singer, and a good one too. But without her hearing..."

He can identify that the subject makes me slight uncomfortable and shuts it down, "What about Juliet?"

"She's a sweet girl." I shrug, letting him notice that there is a hint of doubt.

"But?"

"But...there has always been tension between us. She likes this guy named Axel and things just seemed to change over the summer. She's different."

Zane nods, the subject of my friends dropping.

As the night draws to a close, Zane begins to drive me back to my house. I am rather quiet, Zane simply humming along to his shuffle of music. I realize how kind I've been to him today and he needs to realize that I need to stay away. Just like I told Juliet about Axel, Zane is bad news. He has to be.

"You don't tell anyone about us, there is no reason for people to know that we hung out tonight." I tell him, not looking towards him.

"Okay." he says, shocking me.

When he pulls up to my house, I unwrap my ankle and hand him his bloodied jacket, "Thank you for that too, don't forget to do the research for tomorrow."

Zane waves me goodbye and I shut the door behind me when I leave. He drives away from me and speeds off, much faster than I would've expected. He's sending mixed vibes, and I know that I am going to have to get to the bottom of his odd behavior, and soon.

When I walk into my house, I notice that it is 9:45, fifteen minutes past my curfew. However, I'm not as upset as I initially expect to be. Normally if I am past curfew, it is by five minutes and I would be in panic mode. But right now, I'm not.

"Gracelyn Russell!" my mom shouts, coming through the hall with her hands on her hips, "You're past curfew! I don't want you hanging out with that guy anymore, he's bad news."

I can tell how angry she is and chose not to start an argument despite actually enjoying myself for a night. I tell her that it won't happen again and head upstairs into the bathroom. Under my sink is a wrap that I used when I sprained my wrist freshman year. Bracing myself, I take a quick glance at my ankle and notice the dried blood that contrasts with my darker skin. It's not enough to make me faint, but it does leave an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Taking the wrap, I coil it around my ankle to cover the wound and sigh in relief. It doesn't hurt anymore, but the pressure causes a discomfort in it.

"Never again." I say to myself, realizing that Zane may not be bad news, but the magnets that connect us together need to somehow cancel out, "Never again."