Spirited Away To You

Chapter-13: Beauty and Fries

IT WAS NOWHERE IN MY mannerism to follow or worse, stalk someone. But the tear-strained face of Britney compelled me to go after her. She plopped up some pills from the polyethene bag she carried, her posture shaking when suddenly she fell to her knees.

I saw her muscles tense and recognized it as a panic attack from a documentary that my therapist once showed me. Britney clutched her stomach as her shaking intensified. I was always told by my therapist that panic attacks were far more severe than anxiety attacks although they were curable with medication.

My eyes widened at her sudden fall as I stood back thinking what to do. Huffing, I rushed to her side but she still hadn't noticed me.

"Hey hey, it's okay, you are having a panic attack, take deep breaths, okay? Try focusing on something different," I forced myself to think of something that would calm her down. 'A happy place,' what my therapist deemed it to divert people's minds from hyperventilating.

"Think you are in a beauty pageant, and you were just announced as the winner," I spoke hastily trying to calm her down.

Her hair was soaked to her forehead in sweat and her attire seemed like something that she wouldn't wear to school. That made me wonder if she was even present today. I glanced through her medications to see if there was anything that could help. Britney gripped on an water bottle, struggling to open the cap. I was quick to action and helped her take a sip.

It took some time before Britney's shaking stopped and her breathing went back to normal. I heaved out a sigh of relief and found her looking at me.

"Thank you," she said with a smile that I never knew she would give me. Not after yesterday's events. I smiled back sheepishly.

We got up dusting our clothes, me taking up the scrambled pills on the road for her as she straightened her posture.

"Here you go," I said holding up the packet within her reach.

All too sudden, I saw the smile on Britney's face wash off, and instead a scorn replace as she snatched the bag from me.

"Don't you ever tell this to anyone, got it?" She said with malice lacing her voice and quickly shifted past me.

I just stood there, my mouth agape seeing the split change in her.

What in the world just happened? 

★★★

''I really thought you bailed on me,'' Jaxon said mockingly, taking a long sip from his milkshake while shaking his head.

''Oh, please. Don't feel so special, I have met too many like that,'' I said plopping down on the leather cushion.

''So, what happened over there?'' Jaxon questioned.

I bit my lip confused but looking through the glass windows, I understood what he meant. The view to the pharmacy was vivid, meaning Jaxon might have seen the encounter.

''That was Britney,'' I sighed, taking a sip of the milkshake Jaxon ordered for me. He just coughed on his milkshake in response.

''Shi-Shit, really? You sure you did a double check?'' Jaxon spoke in midst of his coughing.

I just gave him a fazed look to which he chuckled out, ''Man, I should have gone with you.''

A young waitress came by to take our orders. Jaxon ordered a double cheese burger while I settled with a beef cheese delight. With fries, obviously.

''What you guys talked about?'' Jaxon brought it up again.

I pushed my fingers on my scalp, slightly combing through my hair and giving it a light tug, ''Actually it was so weird. She was having this...uh how should I put it,'' I paused, tugging my lips in between my teeth to find the right words while Jaxon just stared curiously, ''Well, she was having difficulty breathing-''

''Breathing? Does she have asthma or what,'' Jaxon spoke in middle while taking some of my fries. I huffed out slapping his wrist while he chortled, ''Jeez I took two only.''

''Don't you touch one even, you fries thief,'' I said, caressing my fries and then proceeding with the incident, ''Then after helping her out, she thanked me but the next second threatened me-''

''Don't tell me she roasted you,'' Jaxon said cutting me again. I just stared at him with a disturbed look. He kept devouring his burger like it was his last meal but when he heard me not rattling anymore, he looked up with a serious face,

''Oh shit, so you did lose.''

''Hey, that's not even close to what I was saying-''

''So now it's 1-1 for you both,'' Jaxon concluded with a heavy sigh while I just succumbed to my seat muttering a small 'forget it.'

Only my fries could make me feel better.

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Zafna