I SHUT MY EYES, feeling the absence of sound. My mind felt like it had just shut down, heavy filled with mockery, replaying and replaying the flash back. All the resentment and stupidity I felt, the pain on my right knee couldn't come close to the dull feeling I possessed.

  Maybe it was something I said, something not of any significance, not to make it instantly better but potentially suppose to ease things, lessen them from their provocative peak but I seemed to do the opposite of everything, adding fuel to the fire, it was a daft attempt. In the sum of all of it, I had no regrets, I meant what I said.

  Trying to convince myself, about one thing, but I found myself with all these rotten emotions, they felt mixed up. I didn't know what to feel toward Reagan Thomas; Resentment? Frustration? Rage? One of my least favorites Hatred- No matter how angry I got, I never wanted to give anyone the satisfaction of making me hate, when I felt that emotion build up I'd try to trivialize the problem and figure out or see things from their perspective. It always made things less selfish and more sympathetic.

  And when I put much focus to the whole thing all I felt was pity- took pity on him, his emotions were pushed up to one focus at that time- Anger, and nothing good had ever came out of making one hasty decision, it was always mindless, I didn't blame him I appeared to be an enemy than a friend.

  Here was how I alternatively reasoned the events inside my mind as I laid down, thinking about one shitty character, Branden, how was he suppose to be the ? When he did nothing, when he didn't say anything, just so he didn't look bad, he chose his words carefully, to avoid anything leading back to him, he showed no emotion being present, but simply witness, almost like Reagan Thomas very own demon peripheral, so you really couldn't tell what he was thinking or planning or even playing at, getting a reaction out of him would only mean you've finally hit his vulnerable side.

  Then they was the reality of realization kick in. He did however, show me this insensitive side of him, the side beyond all that prodigal was the side I encountered with that seemed more real than his fencing, this side lacked empathy and displayed only hostility. I wondered what it was with me? I was sure I had never done anything to make him dislike me so much.

  I felt ruffled out of my thoughts as something suddenly blocked the light coming from the ceiling above me, I thought it was either that or did they just finally turn off the lights, school was officially over. Anyways.

  ''Are you alright? You've being lying here for quite some time.'' She said.

  I sighed mentally, person, I didn't get it as far as I knew I wasn't disturbing anybody, she must have seen what happened, and so this brief moment before I got up to leave finally, was my time to think in absolute silence.

  ''School's over you know.'' She continued.

  Most of the time I'd be already out of school back home by now, but I was liking the comforts of this floor, it was hard but smooth and it seemed to offer a nice balance to think. I didn't answer her, I didn't want to, I was just going to wait for her to feel like she was obviously unwanted and I really wanted to have a few more minutes here before I got up.

  She was supposed to be leaving by now. Any minute. . . Honestly I didn't get it I was okay if she wanted to know, my chest moving was an evident sign, I was still alive not even asleep just having a moment. I thought by now she would have self consciously got the hint, this was proving to be a competition of who'd give in first. But I got weirded out by that really fast, mainly because I felt them staring at me, she won I was ready to go home and find a room less public, uninterrupting, quiet and humanfree- .

  I opened my eyes to light hazel eyes staring above me, upside down rather. I instantly remembered those eyes, like an instinct. As I hazily sat up. She was kneeling as she stared at me, uprightly.

  ''You're awake, I was considering calling the school nurse, although she's probably gone by now, so I thought of calling someone for help, perhaps coach Coleman?'' She briskly explained.

  I stared at her, from the time I thought she was no longer a part of the school, transferred. But she had been around this entire time.

  ''How long have you been here?'' I asked, it was actually directed to how long it took to finally meet her again.

  ''Since. . . The end of school, I come here sometimes to watch the practice.'' She slowly answered.

  I quickly squirmed alittle thinking she MUST have seen what happened. I looked at the side line, as I tried to get up, my knee bone felt dislocated and it hurt when I put pressure on it, I groaned alittle getting up, stretching it.

  ''Try not to put too much pressure on it.'' She advised, getting closer and extending her arm toward me, getting a hold of my shoulder.

  ''He's so immature, such an Arse hole.'' She fumed, and I read the nuance on her face, it was genuine.

  ''Maybe I deserve alittle of it, I did take up his rank. . '' I regarded, shrugging the slightest, while keeping my eyes trained on the floor, and I felt slivers of my inky locks fall over my eyes.

