In The Rain

Chapter 21

Jesy chose to stay quiet and just observe Leigh while they walked on the isolated street she chose for them to get to Leigh's mom's work place without having to face massive crowds.

With every step, Leigh made a soft moan but kept her face straight. It was kind of sad and Jesy was waiting for her to realize that she was not fooling anyone that her ankle was better.

Leigh watched her friend. "Why so quiet?" Jesy was never quiet. The girl liked to talk as far as Leigh knew. Okay Leigh-Anne what have you done now? I'm not doing anything differently am I? Oh no! It's the medicine. I look awful. But Jesy said that I would still be gorgeous with or without good skin. Did she lie? She was panicking internally.

"Okay calm down. I'm not quiet because I hate you or anything." Jesy stopped to talk to her.

Leigh stopped too and looked at Jesy. She wiped at her eyes. "Then why are you quiet Jesy?" She always got so worried when people acted differently.

Jesy folded her arms. "I'm quiet because I wanted you to realize that your ankle isn't okay. I could hear you moaning. Why the hell don't you have your crutch? Why the hell are you going to an uncomfortable work place? You should go home Leigh-Anne."

Leigh's shoulders fell. "It doesn't hurt at all. I was just exaggerating. If I'm moaning now it's cause I . . . I'm thinking pleasurable thoughts."

Jesy stared for a while then barked a laugh.

Leigh was blushing. It was all I could bloody think of. Jesy's face was red too but not because she was embarrassed.

Jesy wiped her eye. "What pleasurable thought? Thinking of that Andre? He looks older than you. Did he double a grade?" She got sassy.

Leigh-Anne was blushing more. "I don't know anything about him. I only met him in year five and from since then everyone said that he liked me." She shrugged.

Jesy patted Leigh on the shoulder. "Come on. Let's go back to your school for your crutch."

"But it'll take too long and I don't need it at all." Leigh told her. She was not good at lying so she sounded whiney.

Jesy looked at her bluntly. "You do."

"Do not."

"Do too."

"Do not!" Leigh stomped her bad foot and then screamed. She fell off balance onto her bum and removed her shoe and sock to massage it. That hurt so bad that she did not care that she was on the dirty ground where tons of filthy people and sad animals had walked.

Jesy just watched her for a while then stooped. She decided to sit in front and brought Leigh's foot to her lap. She then stroked it gently. "Do you see why you need it now? You can't expect to recover if you don't admit to being ill."

Leigh-Anne felt like weeping. "But I'm not ill."

Jesy was getting frustrated. "What changed huh? Why are you acting as if you've gone mad? You had a crutch yesterday and you told me that you needed it for a week. I feel like you do because I mean our fall was pretty nasty. I'm surprised I didn't sprain my ankle. Then again, I was the one on the skate board so . . . anyway why are you trying to pretend as if things are okay? Didn't I tell you to cry if it hurts? No one will know your pain if you keep it inside. No one can help Leigh-Anne."

Leigh-Anne looked sadly to her lap. "When I cry I just make problems for my mum. The counselor, well the Health Science teacher who's filling in for the counselor . . ."

Jesy's eyes were filling with anger. Did an adult really mess with Leigh-Anne today? "What did she say? Tell me."

Leigh did not get why Jesy seemed upset. "Well she said that I'm attention seeking and that I'm most likely that way because I'm pretty and I think that everyone should look at me twenty-four seven. She said that I should be more mature and stop spreading rumours to get attention. So I decided to just not show any more emotion. I don't even like attention at all. I hate it now. I don't want anyone looking at me." She sighed.