Problems of adults

Chapter 37 : What A Day

Max was a bit stressing. She prepared something for Jane, as usual, for her lunch, but it was a salad, and Jane was more than complicated with vegetables. And since Jane had her oxygen tank, her mood was more than irritable. It had been just one week, and Jane had grumbled more than her entire life. Max arrived with her plate and put in on the table. Jane didn't say a word, she was kinda quiet when she wasn't grumbling, but Max didn't see even a beginning of a smile.

- "I know you're not a big fan of vegetables. I, I wanted to try. It's avocado with cherry tomatoes, light creamy cheese, and a little bit pesto, not too much as it's kinda greasy," Max explained.

- "I see," Jane answered with no emotion.

Max pouted. She knew Jane was like that because of her condition and not just because there were vegetables for her lunch. The redhead leaned to Dustin and murmured:

- "You remember that you have to dye your hair if she likes it, right?"

- "I was hoping that no one would remember," Dustin answered.

- "Too bad, I do!"

Dustin winced which made laugh the redhead. All the table was turned in direction of the brunette, waiting for her to take the first bite. Jane took her fork and picked a cherry tomato, a piece of avocado, and some cheese before putting it in her mouth. Jane slowly chewed it and swallowed before taking another bite.

- "Do you like it?" Max asked.

- "Yeah," Jane answered.

The redhead turned to Dustin with a proud smile while the boy was sighing.

- "Do you like it because Max made it or because you actually like the taste?" Dustin asked.

- "Both," Jane told.

- "Fuck me."

The group chuckled except Jane and Dustin. 

After the meal, as Jane couldn't do sport, she let the others and began to walk in direction of the outside. But on her way, she met Alban and two of his friends. She tried to avoid them by not looking at them, but the three boys followed the girl and surrounded her when she finally reached the outside.

- "You have nothing better to do!?" Jane snapped, having a lack of patience lately.

- "We just wanna be sure that the dyke won't die," Alban smirked.

- "Leave me alone, you're just a bunch of idiots."

- "Oh, that's not nice! We're just trying to help!"

- "Just leave me alone! My life is shitty enough, I don't need to have your ugly faces around me!"

- "Be careful of what you're saying."

- "Or what!?"

When Jane looked at them, she could see that they already had something in their minds. Jane was trying to hold as tight as possible her crutches, but she knew it was useless. Alban grabbed her crutch. Jane tried to find her balance, but her shaking legs gave way, making fall the young girl while the three boys were laughing at her. Jane thought they would be done with it, but no, they had something else in their minds. Alban went to her oxygen tank and began to slowly turn the tap, reducing the air in the cannulas. Jane began to breath heavily, looking for air, but all she got was three idiots laughing at her because she was dying. Jane couldn't do anything, her heart was beating slower, her head was dizzy, her ears were buzzing, and her lungs were begging for air.

- "HEY! LEAVE HER ALONE!" a girl's voice yelled.

As Jane's vision was blurry, she wasn't sure to understand what she was seeing. The girl seemed to be yelling at them, but the boys were telling her that they were not doing something bad. After a few seconds, the three boys walked away. The girl reopened the tap, allowing Jane to feel the oxygen travelling her lungs. The other person helped Jane to roll on her side. Jane managed to calm her breathing. She got close to death this time. She really thought it was the end. She looked up to see who her savior was, but she frowned and pushed her when she recognized her.

- "Get the fuck off me!" Jane replied with the little air she had.

- "Calm down, I'm not here to hurt you!" Abigail answered.

- "Don't touch me!"

Abigail raised her hands like if she wanted to prove her sincerity. Jane couldn't believe it; her savior was her bully. Jane used her shaking arms to sit, feeling angrier than before. There were lots of people in Brooklyn, so why did it have to be Abigail!? Now the blonde girl would think Jane owe her something, and Jane was completely against this idea! Jane was now sitting, her head in her hands, still trying to calm herself while Abigail stood to grab the crutch that Alban took and placed it next to Jane.

- "Um, are you okay?" the blonde girl shyly asked.

Jane moved her head from her hands and angrily looked at her.

- "Do I look okay for you!? I can't be okay, is it clear!? I'm fucking not okay!"

- "Okay, okay, sorry..."

Jane couldn't dream of a worse company. She placed her right hand on the crutch of her oxygen tank and grabbed her other crutch with her left hand, before trying to raise her. Her body was more than empty, and she was exhausted. Abigail quickly walked behind her and put her arms under Jane's shoulders to help her to stand.

- "I told you to not touch me!" Jane said, gritting her teeth.

- "I'm just trying to help!"

- "Why!? You almost drown me and now you wanna help me!? I don't need your pity or your guilt! Just let me fucking die alone!"

Even if Jane was yelling, Abigail still helped her to stand. Once Jane on her feet, Abigail looked at her with sad eyes and a sad pout before walking away. Jane didn't know what this girl wanted, but she didn't want to see her right now.

As Jane was weaker and weaker, Constance joined her at her school to do the ride with her, just in case. Jane preferred not telling her sister about the incident with Alban, it would worry her too much for nothing. The two girls were arriving at their apartment. Constance was holding the oxygen tank while Jane was struggling in the stairs. She could feel that her health deteriorated.

They arrived in front of the door, and Constance searched for her keys. She opened the door and let her sister enter first, but Jane brutally stopped. 

Their father was hanging at the kitchen door, his belt around his neck and his body empty of life. Jane froze of shock while Constance pushed her to run to him, yelling for help. The blonde teen opened the kitchen door and grabbed her father's body while Mary and Mehdi ran inside the apartment to help her. Jane felt someone grabbing her and forcing her to sit against the wall. She recognized Melissa but didn't hear what she was saying. Mallory was standing in front of her, phone on her ear, probably calling 9-1-1. When Melissa sat next to Jane, she saw Emily worried, trying to look inside the apartment. Mallory lightly pushed the door while Melissa opened her arms to tell Emily to come. The young girl ran to her and hugged her tight. 

Jane looked at them like if she wasn't there, like if she was watching a movie and she was the spectator of her life. The only thing she could hear was her heart beating in her ears. Mallory disappeared in the apartment, probably because Constance was losing her cool. Jane just turned her head on the right and looked at Emily who wasn't understanding what was happening. But Jane wasn't understanding either. Or maybe she understood too well.