  ''Its Not your fault you play better than him.'' She huffed, in a matter of fact tone, it almost sounded like she took too much pride in her remark.

  I couldn't help but smile, glancing at her, I felt soft heat in my cheeks, I had to wonder if I was actually blushing at her neat words.

  ''You saw me play?'' I asked as she was now just an inch away, decidedly putting my arm around her neck, I was atleast over a foot, taller than her, but she had the strength I envied, she pulled me to her side, allowing me to put much of my weight on her. My body seemed to allow this kind gesture and just numbly followed her lead, as my face flared with appall and I struggled to kill the smile tickling at my lips, I might have accomplished that but my dull eyes couldn't, they glinted with mirth.

  ''I did. '' She said coyly, and when I turned down at her, the upper plane of her cheeks had turned a lighter hue of rosy pink, and her gentle voice gave out shyness and alittle tang of squirm. ''He's just jealous of you, trust me, Chuckles you can't make a mends with gory people.'' She continued.

  She must have heard everything as well including my apology, my cheeks felt a bubbly but yet harsh burn, ignite inside them, and I assumed that it was out of embarrassment that I imagined they turned bright red at the understanding of that. I decidedly, kept my mouth sealed the whole way we walked- or shuddered, she did the same, maybe I was kind of upset about that than relieved, I couldn't tell which one to feel more of or to level them or just to feel nothing at all.

  The feeling seemed to subside, as we trailed on, I thought it was kind of her- registering she didn't have to do all this- to be patient with my shuddering as she steadily helped me get to the boys locker room, as if she knew the severe hurting burning sensation I was leaping with because she squeezed the end of my hand, every now and then, a gesture I read to be letting me take my time or perhaps that she was right here with me, although I bit my lower quivering flesh to hide most of my pain as we tried to match in steps, to also lessen an amount of shame of being an even bigger burden to her. As she put me down on the second bench, in the second last, locker column, the one nearest to my locker, I couldn't be more glad that I made it without collapsing on the floor, in front of her.

  ''Thanks.'' I appreciated, kind of avoiding any eye contact, feeling a weight of embarrassment around my shoulders, as I adjusted myself on the bench, with both my knees parallel to the floor, resting both my hands dully on my agonizing knee.

  Her voice quickly caught sound, and it sounded much more gentle than before and casual. ''No need. Just helping out a friend.''

  A friend? I couldn't help the smile at hearing that, it was another consideration- a one I had hoped for, it was such a weird coincidence-, it made me slightly flutter, and the shame completely disappeared almost like it was never there, what a lifetime ago it felt like at this point, as I felt this remarkably lightness in my shoulders and my eyes met her light hazel ones, that seemed to have this glint of something between pause and tender bliss.

  ''I'm Alwyn by the way. Although my friends call me Aaron.'' I introduced, smiling coyly like an idiot.

  ''Delilah Boug' juna Turner.'' She softly said.

  Staring directly into my eyes as if she looked hard enough she could see into their depths, she mirrored my smiling, we must have lasted like that for like three seconds before, her light smile slowly dropped when she looked like she had just remembered something.

  ''I have to go now, my Mommy wants me home early were having, a family dinner, my favorite uncle's coming back from New Zealand, he's taken forever to visit. . . Um so will you be alright, Chuckles?''

  'I had to frown at that choice of nickname, finally registering it, although I hadn't had many but still I regarded, I hardly chuckled, at all during this whole trade, was it like some indirect tactic informing me that I should do it more often or at all or was I just overthinking everything, it was just a name, after all.

  I rearranged my furrowing features in a heart beat, slightly nodding as I added. ''Yeah. I'll be fine.'' I glanced at my knee, underlining what a lie I was telling, but I didn't want to delay her any longer, and she obviously had plans. I was sure I'd find some way to help myself out to my car. She nodded.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  ''See you around.''

  She merely waved, as she began walking out, just as she was nearly about to turn out she looked back at me, her long curled rings spun in the same motion, as she offered her prudent smile once more. And I did the same again.

  I forgot all about those rotten feelings I was feeling. It might have been a brief conversation, but it helped to get me up standing out of my thoughts and back to reality.

