Taion

I groaned into Coach Brown’s lecture on human reproduction. Adrian’s earlier sexual comment kept coming back to me, making me slightly uncomfortable with this topic. Weren’t they supposed to have separate classes for this subject? Sex Ed, right? Because I’m sure I didn’t sign up for this. I turned towards Avery. He sat to my left, right beside me. “Are you going?” I mumbled in his direction.

“Where?” he question, leaning towards me and blinking his green eyes.

“Party,” I grinned back.

He opened his mouth to reply, but stopped when Mr. Brown grabbed my shoulder. The same shoulder that carried that awful scar. I tensed, freezing under his grip. Avery turned quickly away, slouching down in his seat. Involuntarily, I jerked from his hand and stood up from my seat. My mind could only process the sudden touch and quickly linked it to my nightmare. They’d not left my thoughts at all today, and they, even during lunch, were haunting in the recesses of my mind. My eyes widened in fear and shock because Coach Brown’s face twisted and distorted until it was his face, the fear in my mind turning everything around on me. I was no longer in Biology class; I was that bedroom, locked inside with no where to go. I back up a few steps, confused, because after all the last time I checked, this room didn’t have a dresser right behind me and I still had a few feet to go until I hit the wall, I was sure.

I look back. And my hallucination faded. Avery was staring at me with his too big eyes, worried. He reached forward, touching my shoulder as well, but it was softer, more understanding…like Alex’s or Jack’s or Christine’s. I lost my composer completely then, my legs giving out on me and fell to the tiled floor. Coach Brown was over me instantly, picking me up, and commanding Avery to come along.

My breathing was harsh, and the cold air burned my lungs as I was carried across the school courtyard and towards the Administration building. It didn’t take me long to realize the teacher was dropping me off at the nurse’s office. Neither one of them talked until Coach Brown opened the door and explained what had happened to the nurse. “I caught them talking so I touched Phoenix’s shoulder and he just lost it. He stood up like he was possessed and backed into Avery’s desk and just fell to the floor. I think he had a panic attack.”

I looked over at Avery. He walked quickly over to me and grabbed my hand. “Are you alright?”

He asked quietly. I tried nodding, but a shiver took hold of my body, causing my teeth to start clacking in my mouth.

He looked over at the nurse who was looking at me. I turned away and voiced shakily, “Can I just call Alex? After that, everything will be fine. I’ll come back tomorrow and it’ll be like nothing ever happened.”

The two adults looked at me; I could feel their eyes on my back. “He tried to get in contact with him earlier, but Alex didn’t answer. Let him try again?”

The nurse bit her lip and looked at Coach Brown. She must have nodded because the only way I could tell she’d agreed was when Avery leaned to my ear and told me she said I could use the phone. I nodded and sat up, reaching for the phone with a shaky hand. I tried standing up, but failed miserably when my legs gave out again. Avery rushed to my side, allowing me to use him as a crutch. He walked towards the phone, supporting me the whole way. “You’re strong,” I mumbled in a hesitant breath.

He snorted, smirking. “You’re too light.” I reached for the phone again, cursing when I miss-dialed because of my shaky fingers. “I bet you don’t even weight 100 pounds.”

I hit END and started dialing again, this time the right number. “I weigh 92 pounds.”

Avery’s eyes grew wide. “I’m smaller than you and I weigh 104! That can’t be healthy.”

I smiled slightly as the phone started ringing. “It probably isn’t.”

“Hello?” I sighed when I heard his voice, my anxiety already receding to the back of my mind.

“Alex,” I breathed out, almost choking on my sobs that were forcing their way to my mouth.

He sighed, taking me off guard completely. “Phoenix. Envy I can’t talk right now.” He said my name in two sentences, breaking it up. My heart fell. “I’ll have to call you back.” He paused, then quickly added, “Is everything alright?”

I gulped, but didn’t answer before hanging up. He had other things to do. I glanced at Avery, handing him back the phone and the small boy let it slip from his hand. It crashed to the ground and the nurse growled out her hatred for unappreciative students, but Avery ignored her and Coach Brown, leading me out the room and muttering something about the bathroom. Avery didn’t lead me to the bathroom. It was an excuse and he lead me out the school building through the side door. It lead out into the parking lot. From here, I could see the street and paralleled the road. It was the street I walked to and from school. Avery propped me up against the side of the building. “Can you walk now?”

