Butterflies awoken by a new thought of hope fought amongst themselves in order to find room for their own wings to agitate Leslie�s stomach. She was going to school today. Or so her mother thought. Any attempt of yet another hellish day at school would most likely end with her back at home early or passed out in the middle of a classroom floor. She hadn�t really even gotten dressed this morning, deciding that her wind pants and tank top were suitable for avoiding her education. But still she waited for Albert�s familiar black truck to pull up to her house.
A plan formulating in the back of her mind, Leslie sat on the porch swing, legs twitching in anticipation. The possibilities of disaster and chaos that relied on a single decision floated through her head, allowing dread to form an icy layer in her stomach. And the butterflies fought.
At the sight of her ride, all thought disappeared, replaced by a driving need to be consumed by Nick. Rushing to the truck as fast as her weakened legs allowed, she slipped into the passenger seat.
�You look better today. How are you feeling?�
Leslie blinked, refusing to say anything until the bile that burned the back of her throat submerged into the war zone of her stomach.
�I�m all right.�
Silence enshrouded the ride until the school loomed before them. For the first time, Leslie noticed the ominous clouds promising impending rain, and her decision was made.
�Can you take me somewhere?�
Albert glanced at her uneasily.
��Uh, where?�
�There are some apartments further down the street. Take me there.�
~*~
Her heart pounded. What if this is wrong? What if this was all some really cruel joke? She�d felt relief as she slipped out of the truck, fear as she climbed the two flights of stairs, and anxiety as she rubbed the head of the silver key in her pocket. Now she stood in front of apartment 364, not sure what to do.
�I could still turn back. I can leave�
Some force drove her forward, pulled her hand with the key out of her pocket, and unlocked the door, which swung open with barely a twist of the knob.
�The two of you belong together�
Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the entryway, surveying the empty apartment before her. The morning sunlight came through in thin slits, forming patterns on the beige carpet. The only sign that anyone had made their presence known lay in the black t-shirt tossed across the back of the couch.
Soundlessly, Leslie allowed the door to close behind her, blocking the main source of light that had illuminated the apartment. Permitting her eyes to adjust, she tentatively began to walk towards the doorway on the other side of the living room. Heart pounding, Leslie pushed the unlatched door, opening the bedroom.
Tears poured from her eyes when they landed on Nick, lying shirtless on the bed, blankets pulled to his waist, bruises still morphing his chest into a series of purple and blue welts. Standing at the head of his bed, she noticed his blonde roots, which struck a bright contrast with the midnight strands that fell against his porcelain skin.
Brushing her fingers against his cheek, the desire to curl up next to him overtook any logical reasoning she may have had.
Carefully, slowly so as not to wake him, Leslie kicked off her tennis shoes and crawled in next to Nick, trying not to break his peaceful slumber. Curling up against him, she laid her head against his chest, falling asleep feeling the warmth that radiated from his body and listening to the melody of his beating heart.
~*~
�Goofy, goofy Nick.�
���
�You went to bed. That�s good.�
���
�Do you like surprises?�
�What the hell are you talking about?�
Laughter.
~*~
Nick stretched, moaning at the aches that shot through his chest. When he tried to roll over, some weight prevented him from moving. A little fear caused him to close his eyes tighter.
�Please don�t be a fan. Please don�t be a fan�
Nick cracked one of his eyes opened, saw a brunette head lying on his chest, a hand with fingers curled up lying next to it. Holding his breath, he reached over with his closest hand, brushing the hair from the mysterious girl�s face.
He noticed her bandaged fingers the same moment that he noticed the identity of his intruder. Tears ran down his cheeks as he carefully wrapped his arms around her. He noticed a hard plastic brace surrounding her ribcage, but other than that and her bruises, she didn�t look so bad. Pale, but alive.
�Thanks Brian,� he whispered to the ceiling before snuggling up against Angel and falling back to sleep as the storm clouds outside shattered into the beginning of a violent storm.