  I realized something as we talked, it made me consider that I wasn't going to let him spoil my mood neither of them, I thought about him deciding on whether he could choose to take my apology or not, or he could deny it all he wanted, while at it, he could deny the sun rise and the sun set as well, but above all, I was still vice captain. Unlike him I wasn't going to let anyone take that away from me.

  I didn't change back into my uniform, I just stuffed my things in my daffle bag, shambled out of there to my car. Cosmon was outside leaning against the front door. From the time I've been going to school, I hardly ever talked to him or greeted him in the mornings or when I'd be getting back, mostly because he never answered, he'd just nod or stare at me. When he saw me shambling toward him, he actually walked up to me to help me with my bag. And like our usual, I explained to him what happened and he reminded silent like the wind, just proceeded to move.

  He put my bag in and opened my door, he actually gently helped me in. I thought in that moment that Cosmon- stone born hostile Cosmon actually had a caring bone in his body, it might have been the tiniest bone, but he had it.

  He also had a listening bone, really good actually, he listened to my entire basketball story and my Reagan Thomas story, I knew he was listening because every time I'd look back from the window finishing a part, I'd see him observantly, nod in the rearview mirror. I have no idea why I told him, I like to tell myself and think of it as 'it was because I didn't get any response, not now, I didn't want any, not a judging lecture or comment, just someone to listen.'

  And I reveled in that. I thought he understood, I had heard him before talking to Dad's chauffer, he's English wasn't bad, he could say a number of words without any trouble.

  I remember, when we got home, Albert was outside with Ms. Lily, they seemed to be having a discussion, after Cosmon opened my door and helped me out, Albert noticed me scrambling and he quickly came to my aid, so did Ms Lily, he asked me what happened to my leg, and I told him about what happened, excluding the part about Reagan Thomas, posing it instead as an accident that happened during the basketball try out game. Cosmon helped with my bag, as they took me to my room. Albert called his physiotherapist to come check on my leg. It wasn't anything serious, although my I knee did start to swell and inflam to this heated red hue.

  Inspite of that, I still thought it wasn't necessary for the physiotherapist to come, I thought it was just a twisted knee and I'd be fine by tomorrow, with an ice pack but the physiotherapist Kate, said otherwise, while she assisted with my leg treatment. I kept my mind busy to distract me from the acidic pain, the past, the uncomfortable silence and two characters my mind I didn't want yo think about so I decided to talk to Albert about the basketball game, what part I was given and Anthony Thomas. Again excluding the . He had alot to say, it was positive and really something I wanted to hear to chase the haunting processing thoughts away, he teased me about my fence of how I was at one sport but terrible at the other, to be fair I had been playing basketball for as long as I could remember, going out to watch a multitude of games practicing and perfecting, I wished I could say the same for fence.

  I also surprisingly, remembered to talk to him about that empty greek book on my shelve. He said it wasn't his and he had no idea how it even ended up in room, he even asked me about it so he could see to which if he could place an owner on it if not then to dispose of it for me, but I could hardly recall where I put it, all I remembered was taking it out of my shelve- that was it. I told him I'd give it to him as soon as I found it, he seemed like he wanted a look at it, and I didn't.

  After the physiotherapist was done, she gave a few instructions and walked off explaining the rest to Albert. The basics: don't put much pressure on it, have it rested and I would be walking as good as before, by Tuesday, next week. The news was good enough for me, I was alittle worried because I needed a good leg by tomorrow, I had basketball practice and not forgetting fence, and my leg wasn't strong enough to run or stand for something as short as two minutes, I fretted if tomorrow it could atleast show some promising quick recovery.

  I thought lying on my bed, visualizing myself out of my sports uniform and into my shower- Steaming hot shower, as I thought my eyes seemed to be focused on my shelve, they began to feel really heavy and they almost started to hate, being open, I blinked and their length decreased, as I blinked again, still staring my shelve. They fell shut and the last thing I saw before the darkness was at that dark corner at the left side, was something sitting there, my mind put focus right on it, as I was convinced it was the very Greek book.

  When I opened my eyes again I found myself running, around me was plantation, I seemed to be in what looked like a closed forest, the earth was deep thick with these huge looking vines, that tangled almost everything- everything was connected to the other; the trees, the shrubs, the bushes, no crawling creatures in sight and I thought for sure I'd see one, it was their habitat.

