Unbroken

Chapter 6: Panicked

A/N ~ So, I know, the chapters could be longer... and I plan to make them longer and fluffier. :D This is a very rough draft, but I still very much hope to see comments telling me how I can improve my story. :)

Rook:

I had been able to get out of class a few minutes early, so I headed for our usual lunch spot. Lying back on the bench, I used my backpack as a pillow while waiting for the others. I only had to wait a couple of minutes before I saw Nix coming out of the building. The bright blue door banged heavily against the large brick building. I waited for him to jog towards our spot like he usually did. Instead, he turned back towards the school like he was talking to someone. I guessed it was probably Kace since we didn't usually socialize with anyone else at the school.

I sat up, grabbing the small bag that I carried with me everywhere. Before I could open it, I blinked in surprise at seeing Nix coming down the stairs with the petite blonde. She trailed after him uncertainly. When they got to the table, Nix made sure she sat down before he did. She smiled hesitantly at me. She seemed nervous, and I was afraid of doing anything to make her even more so. I thought about going somewhere else to test my blood sugar. If we're going to find out if she can't handle being around us, I'd rather know now.

I pulled my meter out of my bag as Kace jumped down the stairs, skipping all of them, and jogged over. He slowed to a walk when he realized that Emma was sitting on the bench next to Nix. I was a bit amazed when I pricked my finger and she didn't seem to mind, and even stopped watching me glance up at Kace. My blood sugar was a little low, but I had expected that since it had been a while since I'd eaten.

Kace looked confused as he signed, "What's she doing here?"

I knew what he meant. We had only planned to talk with her, not invite her to have lunch with us. To be honest, she seemed really shy, so I hadn't thought we could convince her to sit with us. Emma stood up. "I can leave if you'd rather." She spoke so softly that I was positive that Nix wasn't even aware that she'd spoken.

I frowned as I pulled my lunch from my bag. "We don't want you to leave."

At the same time, Nix spoke up. "She speaks sign language, dumbass." His voice was a tad too loud, causing Emma to jump.

I tapped Nix's knee with my shoe, making a gesture with my hand to let him know he'd spoken too loudly. Nix made a face and lowered his voice. "Sorry."

Emma:

My heart was racing and my head started to pound. Maybe they didn't really want me to spend lunch with them. Kace grimaced as he sat down, lightly tapping out a beat on the table. "S-sorry. I d-didn't mean it in a b-bad w-way."

Nix gently tugged on my sweatshirt, pulling me back down to my seat. Nix and Kace both pulled out their lunches. Rook's gaze narrowed on me when all I did was sip water. "Where's your lunch?"

I fiddled with the cap of my water bottle, looking at the ground. "I didn't bring one."

"Were you intending on getting lunch from the cafeteria?" He offered me an apple as he questioned me.

I lightly rubbed my stomach, wishing the nerves and butterflies would both go away. I shook my head. "No, thanks." I paused, wondering if I should even answer his question. Nix and Kace were both looking at me with interest. Kace held out a package of crackers. I shook my head again. "No, I wasn't." I finally decided to respond.

"So you weren't planning to eat?" A glance at his expression told me that he wasn't judging me.

I shook my head again. My eyes started to fill with tears. My breath caught in my throat as I tried to blink them back, forcing me to swallow thickly, trying to stop it. I couldn't have an attack right now. A tear escaped, making a wet track down my cheek. I realized I wouldn't be able to hold it off, and wiped at my eyes. Before any of the guys could react I was up and racing into the school. The corridor was nearly empty as I raced to the closest bathroom, ducking into the handicapped stall. I didn't bother to shut the door before dropping my bag to the floor. With my back against the wall, I slid down so that I was sitting with my knees against my chest.

I took a deep breath. That just made the tears fall faster. My breathing was strained, which only made me panic about being unable to breathe. I hiccupped, haltingly drawing oxygen into my lungs. The room spun and I closed my eyes, willing myself not to throw up. Sweat dripped into my eyes as my body heated up. My hair plastered to the back of my neck. My muscles felt frozen. I wanted to rip my sweatshirt off, but I couldn't get my body to obey the order. Blood rushed to my ears, making them ring. This was so stupid. Why couldn't I get myself to stop? I wasn't even sure what had set this attack off. I was pretty sure I'd just ruined any chance I had of becoming friends with the guys.

Rook:

Emma ran back to the school. I stood up, quickly shoving the last of my sandwich into my mouth. Nix grabbed the water bottle that Emma had left behind. I grabbed both of my bags and jogged back to the school. I stepped through the doorway just in time to see Emma disappear down a hallway. She stepped into the bathroom a few steps later.

Nix and Kace followed me. We stopped as we got to the bathroom. "Sh-shit." Kace sputtered, glancing up at the little stick figure wearing a dress.

Nix tapped my arm, quickly signing, "This is the deserted hall. I bet she's in there alone."

I nodded. He had a point. I held up a hand for both of them to stay here. Then I thought better of it. "If the bell rings, head to your next classes. There's no sense in all of us getting in trouble. My parents will be a lot more understanding about skipping classes if it comes to that." They both nodded. I turned back towards the door to pound on it. "I'm coming in," I announced. There weren't any sounds coming from the other side of the door, but I opened it slowly, just in case. When there didn't seem to be anyone inside, I went to the stalls, easily seeing Emma was in the last one.

A sniffle sounded from behind the partially closed door. I pushed on the door gently, breathing a sigh of relief when the door didn't hit her. "Emma?"

She sat on the floor with her knees against her chest, her face buried in her arms, which rested on top of her knees. Her entire body shook so hard that she was practically vibrating. I sank down to the floor next to her, not really sure how to help. Before I could come up with something to say, she was speaking. "I-I'm s-s-s-s-"

"Emma, take a deep breath with me." I paused to inhale, pleased to see that she at least attempted to copy me. "Good, once more." Once she got her breathing under control, she started to calm down. She swiped her sweatshirt sleeve against her eyes, trying to get rid of the tears.

"I'm s-sorry." She spoke again, this time, more clearly. When she looked up at me, I cringed at the way her eyes looked bruised from crying so hard.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for," I replied as I stood up. I headed for the sink and grabbed a paper towel, making sure I soaked it in cool water. "Want to tell me what happened? I didn't mean to upset you with my questioning."

I walked back over to her and knelt beside her, forcing her to look at me by gently putting a finger under her chin. "It wasn't you. I just-" She took a shuddering breath, searching for a way to explain what had happened. "I can't really explain it. I don't really know what happened." She kept her voice low, looking ashamed because she didn't have a clear answer.

"Close your eyes please," I gently commanded. When they were closed, I softly dabbed at them, trying to get the swelling to go down and make it easier for her to see. She sniffled and I felt compelled to ask, "Do you need to go to the nurse?"

She shook her head. I couldn't take it anymore. She looked so upset that I pulled her to her feet and into a hug. "Are you okay?" I urged. I didn't want to upset her more by initiating so much physical contact, but she looked like she needed a hug. She froze for a heartbeat. I was afraid she'd back away. Instead, she nodded and her arms slowly came around my waist. She was still shaking pretty hard. I let her lean against me, using me for support.

Her voice was whisper soft when she finally said, "I'll be alright. Thank you."