Silent Scream (Hiatus)

Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

As I turned around, stumbling over my own feet, I tried to pretend that everything was fine. Patrick could see right through me. Which is funny, because he's only known me for a little over 24 hours.

"Is something wrong?" He asked me, just after I saw that man down the hall.

"N-n-o," I replied, shakily. I was quivering with fright – no wonder he could tell something was wrong.

"Yeah, sure. That's why you look like you're about to faint."

"Do I?" I asked, swiping a strand of hair from my face, trying to act nonchalant. Is he still there? I wondered.

He rolled his eyes, knowing that I was pretending, but moving past it. "Are you showing me to my class, or what?" He questioned.

"Oh right," I said, momentarily forgetting what I was doing and why I was standing there with this boy I barely knew.

"Yeah ..."

I regained my composure, too much difficulty, and showed him to his class.

At the end of the day, I met up with Rachel out front, who had something to say. "Kurt wouldn't stop talking about you in P.E," she informed me.

I looked at her, clutching my books to my chest and my purse to my side, afraid that any second, someone would try and steal them. As if someone would try to steal school textbooks and shit. "Really?" I asked.

"Yeah. He was asking all these questions."

"Like what?"

"Just like ... stuff you like and everything."

"And what did you tell him?"

"Nothing. I said if he wanted to get to know you he had to talk to you himself."

"Nice."

"Yeah," she replied.

"He asked me out, you know," I told her.

"He DID?!" Her eyes beamed. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Um, I just did, hello."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "What are you gonna do?"

I pondered that for a moment. "I don't know. I guess he's going to surprise me."

"God, he better not take you to like, a high school basketball game or something," she said. "That damn Jesse Webb. Worst mistake I ever made!"

I chuckled. "Damn it, Jesse!"

"So what are you doing this afternoon?"

"Ugh, I gotta pick up my car from the shop." That's why I had to walk to school yesterday. Just think, if only my car hadn't broken down, I wouldn't have had to walk, and stalker guy never would have followed me.

But then ... I never would have met Patrick.

Wait – hold on a minute! That's not a bad thing!

Get it together, Ashley, jeez.

"Ah, thrilling."

"Very," I replied. “What about you?“

“Soccer.“

“Oh right. I should have known.“ Seeing Patrick by the bike racks, I turned to Rach and said, "Well, I gotta go, see ya," heading in his direction.

"Bye!" She called behind me.

I approached him and said, "Hey."

"Hi."