  It was dawn, and I kept running, I didn't know where I was getting to but I wasn't stopping, I couldn't stop even if I tried, it was like I was mechanically wired to run and never stop, surprisingly my leg was good- it was excellent. I was running in this endless forest. As I run I noticed the only thing I could hear were my feet touching the ground as I ran, I couldn't hear myself breathing nor could I hear the sound of nature. It was quiet. I began to feel this uneasy feeling, it was awkward, I didn't know where I was, I found myself running at a constant pace to who knew where to, I wasn't tiring down. So it was the absence of creatures, without any sound but myself. What was going on?

  As I ran, the bright glow of the sun seemed to waver down, it appeared to turn into dusk, did that mean I had been running for hours? It didn't feel like hours, I was starting to get really frustrated about all this running I was doing, why couldn't I just stop.

  Something finally changed about this forest, apart from the sun going down, up ahead was a stream, something different. What I didn't realize was that since I couldn't stop. I was running right into it. Now I was jittery, if I didn't stop running I'd fall right in, and if my legs couldn't stop moving in this way, I'd drown.

  So maybe the endless running into the forest was better than drowning. But nothing, was really good, I resented them both, I wondered if this was a dream, I wanted to wake up from it, instantly- like before I walked myself right into my own death. I tried to shut my eyes as tight as I could and perhaps my dream would be all over and I'd wake up back in my room, because one thing I knew for sure this was not reality, I recalled every time I had a nightmare I'd just shut my eyes tight and I'd emerge out of it, however when I reopened my eyes it seemed to have only shortened the distance, I was approximately fifteen feet away from the bank now, when I thought of shutting my eyes again, hopefully this time it would work but if it didn't- well atleast I tried.

  I shut my eyes again, cringing at the thought of opening them again, some part of me wanted to keep them shut, maybe if I didn't open them I'd still be safe, in check with the anticipation that I might as well be wrong, but my hope was proving to surpass my doubt. And so, I braced myself for the good or the worse. I opened my eyes, and saw myself falling right into the stream, my body sunk in like a solid brick, and just as I feared my legs were still running, motioning in the water, which I thought of how strange that was, my body carried more weight than its usual, I felt like an iron anchor, drifting to the bottom, I saw my inky locks spread like wisps of weeds gathering around a vital plant, they surrounded my bleary view as I balled my cheeks and tried desperately to remain calm with the stored minimum air I had held in before I hit the waters.

  I embitteredly, tired to force my legs into a swimming pattern, but they just wouldn't budge, I looked around for any of those vines, the land was crawling with them, but it was like they stopped at the bank, none of them stretched into the stream, to make things worse it was dark in there I could barely see. I felt myself sinking as the air in my lungs escaped, I moved my arms frantically but it was all useless.

  I tried shutting my eyes again to wake up myself before I suffocated, I put focus on the idea of waking up, I tried to kick myself awake, or pinched myself but pain was useless, I couldn't even feel a hint of it, as though pain was non existent, and so I gave up, all of my tries were obviously useless, I couldn't save myself. I was sinking and I was terrified of it.

  I gloomily opened my eyes again, expecting to see the black of the bottom but instead I found myself back on the bank. Lying on my belly, I had some how found a way out of that stream and back ito that eerie forest. Still I thanked my odds, it could have been worse, what was even more pleasing were my legs- my legs were at free will now; I could move them as I pleased again. Despite being drenched and utterly cold, I found my eyes ignoring that fact and instead entralling inadvertently at the thick vine on the ground I was lying on, I beamed, thrilled I was still alive, my thoughts had worked, not as I thought it would be but in the lines of safety. I was saved, lost- but saved.

  I was hopelessly staring at the vine, still laying down in cold shivery triumphant, when I saw an eerie pale hand put over mind, and my eyes bulged out like they'd ruptured, as they quickly traced to where it resorted from, turned out I wasn't alone in this deserted forest. I looked up to a girl.

  Spotting her odd hair, first it was unintentionally it so happened to be a loud plum hue that would be hard to miss anyway, it was roughly curly and puffy, like wool if it were colored or dyed a deep shade of jam, strands of it fell on her pale face, right on her eyes, her wearily lost blue eyes, the palest I had ever since.

