Binding 13

"Great, thanks for this." I grabbed the pen and scrawled the number on the back of my hand, before heading for the door. Pausing in the doorway, I turned and asked, "Can you at least tell me how she is?"

Dee sighed. "The last I heard, her mother was taking her to the A&E for a scan."

"A scan?" I frowned, anxiety gnawing at my gut. "She alright though, isn’t she? When she left? She was walking and stuff? I mean, she'll be grand, right?"

"Yes, Joh

"Really?"

"Uh-huh."

Uncertain, I blurted, "Do you think I should go – to the hospital, that is?" Shrugging, I added, "Should I visit? It's my fault she's at the hospital. I'm responsible."

"Definitely not!" Dee snapped, her tone taking on a hint of authority. "If you know what's good for you, Joh

My brows furrowed. "What do you mean she's not stable?"

Dee chewed on her pen, looking uncomfortable.

"Dee?" I pressed. "What do you mean by that?"

"Maybe stable isn’t the appropriate word," she admitted, tone low. "But there's something… off about her."

"Off?"

"Troubling," Dee clarified and then corrected herself by saying, "Troubled. She seems troubled."

Well shite.

Trust me to fixate on the crazy.

"Right," I muttered, turning for the door again. "Thanks for the head's up."

"Keep your distance, Joh

Deep in thought, I strolled out of the office with the envelope in hand.

I wandered down the left wing of the main building, stopping at a row of freshly painted blue lockers outside the third-year common area.

I sca

When I found the one I was looking for, I pushed the envelope through the tiny gap at the top of the metal door.

I didn’t care if her mother didn’t want the money, she could burn it for all I cared, but I had to give it to them – to her.

Readjusting my school bag on my shoulder, I slid my hand into my pocket and retrieved my car keys, decision made to blow off the rest of the day and wait in the car for Gibsie.

Besides, there was no point in going to class right now.

I couldn’t concentrate on business ABQ's if I tried.

My head was too clouded with words of warning and images of sad, blue eyes.

Strolling down to the students' car park, I unlocked my car and dropped my shit into the back seat before collapsing inside.

Exhausted and sore, I pushed back the seat and adjusted the recliner so I could stretch my legs out.

The thought of driving with the pain currently burning its way up my thighs was an unwelcome thought, but it wasn’t my main concern right now.

We had a lot of boarders at Tommen, students coming from all over the country and some parts of Europe to study.

I lived half an hour from the school so I was one of the day-walkers.

Most of my friends were.

I knew Sha

It wasn’t a massive area, but it was big enough that our paths had never crossed before today – or maybe they had and I just didn’t remember her.

I wasn’t great with faces. I didn’t look at one long enough to commit it to memory. I didn’t care to. I had enough names and faces I needed to remember as it stood. Adding u

Until now.

Troubled.

That's what Dee called her.

But weren't all teenagers a little fucked up and troubled sometimes?

I was so consumed in my own thoughts that I didn’t notice the final bell ringing, forty-five minutes later, or the flood of students climbing into cars around me. It was only when the passenger door of my car flew open that I jerked back to the present.

"Hey," Gibsie acknowledged, dropping into the passenger seat beside me. "I see your heart's still set on sporting the semi-homeless look in here," he added, kicking a pile of shit away from his feet. Reaching around, he tossed his bag into the backseat. "It fucking stinks in here, man."

"You could always get plenty of fresh air walking," I grumbled, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Yeah, I was that fucking tired.

"Relax," Gibsie shot back and then snickered when he added, "no need to get so testy."

"Very fu

"Here," he paused to dump a vanilla colored folder on my lap, "you can't make me walk after getting you this."

I stared down at the folder. "What's this?"

"A present," Gibsie replied, adjusting the visor.

"Homework?" I deadpa

"It's yer one Sha

Well, shite.

An unsettling surge of excitement coursed through me as I stared down at the folder in my hands.

My best friend knew me too well.

"When you didn’t come back to class after training, I figured you were out here sulking over her – or pining," he shrugged before adding, "Or whatever the fuck you'd call what you did in the locker room earlier."

"I don’t sulk."

He snorted.

"I don’t fucking sulk, asshole," I bit back. "Or pine. I wasn’t doing any of that shite. I was just –"

"Losing your head?" Gibsie filled in with a wolfish grin. "Don’t worry about it. Happens to the best of us."

"Why would I be losing my head?" I demanded and then swiftly answered, "I wasn’t losing my goddamn anything!"

"My mistake." Gibsie held his hands up, but his tone assured me that he was far from sorry. "I must've read it wrong. Give me her file and I'll put it back."

He reached for the folder and I snatched it away. "What – no!"

Gibsie laughed but didn’t say anything else.

The knowing grin he gave me was enough of a response.

"How'd you manage to convince Dee to hand it over?" I asked, changing the subject.

"How'd you think?"

I repressed a shudder. "Jesus."

"It's not all bad." Gibsie smirked. "The woman sucks like a hoover, and the thrill of getting caught always makes for fun times."

I held a hand up. "Didn’t need to know that."

He snorted. "You already knew that."

"Yeah," I sighed heavily. "Well, I didn’t need to be reminded."

"Jesus," he muttered, pulling at the collar of his school shirt so he could get a good look at his neck in the small, rectangular mirror. "Always the neck."

Unsatisfied with that view, he twisted the rearview mirror to face him and groaned.

Turning to look at me, Gibsie said, "See the sacrifices I make for you?"

My eyes landed on the purplish bruise forming on his neck.

"Better be something worth reading in there," he grumbled.

Turning my attention back to the folder, I flicked it open to the first page and then tensed, eyes moving to his. "Did you read it?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"