chapter 9

It was quiet in Jane’s car as except for when she changed gears, she drove a stick. I could never learn how to drive one of these and yet it was always entertaining to watch others drive it.

That was actually exactly what I was doing at the moment, though I wasn’t really seeing anything. What was really going through my mind was the fact that I would have to face John. He had gotten mad before for messing with Candice but I had never gone this far before. Damn it, why couldn’t I control myself?

Suddenly I decided to listen to whatever music Jane had in the car. A song by Blue October began flowing through the speakers and I felt myself calm. I didn’t know anyone listened to this anymore.

“Thank you for taking me out of there” sighing, I rubbed my hands together because they were still itching to wrap around Candice’s neck.

“I’m guessing you two don’t get along?” her eyes never left the road and it somehow reminded me of Rai. She was so careful about driving after the accident she had had years ago with me and Belle in the car. I had gotten banged up and Belle was at the hospital for two days which made her cautious on the road and now she drives as carefully as she can.

“No we don’t…my father is having an affair with her and since my father gives her priority over me she provokes me any time she can.” I raked my hands through my now loose hair; I had originally put it up in a ponytail today.

“Does your mother know?” I bristled at the mention of my mother. Even though I knew she meant well, I didn’t want to discuss my mother and father’s relationship to someone I didn’t know.

“…Yeah she knows” was all I said and then we sat in silence with only the song out of my head filling the atmosphere. We finally stopped at in front of the pharmacy. Why in the world were we here? Well at least I could buy some pain killers for this headache that was beginning to throb.

“Hey dad” Jane walked me to the back of the store where her dad was taking stock.

“Jane” he only acknowledged her and went back to his work, it seemed he wasn’t very emotional. Well that wasn’t new I saw that at home every day but this was the nice version.

“Adel here might have a concussion could you take a look” I was shocked honestly, no one really went out of their way to help anyone else in this town and to find someone who did, well it was pretty shocking.

“Alright, take her into the clinic and I’ll be there in a minute.” Without another word Jane led me to another room that was a replica of a hospital room. Oh great, one of the places I hate to be in.

“You know he doesn’t have to do this.” Even though I was saying this and loathing every moment of being in a hospital room, I laid down on the bed. Either it was the hit on the head or the long day that tired me out because I fell asleep. Since I was a little girl my sleep has been plagued by nightmares and this one was no exception. This time the horrible possibilities of what John would do to me once he found out what I did to Candice swarmed my mind. He was capable of anything and my imagination just kept getting scarier and scarier. Suddenly, it was too much and I shot up awake and screaming.

“Adel! Adel, wake up!” Jane was trying to hold down my flailing limbs and trying to calm me down. Like a small child once again, I needed an anchor and Jane was the first thing in front of me. So I clung to her as the horrors I had imagined began to leave me. I had been on the verge of tears so I took calming breaths to gain control of myself again.

I finally realized I had my arms around Jane and my face was buried in her abdomen. A rush of color flooded my face and I quickly let go of Jane and she moved away.

“I’m sorry about that” I sat in the bed looking down at my joined hands in my lap. I couldn’t believe I had just done that and in front of a stranger. She probably thought I was a total nutcase and needed therapy which in retrospect wasn’t too far from the truth.

“It’s alright my dad came in a minute ago and checked on you while you were sleeping and said you have a mild concussion nothing serious but that someone should keep a close eye on you for the next 24 hours.” She sat in the only chair in the room and looked completely calm as if I had not just had a break down just now.

“Thank you” I had so much to thank her for and we had just met.

“No problem, you can go back to sleep and I’ll take you home later because I got to work the pharmacy for a while” it was meant as a suggestion and yet she didn’t give me a chance to decline her offer because she put a glass of water in my hands and held out a her palm that held two pills. “For the pain” then she left.

I looked at the closed door after she left for some time and wondered why she was treating me with such kindness. With a sigh, I put the pills in my mouth and wash them down with a couple of gulps of water. I was tempted to go back to sleep but with the nightmare I had just had I didn’t want to risk having another episode. Instead I decided to go out into the store and possibly find something to do.

I walked out of the clinic room and saw that the pharmacy was practically abandoned except for a couple of beeping sounds. Since I didn’t have anywhere else to go, I went in the direction of the beeping sounds. When I turned the corner I found Jane scanning merchandise that she was taking out of boxes and putting them on shelves.

“You could have stayed in there and slept a little while longer” Jane said as she looked up to see who had walked into the aisle she was in.

“I couldn’t get back to sleep.” I told her as I looked up and down the aisle for anything to snack on; after all, we were in the candy aisle.

“I’m going to take a wild guess and say you have a killer sweet tooth” she said as she saw me practically drooling over the chocolate bars.

“Not sweets just chocolate” I corrected her as I took a dark chocolate bar of Hershey's off the shelf, “dark chocolate” I added which caused her to laugh.

“I prefer white chocolate myself” Jane said as she went back to scanning and shelving the merchandise.

“So...” I didn’t know what to say to start a conversation and I was starting to feel awkward.

Jane didn’t seem inclined to start a conversation and was content to share in a comfortable silence. I sat on the floor next to one of the boxes that she was unpacking.

“How old are you Jane?” I asked after a while and I began to open the chocolate bar.

“I am seventeen and you?” Jane answered as she continued to scan items.

“I am seventeen too but I turn eighteen next month.” I told her and took out an item to hand it to her.

“I don’t turn eighteen for another couple of months.” Jane said but there was an air of wistfulness in her voice as she spoke.

It made me curious but I didn’t want to be nosy. So, we worked in silence until the last item was scanned and on the shelf.

“We are done.” I pointed out the obvious and crumpled the wrapping of the chocolate bar I had finished.

“Yes we are and now I can get you home” Jane said while she stretched her arms up to the air.

“Let me make a call before we go.” she nodded to my request and so I got up and took out my phone.

“Hello?” mother’s timid, small voice made relief washed through me.

“Yeah mom it’s me Adel I’m not coming to the house tonight I’ll be at Rai’s” she just said okay but I could hear the worry already but at least it wouldn’t be as bad as if she hadn’t heard from me at all. Instantly after hanging up with my mother I called Rai and dreaded telling her what happened.

“Hello?” her voice was groggy so she was probably getting ready for bed or had already been asleep and I had woken her up.

“Hey Rai, it’s me Adel” my voice sounded horse and I was sure she was already worried just because of it.

“What’s wrong Adel? You’re supposed to be home” I laughed humorlessly and I could see Jane looking at me from the corner of her eye. She was probably thinking I was more of a freak now.

“Listen Rai something happened and I need to stay somewhere other than the house. You don’t mind if I crash at your place do you?” I would put off telling her everything for as long as I could because I knew she would instantly go looking for someone to kill.

“You know this place is always your home.” The understood ‘you’re going to tell me what happened’ was there as I said good bye.

“So where am I taking you?” Jane asked as she stopped at a red light and turned her head to look at me. I smiled without really any feeling in that gesture and pointed to the left.

“Home” that was all I said before I leaned my head against the window and fell asleep once again.