  I really just remember, her skin glowing with this strangely uninviting paleness, her cheeks although were a contrast, they glistened this soft rosy coloring, not sunburned rosy just gently registered that way. I inadvertently noticed, the dressed clothed around her slender body, was weird, it was this lavender pale color, really long and loose, it was see through, notice I said , graciously I couldn't see her body, properly, which was generous because she appeared to be wet as well, my mind immediately guessed why.

  I now knew how I survived it all, it wasn't my doing but hers, but I left that open, it could have still been me or something else, I mean I didn't see her anywhere before she appeared out of no where, either that or she was behind me the entire time, how was it possible for her to fish me out of there without me feeling a twig? Did I pass out? How exactly did she get us both out? The vines were a whole distance from the stream. I didn't comprehend anything, where was I? How'd I end up here? Was I dreaming again of the unreal that I had never seen?

  Her hand was still on mine when I cautiously removed it and put some lengthy hostile distance. She looked baffled and offended, I didn't need her to say it, I could tell from the nuance from her pale face, to say the least would be what was she honestly expecting, she couldn't blame me for behaving that way, I had no idea who she was, to me she was just as creepy as this confound forest. She must have noticed me peering at her suspiciously, because she showed me her palms with them in mid air, a gesture of peace; she meant no harm she implied. Still what idiot would believe a stranger he just met my look didn't change.

  My mind made no effort to talk, truthfully, I felt mute. Hence, why I couldn't denounce or question her when she began to crawl toward me and I freaked out, I was not a fan of strangers invading my personal space. My hands dropped to the ground as they paddled backwards, expectedly as well, mirroring every time she moved forward I idiotically did the opposite. I felt a thud. As I had reached a tree, a slimey sticky tree, that my entire back and arm stuck on, it was like a human glue bark of a tree that I mindlessly backed into.

  I could have avoided this by just getting up and continued my cursed running but I chose to crawl, what was I thinking exactly of where all that crawling was leading to, I thought again when you have no plan or notion of what you're doing you just do whatever and hope for the best. I had reached my significant end but she hadn't, she moved right on me.

  As my breathing was batedly hitching, certainly not out of heady or delightful surprise but out of fear, something was definitely wrong, every bone in my body screamed that, my heart painfully unraveled that from the way I struggled to breathe in air. I felt that I was going to see the worst, what ever it was, whether it was, dragging me to sleep or was she going to struggle me for my defiance toward her? What was it? It was so hard to comprehend what she was thinking, with that stoic impassive face adding more worries on my shoulders. I actually started to long for the whole drowning moments.

  I remember, my hands couldn't move, if they could, I had began imagining of how badly I wanted to push her off me. I watched as her fortunate hands moved from the ground onward to my face. She cupped the sides of my face, as I heavily flinched at her touch. she looked down at my lips, and I swore my eyes pleaded with her not to do whatever she was thinking, as if burying my head more deeper made things any better, I must have moved it deep enough to a point it couldn't turn anymore. I seemed to be doing everything stupidly, like the idiot I was who succumbed to panic and second chances.

  Thankfully, her gaze averted at my appalling fearful eyes. My bemused adrift mind still wondered how stupid she was for this. What was she thinking getting this comfortably close with a random stranger? Did she somehow forget, although I'm not sure how or why, delusion perhaps but were strangers to each other, and if I was I'd be on my way to the hills. As far as I could get from a person I knew nothing of but she, she was staring right into the stranger's eyes and touching them. What the actual hell was wrong with her?

  I hastily, noticed her eyes begin to gleam brightly, as if they had gotten much more paler, her delving gaze was filled with something that suggested and another thing that glistened longing, which restored something like ease in it, and another that I could only elaborate as indescribable excitement wreathed inside them too. A blissful smile spreading across her face, I could practically taste its resolute. So ecstatic and sweet, it was almost sickening. I made an infuriating consideration at that moment that no living being had ever looked at me like that, Not even my own . I didn't know whether to find confusion out of that or fear.

  Her lips abruptly ultimately whispered the words. ''It really is you. . .''

  And with that said it was like my eyes succumbed to the sudden trance as they felt heavy again, loose and drowsy, they seemed to lose their way, I felt all the running now, the exhaustion, I was tired and my eyes didn't hide that, as much as I strongly intended to I couldn't keep them open any longer, the last thing I saw before they shut unwilling, was the girl's facial features twisted with utter gloom.