String of Fate

Chapter Sixty

I sat on the stairs leading up to the school doors and watched the people walking into school while listening to my music. When I got to school early, it was just something that passed the time. I always focused on the loner, Vanessa, when she walked into school because I always seemed to be drawn to her. I didn't know why she was always alone. She just seemed bad with people even though she was really friendly. Though, I'd never even heard her speak. I watched the usual group of year sevens run up to her, making her tense up. Her face turned into a scowl but I seemed to be the only one that noticed that it was because she scared. I don't know why I smiled.

The scowl didn't faze the group of eleven year olds that chatted to her for a couple of minutes before they said that they had to get to class and ran passed me. Most of the students had buggered off. Vanessa had started walking up the stairs whilst I put my headphones away. When she was alongside me, I made her jump by speaking. "You don't need to be scared of the year sevens. They like you."

She didn't answer, just continuing to walk past me into the building. She seemed to be cold but she was just scared, so she didn't reply. She was probably too scared to speak to anybody. I wondered if my words had got a different expression out of her. It would be fun if I could. I got up and headed into school just as the bell was about to go.

As usual, I saw her in all of my classes and I was there to see her trip down the stairs as the class was leaving for the day. I was too slow to reach out and catch her but I had to help her up. I couldn't leave her there even though the rest of the people in the class decided to pass her by. "Vanessa, are you alright?"

She nodded, taking my hand and getting up, but she couldn't put pressure on her left ankle. I wrapped an arm around her waist to help her to the nurse's office. It wasn't that far away. Luckily, the nurse answered the door immediately after I knocked. I was surprised that she hadn't run as soon as school had finished. I explained the situation for her. "She just tripped down the stairs and can't put pressure on her left ankle."

"Come on in." The nurse replied, moving so I could help Vanessa in and put her onto the bed there. She sat on the edge while the nurse pulled up a chair and started prodding at her foot. Vanessa kept wincing every so often. "Seems like it's just a sprain so I'm going to bandage it. If it feels like it's worse in the morning, go to the hospital. Can someone help you home?"

"I'll take her." I told the nurse as Vanessa started shaking her head. She looked at me, surprised. I shrugged and reached out a hand to help her up as soon as the nurse had finished. She gripped my hand tightly and took her shoe off the nurse, slipping it into her backpack. We started heading towards her home. She gave me directions when needed but she didn't speak, pointing in the right direction when we needed to turn. I thought it would have actually been nice to hear her speak. I tried to make a conversation with her. "It's quite lucky that it's Friday so you can rest for the weekend."

She just nodded. Even though it was just me trying to make a conversation, I didn't find it awkward. Maybe she did but it wasn't like she was going to tell me. She then gestured up the driveway of one house and I began walking her past the car parked there. Then, I noticed the steps that led to the house. They would kill her ankle. "I'm sorry."

While she was wondering what I was saying sorry for, I scooped her up with one arm under her knees and one arm across her back. Her skinny frame was extremely light and I easily carried her up to the front door, which opened to reveal two women in their late thirties. "Goodness, Vanessa! What happened?"

"I fell in school and twisted my ankle. Ashton brought me home." She spoke. I was surprised – it was the first time that I had actually heard her speak. Vanessa had a nice voice. Then I realised that she knew my name since we had never actually spoken before today. Though, I was in all her classes.