You Fall Apart and Then You...Stop!
Chapter 11
***
"Sweetie. Sweetie wake up." And I did, to a woman lightly shaking me. I quickly sat up, a little bit scared, and hugely confused.
She was a short woman, wearing a thin light pink sweater. Her short blond hair tied up in a ponytail. She looked oddly familiar.
"Uh, who are you?" I asked, making her laugh.
Before she could answer, Max walked in smiling and holding a bowl in his hands.
"Hey Andy," He greeted.
"What's going on?" I practically yelled, not really caring that doing so hurt like hell.
"Relax, this is my mom and she did me a favor and brought you some soup. It's homemade too." He explained, making me move over so that he could sit next me.
"Oh," was my response.
"Here," Max handed me the bowl of soup and both he and his mom waited until I ate some.
I took in a spoonful, instantly becoming grateful that the heat of the soup soothed me throat.
"Holy sh-" I stopped myself, looking up at Max's mom, "Thanks, it's delicious." I complimented.
They both laughed, sounding frighteningly similar.
"It's okay to swear, sweetie, Max has done worse."
"You can leave now mom," Max said making her give him a fake hurt look. "I came all the way over here to see you play, and help your friend, and this is how you repay me?"
"Mom," He whined.
"I'll leave, I just have to check her temperature." She said as she came over to me and felt my forehead.
"You have a fever," She said, a concerned look on her face. "Take off that hoodie, sweetie." She ordered.
She turned to Max, "In half an hour, give her some ice-cream so that her temperature drops."
Max nodded, getting up and following her as she heads towards the front of the bus.
I set the bowl down and took off my hoodie, instantly feeling a little better.
"Wanna watch a movie?" Max asked once he returned.
I shrugged, "I guess,"
Max's mom came back holding glass of water and some pills in her hand.
"Take these vitamins," She told me as handed them to me.
I stretched out my hand and took them from her. My scars caught her attention. She looked at me, eyes searching for mine, but I refused to look at her. I quickly retracted my arm, popping the pills into my mouth. She handed me the glass of water, the look of concern still on her face.
The shame that came over me was nothing new. If they were visible people would stare. Never asking the story behind them, but always judging.
"Mom?" Max said, making her pay attention to him.
She looked over to him, he pointed at his phone. "Right, I have to be on my way home." She turned back to me, "It was nice meeting you. And I wanted to say thank you for taking care of my Max."
"You're welcome," I said as I watched her and Max leave.
Taking care of her Max?
By the time Max returned, I was up and heading over to my bunk. "What are you doing?" He asked as he hurried over to me. "You're not supposed to get up."
"I just wanna go and watch the guys play," I said as I tried to walk past him.
Blocking my path, he shakes his head. "Sorry, but they told me to take care of you while they're out.
So as long as I'm in charge you have to go back and lie down."
"You're not my babysitter, you cant tell me what to do." I try once more to push past him, but he's like a wall.
I looked straight into his green eyes. He looked back into mine. "Let me go," I demanded.
"Cant do that."
"Please"
"Nope"
"Then I'm not moving from this spot," I threatened.
"Oh yeah?" He smiled.
I stomped my feet for effect, taking a step closer to him. Getting up on the tips of my toes to be eye level with him. "Yeah."
And before I knew it he had picked me and thrown me over his shoulder.
"What are you guys doing?" I looked up to see but Max turned blocking my view. But I didn't need to see who it was to know that it was Aaron.
"She wouldn't go back and lie down," Max explained.
"Snitch!" I yelled.
"Right, so uh, I need to talk to Andy for a bit." Aaron said.
"Sure," Max said.
I thought I was going to be put down but instead I was handed over to Aaron, like some type of rag doll.
Aaron took me to the back lounge and set me down, gently to my surprise.
"Yesterday, did you take anything?" He asked.
"Anything like...?" I said, hoping he would elaborate.
"Something for like a headache or yeah."
"What the hell are you getting at?" I was annoyed that he wasn't getting to the point.
"Did you take any pills yesterday. Like maybe the ones that were left on the bathroom sink?"
"The ones in the aspirin bottle?" I asked, still not knowing where he was going with this.
He closed his eyes tightly, "So you took some?"
"Yeah,"
"How many?"
"Throughout the day, like 10"
He covered his face with his hands "Shit,"
"What?" I asked, now I was starting to get worried.
"Those weren't aspirin," He confessed.
I pushed him, making him fall. I was angry, and afraid at what he was going to say. "What the hell were they!?" I yelled.
He was looking down at his hand, they were clearly hurt. "Aaron, what were they?" I asked, trying to calm myself down.
He looked up at me, clearly scared. "It was a mix,"
"I swear to God Aaron, if you're telling me that those pills I took were-"
"Drugs," He confirmed with a nod.
And then I snapped. I pounced on him like a fucken lion would to its prey. I threw multiple punches and at his face, kicked and scratched anywhere I could before Max burst in and pulled me off him.
