Page 62 of Web of Lies
Tristan:
Even more BA. Stay safe, stupid.
Me:
Right back at you, dummy.
I smile down at my phone. Umph! My face hits a very hard back with an oomph. Nearly knocking the breath from my lungs. A hundred bees sting my nose and under my eyes
“Sorry,” I mutter, putting my phone into my backpack. Water forms in my eyes, leaking down my cheeks from the minor collision.
“Kaycee.” My misty eyes meet his concerned gray eyes. His face falls at the sight of my black and blue bruises.
He stares me down, his hand reaching for my cheek. The ghost of his touch whispers along my flesh, down my jaw, and up towards my broken features. I swallow hard, frozen in place, afraid if I move, I’ll spook him away.
Chase licks his lips, eyes wide. His head swings left and then right, before pulling me with him when he thinks the coast is clear. He races down an empty hallway with me reluctantly on his heels, fingers digging into my flesh. Finally, he pulls me through a small doorway into a darkened room and slams the door shut. A single lightbulb swings above us, illuminating the small space.
His gray eyes stare down at me again with wide eyes. His fingertips lightly brush against the throbbing bruises with a heavy exhale. “Kaycee, are you okay?” he whispers into the small space. My eyes dive toward our shoes, shoulders lifting.
“As okay as I’m ever going to be,” I whisper back through a low, pain-filled voice.
“This—this is—” his words trail off, eyes burning into the top of my head. His fingers clutch the bottom of my chin, lifting my eyes to his. “It’s so wrong. You need—you need—to leave. They’re going to tear you apart.” My lips curl in, trying to keep all my emotions at bay.
“I can’t leave, Chase. They can’t beat me down….”
“They’ll murder you,” he says, eyes going wide. “They will tear you apart! Look at your face! Look at this!” His voice escalates into almost yells until I put my hand over his lips, stopping his outburst.
“I know,” I whisper. “I’ll be okay though, I promise. I’m tougher than I look.” As I give him a shaky smile, I’m not sure if I’m convincing him I’ll be okay with quivering lips. But he must believe me. There’s no way in hell I’m leaving until I have the answers.
His hand runs down his face, head shaking back and forth. “Are you okay?” I ask, leaving my hand to rest on his chest.
His heart hammers against my palm, body turning stiff beneath me. “What? Me? Yeah—I’m fine,” he says in disbelief that I would even ask such a thing.
“You’ve been missing for a few days, and I didn’t see you. I just—” His smile turns sad as his warm hand comes to rest against mine on his chest.
“I’m fine, I promise. Just… dealing with things.” His shoulders shrug like it’s no big deal. But by the glossy look in his eyes, I know it’s something.
“I know… I’m not the best person to say this. But if you need anything, I’m here for you. I-I like you, Chase.” His eyes snap up to mine, and despite the situation, he gives me a small smile.
“I like you too,” he whispers, leaning into my touch like he doesn’t want to let me go. “Thank you, Kaycee.” He sighs through his nose, wiping his hand down his face again. “I—uh—I need my iPhone back,” he says with his eyebrows raised, holding out his hand. Mischief sparks in his eyes and for some reason, I don’t think this is the last I’ll see of it. I don’t want to give it back to him. I like this piece of him. Through the music he loaded on there for me, he showed me his likes—his heart.
“Of course.” I give him a small, sad smile, reaching into my backpack, handing it over. “For the record, I really did like the Hartbrakers. Zoe is an amazing drummer… and her—”
“Singing is off the charts! Right?! Just don’t tell her I said that….” We both chuckle together as he tucks the iPhone into the back of his jeans. “I uh—should get going. Class and all. I hope…. your face feels better; it looks like it hurts and shit. Put some ice on it? That should help.” I give him a knowing nod, standing my ground as he makes his way towards the door.
“What do they have on you, Chase?” I ask right about the time his fingers wrap around the doorknob. His gaze snaps back to mine, lips parting in surprise.
“How do you?” he whispers, eyes darting up toward the ceiling and all around the room looking for the cameras.
“There’s none in here,” I say, pointing around the room. “Dead zone.” I shrug as he nods.
“Just keep your nose clean, Kace. Promise me you’ll stay out of trouble…. and be safe, please.”
I roll my eyes at that. “You know I can’t make a promise like that. A wise man once told me trouble finds me.” A smile breaks out on his face as he nods.
“That it does. I’ll see you later, New Girl.” Who knew that one little nickname would bring back the butterflies brewing in my stomach. As his form retreats from the small janitor’s closet, I stay leaning against the wall, looking around. Chemicals line the shelves, and the smell of bleach permeates the room; what a perfect little nook to hide away in when the world becomes too much on the outside.
I remain against the cold cement wall for as long as I can. Hidden away from the bustling bullies lurking outside in the hallways, it gives me time to think, to regroup. Today has been a bitch. An utter bitch, one I can’t wait to get over with. But I still have four more classes to go to today, and I can’t let them know they almost won. I can’t let them even think they’ve pulled a fast one over on me. So, what—I’m Autistic. Yes. It’s me. I daydream to escape the world when my mind is overworking, touching sets my skin ablaze, and sometimes I hyper focus. My autism is different from what other people would expect—way different from what they see on TV. Sure, some of those stereotypes are true, but more often than not, they’re overdone, and don’t apply to everyone. Autism is a wide spectrum. And boys and girls have vastly different symptoms. There are so many people out there like me, and some who are different. Boys are different. Girls are different. We’re all different in our own ways.
