Walking Away

Playing Doctor

Johnathan

So maybe Raven isn't all that bad. At least, she's interesting enough.

"Where are we going?"

Oh, right. She's still here. "Somewhere."

She made a sound... actually, she might have just growled at me. I mean it, I think she growled at me, like a mad little chihuahua. I smiled, suppressing a laugh. I honestly had no idea where we were going, I was just walking in the general direction of town. And predictably, every three minutes she asked where we were going. And I gave her the exact same answer.

"Johnathan." she stated. I glanced at her.

"Where are we going?" she definitely sounded irritated now.

"Do you know the definition of insanity?" I answered her question with a question. From the look I just got, she wasn't amused. "What's wrong, don't like surprises?"

I was actually surprised when she shook her head. "I hate them."

"How can you hate surprises? That's like hating life." I was teasing her, mostly to avoid the 'where are we going' question. This is actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. I don't typically talk to new people, and I don't think I've ever just.... well, basically kidnapped someone that I didn't really know. Though she did come willingly.

"No. It's not hating life. Life is wonderful.... and in direct relation to that sentence, so is knowing where you're going." She crossed her arms, then quickly uncrossed them. That was concerning, her shoulder must be bothering her more than she was letting on. Making up my mind, I changed direction.

"We are going...." I waited until she looked at me. "..this way." And there is that growl again. She didn't ask again for a full five minutes, which was almost exactly how long it took to get to my cousins house. She hummed for the entire walk, only stopping when I took a key out of the mailbox.

Raven seemed hesitant to actually go in the house, taking small steps into the hallway. As I closed the door, she turned, looking around. "Now where are we?"

I moved towards the living room. "This is my cousins house."

She followed me as I opened the drawer with the first aid supplies. "And why are we here?" I turned towards her, holding the first aid kit.

"Because you are injured and they have supplies." I led her to the couch. "Let me see your shoulder." 

Her eyes widened. "Uh, no. Not happening." I took in a breath.

"Contrary to our school's dress code, your shoulder isn't going to have a huge affect on me. You are hurt, I just need to see if you need a doctor." I stood there for a minute, waiting. When it didn't look like she would budge, I reached out and tapped her shoulder, trying to prove my point.

Raven flinched, humming to herself again. I stepped back and crossed my arms, waiting.

"I don't even know you." she protested, though she sounded more unsure than she had earlier. I shrugged.

"Likewise. And trust me, it isn't my usual to go around playing doctor with the new girl. But if Mark wasn't busy right now, he would be tearing himself to pieces with guilt over hurting you. The least I can do after my best friend slammed into you is make sure you're okay." Actually, at this point, he would have taken her to the hospital. He's a bit dramatic. I'm just not willing to go that far yet.

Raven huffed for a second, and then nodded. "Fine." She turned to sit sideways and slid the sleeve of her shirt down. I moved behind her and then realized she might have to go to a real doctor.

Her entire shoulder was bruised, and it looked like part of her back, too. I took a second to make sure I sounded calm before talking. "Can you move your arm around?" She did, wincing, which at least meant it wasn't dislocated. I walked to the kitchen to grab an ice pack, and as an afterthought grabbed a dishtowel to wrap it in.

Raven was still on the couch when I got back to the living room, and I handed her the ice pack. She held it to her shoulder, flinching a little from the cold. 

I stood there for a moment, not sure what to do. I mean, I wanted to leave the pep rally, and she didn't seem like she loved it either, so we left. She was hurt, so I went somewhere with a first aid kit. It had been pretty clear cut until now. I turned to the t.v.

"Would you like to watch something? We still have a lot of time to kill." I offered. She nodded, so I pointed to the shelf next to the t.v. stand. "Choose any movie you want." But please, please don't pick something lame, I silently added. Silently, because I do have manners.

***

After watching Now You See Me, which in my opinion was definitely not lame, her mom text her saying she would pick her up. At this point I'm a little relieved, because I don't know what I would have come up with to pass the time. We sat on the porch to wait.

Raven was still fidgeting, a sure sign that she was about to start talking. "So."

And there it is. "So?"

She shifted a little. "So, thanks. For the ice and the movie, you know." She's blushing again. It's kind of amusing.

"Of course, it was a good movie." I shrugged. It wasn't a big deal.

The conversation lapsed back into silence until a car pulled into the drive way. Mostly. She was humming again. Raven stood up, grabbing her bag. "Bye!" she called out as she got in. I offered a wave and they drove off, leaving me to put everything away before I headed home.

My phone buzzed. Mark: Hey, did you get home okay?

Me: Yeah, I just talked to Raven for a while.

Mark: How long ago was that?

Me: Just now. Her mom picked her up. Going to get Ali from a friends now.

He didn't reply right away so I turned it off, starting to walk as I thought about how today went. Definitely not how I would have thought.. but that's not necessarily a bad thing.