The Bloodshadow 2: Meet her Sidekick Dark Matter

Chapter 3

Back at Turning Hill High, Tracy and Molly went outside to use the outdoors cafeteria that the school has recently put in for the fall and spring time, for lunch. They got in line for the main lunch and Molly was in front of Tracy while Tracy was behind her not paying attention to anyone, until Molly head moves to the side for a quick second towards the student parking lot and quickly spun around at a mile a minute with a creepy smile growing from ear to ear, kind of giving Tracy an unhedged feeling. “What is it?” Tracy asked, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

Molly didn’t say anything, she just pointed at their usual table to see who was sitting there. Tracy looked at the table getting emotional, but she tried to keep her cool together.

The man that was sitting at the table was wearing all black, black T-shirt, black jeans, and black Nike brand shoes, with his hair looking like a complete mess and a five o’clock shadow starting to appear on the man’s face, his muscles shivering at the cool breeze that was coming in from the north. Tracy knew that man it was the boyfriend that she spent hours and hours watching over, waiting for him to wake up, the man that was tortured right in front of her and almost died.

Tracy was amazed at the sight of Xander. She continued to stare as she slowly walked over to Xander cautiously. When she got closer to the table she whispered to him in a shaky voice, trying not to cry. “Xander?” She whispered loud enough so he could hear her. Xander looked up startled and noticed it was Tracy. Xander slowly stood up from the cafeteria table to walk over to Tracy at a slow pace to take in what he was looking at. When he got really close to Tracy, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, and began to unfold it.

“Before you say anything, my doctor let me go, and I have proof,” he tried to prove to her before she said anything in defiance.

His voice, she thought to herself with her mouth hanging open in awe. It is still the same voice, same body, same face; he is the same guy that I fell in love with.

Xander held up the discharge papers that he grabbed from the hospital, in front of Tracy’s face. Tracy stared at the piece of paper and grabbed it and started to rip it up and pulled him into a hug she placed her head on his shoulder. Xander accepted the hug by wrapping his arms around her body and let his head fall onto her shoulder. Xander’s chest felt warm and firm against her body.

Tracy started to get teary-eyed when her eyes closed. That was when the waterworks came, she whispered in his ear, saying, “I don’t care. I am just glad you are awake and okay.”

“Me too,” he whispered back to her.

Tracy let the hug go and grabbed his scruffy face then started pulling his lips in for Xander’s first real kiss that he has had in awhile. Both of their eyes closed to enjoy the moment until Tracy’s friend interrupted with both of their food trays filled with food.

“Come on, I got your food for you, Tracy,” Molly said struggling. Tracy slowly and gently moved away from him and grabbed his hand and motioned for him to come to sit with them. With Xander not taking his eyes off of what he believed to be his one and only love, he followed Tracy to the lunch table and sat down with her and her best friend.

Tracy couldn’t even fathom the fact that he was sitting right next to her. This was a relief considering that she was told that she should give up on him and have the doctors pull the plug. She was about to lose hope along with Jo, Molly, and the doctors and nurses.

There was an awkward silence between the three teenagers until Molly uncomfortably broke the quietness. “So,” she said. “Since you are no longer brain-dead,” she paused. Her eyes moved from Tracy to Xander in a frantic movement. “Tracy and I were going to hang out at my house after school. Would you like to join us?” She asked, sounding like an innocent child.

“Actually, Molly,” Tracy said, rolling her eyes in wonder. “Xander, you must be really exhausted and we have a lot of catching up to do.” Tracy stalled with a serious look on her face.

Before Molly could respond Xander jumped into the conversation by saying. “Considering I was asleep for a month, I would love to join you girls today after school,” Xander said with a smirk.

Tracy stared at him for a moment. Xander smiled back saying that it will be fine.

“So, Xander,” Tracy said, catching his attention. “Did your doctor say that you could come back to school today?”

“Yeah,” he told her. “He said I just need to take it slow with things. Whatever that means.” he says jokingly.

“He is right I mean you just woke up from a coma right after getting into that-” she stopped herself, “accident.” She told him trying to make a point.

The bell rang for the end of the lunch period.

“Okay guys, see you after school,” Molly announced. Molly quickly got up and ran out of the lunchroom to beat the crowd of people that were running to the doors that lead to the hallway of the school. Xander grabbed his brown leather satchel and let the strap hang from his shoulder. Tracy grabbed his hand before he got too far away. “Do you have a minute?” she asked when she got his attention.

Xander nodded, and walked back to the lunch bench next to her and sat down close to her. Tracy thought for a moment on how she wanted to say this but then went ahead and said it. “Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked.

“Yes,” he chuckled. “Tracy I am okay and I feel great but I am not looking forward to the month of schoolwork that I am going to have to make up.”

“Don’t worry they should go easy on you today.” When Tracy finished her thought, the second bell for the next period to start.

“We got to gym class,” he said, getting up and walking away with a smile on his face until he knew she couldn’t see it anymore. She can’t ever know about what goes on with me, he thought to himself. Then he walked to his first and final class of the day, gym class.