Breaking Free

Chapter 7: Present

Being in the same classroom as Joshua made it difficult for me to crawl out of bed for the next three days. During class, he would lean forward to touch my hair and twirl it around his finger.

The first time he did it, he leaned in really close and whispered in a sad tone, "I liked your blonde hair better, my sweet Paige." I wanted to throw up but held my ground.

Even though there were many other people in the same room with us, it made me feel like it was just the two of us again back in his room.

The only thing that got me through the rest of the week was the idea of going out to spend time with Anna on Saturday. She asked me on Wednesday after school if I wanted to hang out with her at the mall Saturday morning.

I wanted to tell her no because I haven't been out in public since that night, but I gave in when I saw the hopeful look in her eyes. I figured going to the mall wouldn't do me any harm.

When I climbed in the Jeep on Saturday, I regretted my decision to go almost immediately. I haven't been to the mall since I went with Beth.

I greet Seth and Anna with a small hi and hope I am hiding my nervousness well.

Seth was driving us to the mall because neither Anna nor I had our license yet.

We arrive there shortly before ten. Seth was supposed to drop us off at the entrance, but he decided he needed to buy some sneakers. We all climb out of the Jeep and walk toward the mall entrance that had a sign indicating to the food court.

Seth groans as the smell of the food hits our nostrils and rubs his belly. "I'm starving. Anyone else hungry?"

Anna rolls her eyes and replies, "You just ate breakfast. How in the world are you hungry already?"

Seth opens the door for Anna and me to walk through. "I'm a growing boy. I need to eat." He makes me blush with a wink as I walk through the door past him.

I haven't quite figured out why he makes my heart go into overdrive every time he looks at me, and I am not ready to figure it out either. He's just Anna's brother, and we've barely spoken.

The mall is packed with people shopping, and out of fearful habit, I look around to see if Joshua is here. When I don't see him, my body relaxes.

The food court has a lot of choices.

Seth grabs some tacos, and we all sit down while he eats. Anna watches him in slight disgust as he shoves a taco in his mouth but laughs when half the inside of the taco falls in his lap.

She reaches over the table to grab a napkin off the tray and throws it at him. "You are so disgusting!" she squeals, rolling her eyes at him. I watch with a smile on my face.

Since I met Anna and Seth, I feel so much more relaxed when I'm around them. For just a few hours, I forget what happened to me and just enjoy the moment.

Anna turns to me and says, "Excuse my repulsive brother. He apparently has no manners when he eats."

Seth snorts and continues to eat by picking up the next taco to unwrap it.

I laugh under my breath as I watch him consume the next one as fast as the first one.

"So, what store would you like to hit first?" Anna asks me.

I shrug. "Maybe the video store?"

Seth interrupts before Anna can answer. "Yeah, I need to go there. I want to buy the newest Avengers movie."

Seth finishes his food, and we head to the video store with Anna babbling about the homecoming dance.

As we walk, I keep an eye on the crowd around us. I worry that every person we pass is Joshua. One time, I thought I saw him leaning against a wall next to one store, but when I looked back to get another glimpse, there was no one there. After that, I stare straight ahead and ignore the feeling I'm being watched.

When we get to the video store, Seth takes off down one aisle looking for the movie he mentioned. The video store also had a book section to it, and Anna goes to see if there are any good books to buy.

I head to the aisle on my right and look at the movies there. Again, I feel somebody watching me and turn. There is nobody in the aisle with me, but I can't shake the uneasy feeling that someone is watching me.

I continue to browse and come across one of my favorite movie series, Harry Potter. I pick up the first movie and turn it over to see the price on the back. I don't own the set yet, and when I see that it is discounted, I head to the cash register. Just as I'm putting the movies on the counter, it's suddenly taken from my hands. My breath catches in fear, but I relax after I notice it's Seth.

He reads the back of the movie case, so I'm able to take in the sight of him. Today, he is wearing a blue shirt that brings out his eyes and white shorts. His hair looks a little curlier today than it was the first day I met him. I get the strange urge to reach out and touch his hair to see if it is as soft as it looks.

"I've heard of these movies, but I've never seen them. Are they good?" his question brings me back to the present, and my mouth drops open in shock.

"You've never seen Harry Potter?"

He shakes his head and looks at me.

"It's only the best story in the whole world. You've never seen it? Are you sure?"

Seth shrugs and looks behind me. "How about I buy it, and we can watch them?"

"Watch what?" I turn around just in time to see Anna walking up the aisle with two books in her hand. Seth angles the movies in her direction. "Ah, I've heard of them before. Never actually seen them, though."

I stare at them, dumbfounded, as Anna takes the movie from Seth's hand.

I speak before I think of what I'm saying, "Were you guys hermits your whole life?"

They both look at one another and laugh. I turn to Anna. "Have you never read the Harry Potter books?"

Now it's Anna's turn to stare at me. "Nope. Are they as good as the movies?"

I slap my hand against my forehead and let out a sigh.

I hear Anna take in a breath and say excitedly, "We should have a movie night!"

I remove my hand from my face to look at her smiling face. "You can spend the night tonight, and we can watch the whole series together!"

I shake my head at her and reply, "There are eight movies. I don't even have the collection."

Seth looks over at the shelf and sees the rest of the movies, he grabs them off the shelf and starts walking toward the cashier. I watch him as he goes and turn to Anna, "What is he doing?"

Anna grins and follows him. "He's buying the movies to watch. Our parents give us an allowance for doing chores around the house."

I watch her walk away in shock.

Seth buys the entire movie series and walks out of the video store. Anna purchases her books, and we turn to follow him.

Anna asks me, "So, you want to come over tonight for a sleepover?"

"Yeah, let me just check with my mom."

Anna squeals loudly, and people turn to look in our direction. As I pull out my phone to send a message to my mom, Anna and Seth bicker over what store to go to next.

I send a quick message to my mom to see if I can spend the night, and as I follow them, a ping sounds on my phone.

Mom: Sure! Love you xo

For a second, I kind of hoped she would say no. I didn't want Anna to find out about the nightmares that wake me up panicking. I am worried about her asking questions that I'm not sure I want to answer.