Touchy

Chapter 4

Sorry for the slowness, I promise it picks up soon. Thanks for you patience and time reading (if anyone's actually reading lol) x

The words of Joanne were fizzled out in my sleep last night. However, the voice from the bushes made a comeback. I thought I'd completely gotten over it, and I thought I'd forgotten about it. Guess my subconscious brain goes to a whole different world when I'm not controlling my thoughts as thoroughly. As much as I'd like to simply forget it all, I ponder over the fact that my brain was secretly thinking about this. Is this normal? Does anyone else try to connect events and people that are in dreams to something in reality that's happened?

"Celine, you daydreamer," Phoebe's voice enters my ears and drags me away from the blue, yet cloudy sky that I've been unintentionally staring at outside the window in form. When I turn around from the glass, I see Phoebe just chucking her bag down onto the table from the floor. She rests her head down onto the bulging bag and stares at me. "You daydream a lot," she observes, almost in the form of a question.

"My head never shuts down," I say laughing off the statement, nervously or just to shrug it off I'm not fully sure, but I do regardless.

She gives me a tight smile, "I guess not." There's a pause in conversation. The air gets a little thicker for a few seconds and then tighter as Phoebe takes the air from me. "You're not thinking about anything serious are you?" Her hand clamps down on mine unexpectedly that I almost jump away from her. "I mean, everything's alright at home and that. Your health is in good shape and everything else." Her words all rush into each other very quickly like they're doing some sort of dance. Yet a very tiring one that is full of anxiety. There's distress in her voice and eyes that it almost makes me laugh at how much there is. However, those thoughts get overridden by the care and threat she has over me. It makes me smile.

Covering her hand with mine, I look empathetically into her eyes. "Phoebs, I admire your concern for me, I really do, but you have nothing to be distraught about. So what if I'm not feeling great someday, big deal, we're all like that from time to time. Maybe me with my eczema a little more than others, but my home life is amazing." Then it dawns on me. "Is everything alright with you? Your parents haven't been arguing anymore than their normal bickering over taking bins out or buying the right rice or anything, right? I hope you aren't, but if you are, you can always tell me, can always stay over at mine for awhile if you feel the need to."

She places her other hand on top of mine that's already cradling her left. "It's the same as it's ever been. The same as it will always be. I just get caught listening to them shouting occasionally, even when I'm not in the same room. Nothing too damaging." She forces a smile onto her lips and wipes under her eyes though there's no water there. I guess it's just something she's used to doing. Or maybe she thinks there are droplets there. My heart breaks for her either and every way.

I give her a smile. "Tell me if you ever need anything," I whisper into her ear as I bring her body close to mine for a hug. The bell rings out for the end of form and the start of last lesson, making her pull away from me.

"Thank you," she says as she gets up. "The same applies to you, in case you didn't know already." We share the same glint in our eyes and then Phoebe has to go and ruin it for me, reminding me there's still another hour before school is out. At least tomorrow will be better.

Tomorrow is Saturday and Saturday means no school, but more importantly it means the weekend and shopping with Phoebe in town. It's not so much as a tradition to go into town every Saturday, but it's something we tend to do more than not do. This weekend happens to be one of them, even though we only went last week. To me it's not always about buying new things, it's about spending time with someone and making memories. It sounds cheesy, but I don't need to spend loads of money to enjoy myself. If I did, I think then I'd be very unhappy in and with my life.