Double life: Help-less

There was a tense atmosphere in the classroom all due to the feared Math test. Josh could see how everybody was in a different mood, some even seem to be really quiet and still as if moving would made them lose all their knowledge. He had studied but he was a bit more relaxed, for some reason he had believed Nic´s words. Every one was tense but Nic. The girl seemed to be as distracted as every other day, always looking out of the window. “Don’t you get bored?” Josh asked and expected to surprise her. “I’m not here” she said still looking out the window. There was the hint of a smile on her face. “I can see that... Are the tests hard over here?” “They´re tests, they´re supposed to be hard... no, not really. You´ll be fine” she never move her gaze from the window. A couple of girls, among them the ones who where giggling and staring at him in the library -one of them Michelle, the one that had kissed Aaron- went to his place and started a conversation, ignoring Nic on purpose. She couldn’t care less. Right before the teacher got in, she got a phone call. It was strictly forbidden to use cellphones during class. At the entrance there was a shelf designed so that everybody left their phones there, but apparently she had decided not to obey such rule. She got the call and just put the phone to her ear, never she said a single word. Her gaze seemed to hardened right after a flicker of pain passed through her big brown eyes. When the teacher got in with a stack of papers -the tests- she got to her feet to talk to him. He seemed to inquire but ended up saying “If you go, you´ll loose your grade” she sighed and said “OK, thanks” and without going back for her things she went away. She ran trying to swallow the tears of anger and frustration. She had practice with that. She ran to her room to grab her always ready bag and changed her clothes quickly then came out from the window and ran again straight through the many trees in the school campus right ahead of her building, once she jumped off the wall that separated the school grounds from the main street she had a mask of false pride and a tough attitude. There, as every time that she got those hideous phone calls, was a black car, the type that is designed to go through all types of ground but expensive enough to be used by elegant people, but for her, this was just a funeral car. The driver knew the way, that wordless man always in black suit. He handed her an envelope. He barely looked her, maybe he knew what would happen if he dared to do more since in his eyes was the look of lust. “If anyone tries to touch you and you don’t want to, just make them go” had said her father, probably the only kind words he had said in years. The driver didn’t need to talk, it was all said to her. They got to the airport. She sighed. Nic showed up to class a week later, but it´s more accurate to say that she went back to school a week later, she didn´t attend to class right when she came back. Josh kept staring out the window, in the direction of the wall he´d almost fallen from. The teacher had reprimanded him a little while ago for that same reason. He wasn’t answering his questions. But Josh was really distracted. Watching through the window he thought he had seen a shadow. His lips curved up a little into a smile. “Mr. Arlington, the teacher said, if you don’t want to be in my class you can go out!” of course that wasn’t true, you had to be there whether you liked it or not. This time Josh focused in the man talking in front but he was the first to go out as soon as the bell rang. He wandered for a while through the woods and right on the stone wall, there was Nic, her knees against her chest and her head leaned on them. “Nic! You´re back!” “Yeah” her voice was hoarse and barely audible “Are you ok? Have you gone to the infirmary?” he said getting closer “I´ll be fine” she said in that same hoarse voice “Let me see you…” he was about to lean and touch her forehead when she suddenly arose and looked him with fierce eyes “Do not touch me, ever” “I just wanted to..” “No! never, do not touch me” “But...you look really bad, just go to the infirmary” “Leave me alone” she jumped to the wall and started running over the edge of it. Josh on the ground, followed her. She was fast so he had to push himself to follow her. For moments she looked back and seemed to plead him to stop but she kept running. She was starting to get tired for her pace was slower. Right when Josh caught up to her she stopped and fall to a side. Like a leave falls from the tree, she put no resistance to it. He rushed to catch her and they fall to the ground, she on top of him. She had fainted. He got up and tried to lift her. She opened her eyes. “No, just leave me” she said weakly. “You´re sick, for God´s sake!” he tried to lift her and she couldn’t help it. She was too week. “You are burning girl! I´ll take you to the infirmary” “No, no, please, no. Just leave me, leave me” she pleaded hoarsely. He started to walk to the path that led to the infirmary. “Josh, please, no” her eyes were filled with tears and her head barely stayed still. “Why? don’t you feel bad?” “My room, my room, ta-take me there” her breathing was hard and he didn’t know if to do as she said was the best option but he decided to oblige. For the whole walk she closed her eyes and stayed quiet even when he asked her if she was ok. He was worried. Once they got closer to the entrance of the girls dorm she talked. “Put me down, please” when he saw hesitation in him she continued “I wont run away. But if you want to come in you can’t bring me in like this...” he put her down, her legs were weak and she faltered. “You can’t walk, we should go to the infirmary” “Just put you arm around my waist and help me walk. Act less worried ok?”