Piano Girl ❊ {Paul Lahote}

Chapter Six PART ONE - Etude Op.10 No.4 - Chopin

❊Violet❊

PART ONE

Jared Cameron didn't show up again for the rest of the week, or for the week after that. It wasn't just that either. Things were starting to get stranger both on the reservation, and in Forks.

Stories and sightings of huge animals roaming the woods were suddenly popping up everywhere. Parents on the reservation had started to become more careful, tending to keep their kids indoors, especially as the sun went down.

Jacob's friend, Bella Swan, had gone into the woods and hadn't been found until hours later. Now, she apparently spent all of her time holed up in her house. Jacob had said it was because her boyfriend, a guy named Edward Cullen (from the Cullen family that almost everyone in La Push had some sort of dislike towards) had left her. I personally thought it had to be more than that if she was that upset. Jacob was worried sick about her.

Paul Lahote had been more on edge than I think I had ever seen him. Now, even the smallest thing could cause him to snap at someone. I could also have sworn that he was taller than before, even though most people had finished their growth spurts by now. A lot of our study sessions had been ending earlier than they had before, either due to the fact that Paul was unable to focus, or that he got angry at something and decided to walk out.

I was glad that he did at least that. He was realizing that he was the one getting angry at something and was making sure that he wasn't taking it out on me. Especially since my sister was often at home at the same time, I was glad that he was able to understand the limits in my house and follow them.

Occasionally I would get angry too, and during those times we would exchange a few words. Still, he had never gotten into a physical altercation with me, as he had with others in the past. This was still something I was wary of, however. Although I had only seen him fight a few times, I didn't want to risk fighting anyone, let alone him. Despite his anger, which was most likely due to the loss of his closest friend, we were starting to get to know each other. Violence would definitely put us back to square one, maybe even less than that.

It was Monday again. We went through classes as usual, even lunch was pleasant. Jacob and his buddies came to sit down with Ora and I, so we all had a good chat, despite Jacob being sufficiently glum (due to the Bella situation). All in all, it was shaping up to be a fairly good day.

Then, English class came around. When Mr. Lacie allowed us to break off, and I got up to move to the back of the room, I could already tell by Paul's face that something was wrong. It was like a thundercloud had moved in and was brewing over top of his head. I sat down in the chair gingerly, hoping that the day wasn't about to flip on its head. 

"What's going on? You don't look..." He crossed his arms. "What? Excited to be here? Oh no, I'm just ecstatic." I sighed, breathing heavily through my nose. "Look, we've just gotta get through some discussion today." He looked at me, mimicking my sigh. I leaned closer. "I know you're upset about Jared. Have you gone to his house again?"

At that Paul looked down at his hands, fidgeting with the pencil in his fingers. "Yeah. His family keeps saying that he's sick. Like, how can someone be that ill for that long and not have to go to the hospital?!" His voice rose in volume as he spoke, and people started looking over at us, the teacher even giving us a glare.I mouthed a 'sorry' in Mr. Lacie's direction before turning back to Paul.

My breath caught at the sight of him. His fists were clenched on the desk, eyebrows furrowed and lips pressed into a thin, straight line. His dark brown eyes seethed with anger and something else, something akin to despair. His best friend, his brother had disappeared so suddenly from his life, and he had no idea what had happened to him.

Seeing that struck a chord in me. I had felt something similar when my father had passed away, although I had known what had happened to him. The feeling of missing someone who was a part of who you were could tear you apart. On impulse, I reached out and placed my hand gently on his shoulder.

He started slightly as I did so, his head quickly turning. He looked at my hand, then at me, eyes questioning. I had never actually touched him before, or vice versa, so I understood why it caught him off guard, although I was sure (based on what I had seen over the years) he had been approached by many girls. I was just trying to get across that I empathized with him.

"Listen, I understand where you're coming from. I can go directly to my uncle and ask if you want and maybe find out exactly what he has..?" He simply watched me, and I slowly took back my hand, his dark eyes looking into my own. I saw the anger fade slightly as I spoke. "Trust me," I continued, "It doesn't help to just get angry or upset about what's going on. That doesn't help anyone, including the person who's sick. Letting your emotions out is good, just do it in a safe, and if possible a productive way."

The tension left his body and he even managed to let out a weak laugh. "You know, once in a while, you say something smart." I picked up the book and smacked him gently on the shoulder. "Coming from you that's hilarious." I said. "I don't think I've ever heard you say anything intelligent." He chuckled a little bit harder at that.

As he got his books out from his bag, I looked down at my hands, flexing my fingers. Paul was really warm. Definitely warmer than the average person should be. I shook my head slightly and pushed the thought to the back of my mind as we got to work. 

I just hoped that he wouldn't get sick like Jared did.