Crushing Emeralds

Chapter Sixteen

Kordie and I wake early to get to the classroom for exceptional seats. When we arrive apparently everybody else had the same thought, but one familiar face out of dozens stands out the most. Evan stands up from his seat in the fifth row and waves us over.

Within seconds of entering the room, I get a deep prickling sensation and a blast of anxiousness. I blow it off on being nervous for the first day of classes. Who wouldn’t. This is my true test if I’m really ready to get back into the world, back into life. Evan’s bright smile gets bigger as I get closer. I smile briefly at the familiar faces that are surrounding him in nearby seats.

“Well, aren’t you Mr. Popular.” I say.

Out of nowhere Evan grabs me in his arms and holds on tightly. I hear whispers all around. I know that they understand why I would be closer with Evan after what happened, because they were in that Common Room at School Forest and witnessed just as much as I did, I know they listened to the news or read the papers about the car accident and the disaster at the hospital. However, Evan is leading on to something that doesn’t exist. After everything Evan and I went through, we’re not an item like so many now think.

“I missed you and you can look them in the eyes Emerald. I told them that you were coming and their happy to see you.” Evan says breathily in my ear.

I glance at each one of them and make a wary smile again and avert my eyes immediately because I don’t want to view the pity that lingers there. All they want to see is how the girl that was popular and at the top of her game anchoring Eye of the Warrior turned into a hopeless case that refused to socialize with anybody.

I know what they think, but I don’t need to physically see it. After the devastating events that happened during our senior year, I never fully emotionally recovered. These people were in my classes as I belted out a scream of terror. I wouldn’t be asleep, but my mind would wander back to that gruesome night. Those people that Evan wants me to be buddy buddy with are the same people that talked behind my back calling me mentally unstable.

I sit in the chair with shaky hands and fixate my eyes on the large chalkboard in the front of the class. Even though I still have nightmares and flashbacks I haven’t screamed aloud for months now, but I need to really keep my attention sharp, no matter how boring this class might be, I had to concentrate.

A middle-aged man walks into the room in dress pants and a button down shirt along with a tie. He sets his briefcase on the table and begins to demand attention of the loud classroom. Here we go I think to myself.

“Good morning students, my name is Professor Hanks but you can call me Dave. Welcome to Sociology 101…” our professor pronounces before a quick pause and then quickly continues.

I have an urge to look around at the students that fill the large classroom. It’s like an itch under my skin that I can’t physically scratch unless I give in. I scan faces I never seen before. Some are extremely eager and taking notes already and some still look half-asleep.

When my eyes land on a particular head my lungs fill with air and blood rushes to the tippy top of my skull. No, it can’t be him, if only I could see his face. As if he knew I was willingly him to turn and face me, the boy turns and those gray blue eyes lock onto mine.

My chest tighten and the thumping of my heart painfully pounds against my rib cage. My vision begins to tunnel only allowing the picture of his face to be seen. The room starts to tilt and my body sways with the movement. My eyes take long heavy blinks as I struggle to remain conscious.

I barely hear the whispers of my name being called. I pull my heavy eyelids open and find that I’m partly in my chair and partly on Evan’s lap. I watch as his mouth forms my name but I only feel his breath on my face. Silence is accompanied by blackness.

***

My spirit sinks as I sit upright in a white room with a curtain around the bed. After my near death experience and final meeting with the wolf in Wausau Hospital I didn’t grow fond of hospital rooms, but this isn’t the hospital, this is the university’s medical unit.

I push myself to remember what happened last that I would be here. I was in class with Evan and Kordie. I took a look at my classmates… I saw him, the boy with the gray blue eyes that the wolf transformed into at the veterinary clinic, I saw Blake Ashton.

I’m probably thinking too much into it, but I swear he turned around because he somehow knew I wanted him to. I hear talking within the office. The nurse is taking to another student. My eyes follow the shadows that peek underneath the curtain.

As the nurse swings the curtain shut around the unknown student, a slight breeze sweeps under mine. I take several deep breaths to calm myself of the fact that Blake is here at the university and in my class. My plans of confronting him come to a screeching halt as a sweet, thick smell fills my nostrils.

My heart starts to race yet again and an anxiousness almost animalistic urge comes over me. I know what the smell is and refuse for it to take over my senses, but I slide slowly off the bed and walk silently to the edge of the curtain. With fingertips gripping that hanging white sheet, I peak to the other side. I back away harshly from the curtain and stumble against the bed.

“I’ll be right with you young lady just lay down and relax.” The nurse says on the other side of the curtain as she hears the crash of my body smacking into the rolling bed.

I sit on the bed and hold my breath. I refuse to smell the blood that oozes from the patient’s nose on the other side of the curtain. My stomach begins to growl, but I ignore it without giving it any further thought.

I’m determined more than ever to track down Blake and find out why he did this to me. It shouldn’t be hard to find him, because he seems to be following me. I swung my legs up onto the bed and lay on the somewhat soft pillow.

I rest my hands on my stomach and close my eyes. My fingers scratch at my abdomen and my hand slips on sticky wetness. I grab the bottom of my brown and red blouse and begin fanning my shirt dry. I can only hope it was sweat and not vomit.

As the wind blows under the shirt my stomach gets very cold as if it were awfully damp. I bolt upright and stare at my bloody hands and the soaked shirt. I don’t hear the nurse move the curtain aside and walk in. Her soft voice whispers, “goodness.”

She grabs some gauze out of a nearby cabinet and hurries over to the bedside. “Just lay down Ms. Wells and let me fix you up.” the nurse says gently pushing me down to the pillow. “The wounds don’t look like they would bleed this badly. When did this happen?” the nurse asks.

“About eight or so months ago, I try not to remember.” I say shrugging the question off, refusing to fully answer her.

By the time I’m all wrapped up and free to leave the medical unit I’m open from class for the next two hours. Except the nurse calls my professor that I have later today and tells them the situation that happened and I shouldn’t be coming to class, because rest is needed.

My wounds still aren’t fully healed and nobody really knows why, but they haven’t bled since the incident with the boy scouts at School Forest months ago.

I refuse to see the connection between my bleeding wounds and seeing Blake. What I need is to relax, but I know I’ll never be able to. After I quick peek into my room, I find Kordie gone, so I decide to take a walk to Evan’s dorm. I would rather be with somebody than alone with my thoughts.