"Sweetie. Sweetie wake up." And I did, to a woman lightly shaking me. I quickly sat up, a little bit scared, and hugely confused.
She was a short woman, wearing a thin light pink sweater. Her short blond hair tied up in a ponytail. She looked oddly familiar.
"Uh, who are you?" I asked, making her laugh.
Before she could answer, Max walked in smiling and holding a bowl in his hands.
"Hey Andy," He greeted.
"What's going on?" I practically yelled, not really caring that doing so hurt like hell.
"Relax, this is my mom and she did me a favor and brought you some soup. It's homemade too." He explained, making me move over so that he could sit next me.
"Oh," was my response.
"Here," Max handed me the bowl of soup and both he and his mom waited until I ate some.
I took in a spoonful, instantly becoming grateful that the heat of the soup soothed me throat.
"Holy sh-" I stopped myself, looking up at Max's mom, "Thanks, it's delicious." I complimented.
They both laughed, sounding frighteningly similar.
"It's okay to swear, sweetie, Max has done worse."
"You can leave now mom," Max said making her give him a fake hurt look. "I came all the way over here to see you play, and help your friend, and this is how you repay me?"
"Mom," He whined.
"I'll leave, I just have to check her temperature." She said as she came over to me and felt my forehead.
"You have a fever," She said, a concerned look on her face. "Take off that hoodie, sweetie." She ordered.
She turned to Max, "In half an hour, give her some ice-cream so that her temperature drops."
Max nodded, getting up and following her as she heads towards the front of the bus.
I set the bowl down and took off my hoodie, instantly feeling a little better.
"Wanna watch a movie?" Max asked once he returned.
I shrugged, "I guess,"
Max's mom came back holding glass of water and some pills in her hand.
"Take these vitamins," She told me as handed them to me.
I stretched out my hand and took them from her. My scars caught her attention. She looked at me, eyes searching for mine, but I refused to look at her. I quickly retracted my arm, popping the pills into my mouth. She handed me the glass of water, the look of concern still on her face.
The shame that came over me was nothing new. If they were visible people would stare. Never asking the story behind them, but always judging.
"Mom?" Max said, making her pay attention to him.
She looked over to him, he pointed at his phone. "Right, I have to be on my way home." She turned back to me, "It was nice meeting you. And I wanted to say thank you for taking care of my Max."
"You're welcome," I said as I watched her and Max leave.
Taking care of her Max?
By the time Max returned, I was up and heading over to my bunk. "What are you doing?" He asked as he hurried over to me. "You're not supposed to get up."
"I just wanna go and watch the guys play," I said as I tried to walk past him.
Blocking my path, he shakes his head. "Sorry, but they told me to take care of you while they're out.
So as long as I'm in charge you have to go back and lie down."
"You're not my babysitter, you cant tell me what to do." I try once more to push past him, but he's like a wall.
I looked straight into his green eyes. He looked back into mine. "Let me go," I demanded.
"Cant do that."
"Please"
"Nope"
"Then I'm not moving from this spot," I threatened.
"Oh yeah?" He smiled.
I stomped my feet for effect, taking a step closer to him. Getting up on the tips of my toes to be eye level with him. "Yeah."
And before I knew it he had picked me and thrown me over his shoulder.
"What are you guys doing?" I looked up to see but Max turned blocking my view. But I didn't need to see who it was to know that it was Aaron.
"She wouldn't go back and lie down," Max explained.
"Snitch!" I yelled.
"Right, so uh, I need to talk to Andy for a bit." Aaron said.
"Sure," Max said.
I thought I was going to be put down but instead I was handed over to Aaron, like some type of rag doll.
Aaron took me to the back lounge and set me down, gently to my surprise.
"Yesterday, did you take anything?" He asked.
"Anything like...?" I said, hoping he would elaborate.
"Something for like a headache or yeah."
"What the hell are you getting at?" I was annoyed that he wasn't getting to the point.
"Did you take any pills yesterday. Like maybe the ones that were left on the bathroom sink?"
"The ones in the aspirin bottle?" I asked, still not knowing where he was going with this.
He closed his eyes tightly, "So you took some?"
"Yeah,"
"How many?"
"Throughout the day, like 10"
He covered his face with his hands "Shit,"
"What?" I asked, now I was starting to get worried.
"Those weren't aspirin," He confessed.
I pushed him, making him fall. I was angry, and afraid at what he was going to say. "What the hell were they!?" I yelled.
He was looking down at his hand, they were clearly hurt. "Aaron, what were they?" I asked, trying to calm myself down.
He looked up at me, clearly scared. "It was a mix,"
"I swear to God Aaron, if you're telling me that those pills I took were-"
"Drugs," He confirmed with a nod.
And then I snapped. I pounced on him like a fucken lion would to its prey. I threw multiple punches and at his face, kicked and scratched anywhere I could before Max burst in and pulled me off him.