Seri spent nine days in the hospital. She was so happy to be getting out of there. She hadn’t been that still in her life. She couldn’t take it for one more day, not if she wanted to keep her sanity intact anyway. Quill stayed the entire time. She did leave with her father to shower and sleep, but spent every day right there with her while Manny worked. Neither of them thought it possible to become closer than they already were. They did.
Quill also became closer with Reese, via text message. Quill too was bored sitting in that hospital room and spent countless hours learning the internet on her phone, texting back and forth with Reese, and even her mother.
Seri was still extremely sore and struggled to sit in the wheelchair to finally be wheeled to freedom. Quill carried her bag while Manny fetched the car.
“I think I should just stay here in New York, Seri,” Quill decided as they waited in front of the hospital for her dad.
“You’re going to school in two days. Your mother will be here this afternoon to get you,” Seri reminded her.
“I don’t want to go to school. Why won’t anyone listen to me?”
“Oh, no, you promised me if I would be okay, you’d go.”
Quill looked down at her puzzled. “I did not,” she denied.
“You did to. I was out of it, but you did. I know you did. You’re going to school and doing something safe with your life. No more Law and Order shows,” she demanded.
“Where have you been for the last nine days? I’m done with that show. I like Criminal Intent now.”
“You are going to be a teacher like your mom, or maybe an orch dork. You could come here and play in the symphony.”
Quill hated this day. It was stupid. She didn’t want to go to high school. Why hadn’t she pushed to get her license? She had to be let out by her mother. Reese ran off as soon as she was out of the car, giggly running to Lil and her other friends.
The school was huge. She’d be lost before first period. She didn’t know anyone. She felt stupid walking down the hall alone, and then she couldn’t get the stupid locker opened. What the fuck. She knew the combination, she just couldn’t figure out the turn sequence.
“Need some help?” Blaine smiled down at her.
Great, just who she wanted to deal with.
“Yes, thank you.”
She gave Blain the number written inside her notebook and he explained the order to her. She did it herself and wouldn’t need his assistance in the future.
“Let me see your schedule,” he requested.
She handed it over, and watched his eyebrows rise as he studied it. “You’re pretty smart. We only have one class together,” he said, disappointed.
“Yeah, well how about you just tell me how to get to the first one,” she retorted.
“Homeroom, up one floor and make a right, first door on the right, and then your next one is just across the hall. I am on that floor too, first period. If I see you in the hall, I’ll direct you to your next one, and then your third period band is right down there on the left,” he pointed.
She thanked him, deposited her things in her locker, and sighed a deep breath as she made her way to home room.
Mrs. Martin made a big fuss about her in front of the entire class, asking her how she was, how she was transitioning, being back with her family, and about the request to be called Quill rather than her given name.
Shut the fuck up, stupid bitch. Quill stood there, answering her questions with one word, wanting the fuck away from her. She didn’t look toward the class full of quiet eyes studying her and stared at her new boots. Big Mouth Martin finally pointed to the only empty seat in the back of the room, right next to a girl who knew only the color black. Even her hair was as black as black could be. Her eyes were thickened with black eye shadow. Her jeans, which Quill could tell were baggy, were black; her tight t-shirt was black with a lighter shade of black, and the tattoos running up her arm were black. Great.
“Whisper,” the girl spoke, leaning over to her desk as she sat.
“Excuse me?” Quill questioned. Was she telling her to whisper? The girl was whacked. She wasn’t even talking.
“The name, its Whisper,” she said, introducing herself.
“Oh, sorry, Quill.”
“Quill? Cool name. Where’d you get it?”
Fuck. Please shoot me now….
“It was just given to me. I don’t know.”
“You know the quill is the strongest part of a bird. Without a strong quill, a bird couldn’t fly,” she offered.
It didn’t sound weird when Seri had told her that same thing, but this girl was just fucking creepy. Quill didn’t reply, and only smiled, glad that the teacher had started talking and taking names.
First period was no better. She only saw two other students from her homeroom and endured the whispers and stares of the kidnapped girl. This fucking sucked.
Band was her favorite. The class ended way too soon. She still kept to herself and was a little bored at what the band teacher was teaching, but nonetheless, it was her favorite so far.
She was surprised when she went to fourth period, advanced calculus, to see Whisper in that class. She would have never guessed. Whisper waved her arm for her to join her in the back of the class. Could she pretend not to see her and take the empty seat right in front? No. She was too afraid of being called on during class. She didn’t want that. She was drawing enough attention just being the kidnapped girl from the television.
“Hey, how’s it going?” Whisper asked.
“Oh, it’s going,” Quill replied in a dreadful tone, taking the unwanted seat next to her unwanted friend.
“I’d like to tell you it gets better, but it doesn’t. This fucking place reeks with upper-class snobs,” she explained.
Quill laughed a little. She hadn’t heard anyone use her language, except Seri of course.
Quill sat alone outside during lunch. Reese texted and ask how things were going. She lied and said fine. She suffered the sexy smiles and stares from Blain during English class and rushed out ahead of him as soon as the bell rang. She hated school. What was she thinking when she longed to go to a school just like that growing up?
By the end of the day she was agitated, bored, fed up with the constant kidnapping questions and just wanted the hell out of the brick building.
She blew out a disgusted breath of air when she was finally set free for the day. Reese had to stay after school for cheerleading practice and her mother wasn’t there to get her. Monica stood leaned against her car with her arms crossed and a smile.
Fuck. She should have known Monica would want to have a session after being in a real school for the first time in her life.
“Hi, how was your first day?”
“Hey, Mo. It fucking sucked, and that’s putting it mildly,” she assured her, throwing her backpack to the back seat.
“Want to go to the park and talk?” Monica asked, moving behind the wheel.
“Only if you have a big fat one for me,” Quill countered.
“How about a big fat lip?”
“You have to have something, Mo. I’m not kidding. If ever I needed it, it’s now.”
“Was it really that bad?”
“Do you have anything on you or not?” Quill asked, annoyed, reverting her question.
“No, and I wouldn’t give it to you if I did.”
“How’s Seri?” Quill wanted to know, giving up on the whole concept of getting stoned.
“She’s doing well. I was just over there this morning. She looks good, starting to go a little stir crazy, I think.”
“Did you know about her and my dad?”
“Yes. She talked to me about it. She wanted to tell you, Quill. She was going to tell you. She was pissed at me for just dropping you off that night and letting you find out that way. How do you feel about that?”