Like Gold

03.

03.

"HE'S ONE OF YOUR STUDENTS?"

I laughed hollowly, nodding as Piper stared at me with wide eyes. She sputtered over her coffee, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Oh, my God! Tell me everything you know!"

I shrugged, poking at the scraps of my brunch with a fork. "There's not much to tell. We didn't really talk much."

"So, you did talk?"

"Not much," I said pointedly, shooting her a sharp look. She wasn't deterred. She gazed at me with large, curious eyes, and a grin split across her face.

"And?" Piper asked, motioning for me to continue.

"And nothing." I shrugged. "He's an average swimmer. His swimming trunks are blue. His towel's white." I hesitated. "His mother's named Anna."

"You met his mother?" Her voice lilted in disbelief and she slammed her coffee onto the saucer. I winced at the sound, nodding with an uneasy smile.

"Accidentally," I offered.

I tugged at my sleeve, glancing down at my untouched breakfast – strawberry pancakes and tea, because coffee set my nerves on end and unsettled my stomach. The pancakes were probably cold by now.

After running into Jace's mom, my stomach had been churning uncomfortably, but I knew Piper would be worried if I didn't order any food. So, I poked at a small slice of strawberry and shoved it into my mouth.

"Accidentally or not, you officially know more about him than anyone else at school," Piper said smartly. She shoved a piece of her almond croissant into her mouth before pointing her fork at me. "You've got to find out more, Jas. Everyone's wondering why he's got that limp."

She swallowed and I shrugged, taking an uncomfortable sip of my tea. "I don't know. It's not really any of our business is it?"

Because I knew what it felt like to limp around school and have everyone stare at you. I knew what it was like when the town discovered your dirty little secret, and whispered it every time you passed, and jabbed each other in the ribs, harshly muttering don't stare, as if that made it any better.

The only thing worse than standing out, was standing out with everyone knowing exactly why you did.

I blinked down at my cold pile of pancakes and it seemed as if in just that blink of an eye, I was trapped. Trapped under hot steel and broken glass. The bones in my leg shattering, and my skin bleeding and burning – burning so badly, like I was on fire.

Under the table, I gripped the edge of the seat, trying to ground myself – bring myself back to the present. The present where there was no blood, no screams, no shattered windshields, no Amber.

I was safe. I was okay. I was alive.

"You're right," Piper said after a moment. I looked up to meet her brown eyes, the usual pity flashing through them. I swallowed thickly, praying my flashback hadn't shown on my face. Her brow wrinkled in worry and she took a sip of her coffee before saying, "Sorry, Jas. I wasn't thinking. It's none of our business."

"It's fine," I said quickly, trying to move the conversation along. Trying to smooth out that wrinkle of worry on her face and that dark look in her eyes.

I scratched at my ankle, suddenly throbbing from the conversation. It felt like I'd torn all the tendons in it one by one, all over again in just that blink of an eye. I flexed it carefully, testing the muscles in my leg – still weak, a year later.