I nodded, taking a shaky breath and started to walk towards the road –towards my temporary home…temporary until Alex returned, but that wasn’t looking likely any time soon; he had Mona and that was all that mattered. I took another step, but my knee buckled and Avery had to rush forward to keep me from falling. I smirked at him halfway. “Way to play the hero, Avery.”

He grinned and grunted as he lifted me up completely, not allowing my dirty Converses to each touch the floor. He was small, but he was strong as well. He carried me over to a truck and helped me in it. “I try.”

He shut my door before climbing in himself, starting the engine. “This yours?” I questioned. I wasn’t looking at him. Instead, my head was rested against the cool glass and I was staring at the sidewalk. All I wanted to do was climb in my bed and go to sleep. No dreams. No nightmares. Just peace.

“Yep.” His answer was quick and simple and I lifted my head to look at him. He was staring at the road as he pulled out of the parking lot, stopping at the stop sign and asked me where I needed to go.

I pointed to the right. It took literally thirty seconds for him to pull into the Barakat’s neighborhood and for me to point at the house. He pulled in, but I made no move to get out. I stared out the front window and watched Cricket tug at her chain in the back yard. I knew she saw me in the truck, and I knew she wanted to play. I’d forgotten to go visit her this morning –being more focused on avoiding Emma’s questions on dreams than visiting Cricket. “I left my book-bag in his room,” I replied in monotone, too tired to panic over the mishap.

Avery nodded, stepping out the car and helping me get out as well. “Well I’ve still got three more periods so I’ll drop it by here later today.” I gave him the signature ‘What-Are-You-Smoking?’ look. He blinked his eyes and shook his blonde fringe into his face.

“What?” He asked innocently.

“You’re seriously going back to school?” I asked incuriously.

He bit his lip, looking at the ground and helped me out of the car, a slight blush coating his cheeks. “I have too…otherwise I could loose my job.”

I raised an eyebrow, trying to support myself this time, taking baby steps towards the door.

He nodded at my skeptical look. “I work at Target and my boss told me if I skipped anymore he’d fire me because he thought education was more important to work. He’ll have a cow when he hears I left campus, but I think he’ll understand when I explain the circumstances.” He scruffed his shoe against the concrete driveway and looked around. I could see exactly what he was thinking. The perfect neighborhood. All the houses are exactly alike. All the bushes trimmed neatly. Not a speck of imperfection. Then he glances at me and smiles. “I’m a dork, but I need to keep my job. I need to help with the bills.”

“Bills?” I asked, even more confused. Weren’t parent’s supposed to take care of the bills? Not a high-schooler?

He shook his head, looking away as I dug out the spare key from under the mat. Great hiding place, I know. Trust me, I told the Barakat’s the same thing, that the hiding spot was too cliché, but they have yet to find another hiding place for it. I shove the piece of metal in the door and turn it, letting myself in.

“Another story for another time.” Avery mumbles, his smile gone. I feel a bit guilty for bringing it up, and immediately want to take it back, but I know I can’t. Instead I sigh and open my mouth to apologize for prying, but he beats me to speaking. “Will you be alright here?”

I force a grin and support myself on the door, nodding. “I’m Phoenix Envy or have you forgotten?” He blinks at me and I roll my eyes playfully, pushing him back to his truck. “ I’ll be fine. I’ll go take a warm shower and go to bed. I’ll be alright, really.” I try reassuring my friend.

He nods, biting his lip, still unsure, but walks to his truck. “I’ll bring your book bag and things around four, alright?”

“Alright.” He gets in his truck, looks at me, again, unsure before leaving. As soon as he’s gone, I walk inside. I barely make it to the couch before I fall, my legs still weak from my anxiety, and hiccup as my breath hitches in my throat. I can feel that I’m about to cry, but I close my eyes, refusing to let the tears fall, and let myself relax on the plush sofa. The tears leak through my eyelids and I hiccup again, then once more, thinking, It seems like forever since all of us were here, acting like a normal family. I pause. Well as normal as it can get with have a lead singer as your guardian.