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A flurry of noise echoed around us and Avery dropped Rosas arm. We both stepped back and away as two campus supervisors rushed through the door. All they saw was Rosa lunging for me, her face twisted in rage. The guards were big and burly-fierce-as they subdued the threat.
"You alright?" The dark eyes of one examined my face. I nodded as my tongue skimmed over my bottom lip, feeling the heat and swelling. He barely scanned Avery and came back to me. "Go to the nurse. Get an icepack for that lip." He looked back to Rosa who was no longer large and threatening but tall, teary-eyed, and complaining about her shoulder. "You're coming with me."
Rosa was hauled out. We were alone when Avery took me by the elbow, inspecting my mouth. "You'll be fine and I'm late."
I gave her a quick hug. "Thank you."
"That's what I'm here for." She grinned and waltzed out the door.
I was finally alone in the bathroom, staring at my splotchy reflection, thinking how much better my life would be once I graduated. No more Rosa or anyone like her. I'd be heading to college and maybe even my own dorm room. No more foster homes. Just Avery, Jake and me, living our lives. Together.
I took a deep breath and let it out, washed my face and scurried out.
On my way to class, I stopped by the vending machine near the quad across from the cafeteria where the picnic tables were huddled together and bought an icy cold soda. Rosa wouldn't be returning to the bathroom anytime soon so I figured it was safe.
I bent to grab the can from the bin on the bottom and when I stood up my heart was racing. A chill ran through me though the open air was anything but cool. I touched my clammy forehead with numb fingers as everything familiar melted away.
Blood seemed to rush into my ears as I stared at the empty corridor that suddenly looked unfamiliar. It was the same, but also out of place. I turned to my left expecting to see the vending machine, but it had been replaced with a sunny open area and picnic tables. The position was all wrong, so I kept turning until I found another corridor and blinked. The sky and benches, the edges of an open doorway; everything was now frayed with a static fuzz that stilted the shapes. I knew where I had been standing a moment ago. I knew what I was doing, but none of what I was seeing matched the map inside my head. Just a moment before, I was in front of the soda machine with the hallway behind me. And that had suddenly vanished.
I was lost. I had no idea where I was.
I closed my eyes, focusing on breathing . . . in and out.
"It'll make sense. It'll come back. Come back. Come back."
I counted to ten, repeating my name and address in my head, my school schedule. I'd just sat through Lit and was supposed to be in Science.
Feeling the cold can in my hand was an assurance. I knew where I got it. If I just stayed still everything would fall back in place. I raised the cool cylinder against my swelling lip and opened my eyes. The vending machine was clear as day, right in front of me, so was the quad full of picnic tables.
I took a steadying breath just as the bell rang and the corridor flooded with a current of students changing classes. It felt like only a few minutes had passed, but I missed an entire class.
+++
I met Avery in the cafeteria. I had her wait for me before she got in line so no one could complain about cutting. We talked a little as the line moved.
"Are you hungry?" She asked.
I shook my head and her face soured. "I'm starving," I lied, wanting that look to go away.
"What'd you say?" The girl ahead of Avery asked as she spun.
It was an innocent question arising from an honest mistake, but Avery never was much of a people person. "I said those jeans make your butt look huge."
I tugged her arm back, stepping closer to girl when her face fell. I didn't know her, but that was an awful thing to say. "Just kidding. They're really cute. Where did you get them?"
The girl swiveled back to face the front of the line that had inched ahead. I turned my disappointment back to my friend.
"Sorry." Avery gave a look that was anything but repentant.
I left the line and walked toward the vending machine against the back wall. I didn't need to wait in line when I wasn't hungry and have to watch Avery start fights for no reason.
"What is wrong with you?" I asked the second she came into my peripheral vision.
"Sorry." She actually sounded like it this time, so I looked. "I'm premenstrual, I guess."
I had to laugh at that. It was the go-to excuse with us, but she used it way more than I did.
We sauntered into the quad for lunch. Avery was beaming as we sat on a cement bench surrounded by cactus flowers. We shared a bag of chips and a pack of jellybeans as we talked. I didn't mention what Jake said-"Not yet"-because I was still coming to terms with what it meant and didn't feel like rehashing that whole confusing night. She'd probably say something I didn't want to hear, anyways. Avery already knew that visit triggered my headache and it was all the ammo she needed to unload on Jake.
