Beside You Ch. 3: Hold On

Chapter Three: Hold On

I was woken up by Benny's alarm.

"Sorry," she said.

I sat up and stared over at her "What am I supposed to wear?"

"Wear whatever you want," she said as she pulled on a bright blue shirt with the cookie monster on it.

I nodded as I got up, might as well wear what I want while I still can.

I went to the small closet, and I stared at the few pieces of clothing, this was all I had.

In the end, I ended up wearing a long-sleeve black shirt with a very colorful picture, and a pair of dark gray skinny jeans with red Converse on.

I was thankful that there was enough room for me to change in the small closet. I still wasn't used to changing in front of other people.

Benny wore olive green jeans with a thin gray sweatshirt. She wore her dark blue Converse.

"Let's roll out," Benny said, standing at the door.

I nodded and followed her to the door; I had everything that I would need for my first day.

I had pulled my class schedule from the envelope I received when I first got here.

1. English – Room 5

2. Math – Room 12

3. History – Room 3

4. Communication – Room 8

5. Theatre – Room 6

6. Home Economics 1 – Room 10

7. Home Economics 2 – Room 10

8. Fitness

I was fortunate to have my very first class with Benny.

She led me to the room marked with the number five. She pulled open the door, and I followed her inside.

We were greeted by an older woman.

Her hair is graying. She didn't look that old, early forties at best.

She smiled, "Hurry now, ladies, and take your seats. English is imperative if you want a successful future."

I frowned; I didn't want my first class to be an important one.

I'm usually a horrible morning person.

I wasn't sure where I was supposed to be sitting, but Benny pulled me down on the seat next to hers.

"There isn't a seating chart," she stated, "They assume we will behave ourselves so we can sit where we want."

I nodded slowly. I suppose that made sense.

The room began to fill up, and that pretty much meant the start of the class.

Luckily, we went over the basics, and I already knew those. At least for the most part.

The next class I had to find on my own, it was room twelve, and I walked into an already full class.

I stood there awkwardly while the woman standing at the front looked at me.

It seems like everyone got here before me.

"Punctuality is essential to a lady," the woman spoke, "Take your seat near the back."

I nodded and sat at one of the empty desks near the back.

Great, this already sucked.

She started off strong by talking about a mathematical formula I had never heard of, and I couldn't help but frown.

The worst part came when she scolded me a second time.

"You can't call yourself a proper lady if you can't sit up straight," she hissed. "Don't slouch."

I glared forward as I adjusted my seating. I don't like sitting up straight.

She walked back to the front, "Very nice girls, very ladylike."

I fought the urge to roll my eyes, very ladylike my ass.

The next class was a little more familiar, History. Room three, pretty straight forward.

"It is important for a lady to know the history of her country," the teacher said with more enthusiasm than I deemed necessary.

I was fine with it. History is important, I didn't doubt that.

The next class was communication, room eight.

I walked through the door, and it was pretty much like the other classes. This one felt a lot like English, with the writing and knowing how to speak properly to other human beings.

Crap… I was terrible at the talking to other human beings' part.

Maybe this class would be good for me.

The class passed by slowly, but I found my way to my next class relatively easy.

Room six, Theatre.

I walked through the door, and there weren't many desks, maybe about fifteen.

A man was standing at the center of the circle of desks, and he had a massive grin.

This was the first male teacher so far, but I could tell by his attire why.

I could tell again when he opened his mouth to speak.

"Ladies, ladies sit your cabooses down," he said before laughing dramatically. "See, that was acting."

His voice changed from a lisp to perfect speech.

Hmm, acting, huh?

Is this where we learn to act like we aren't angry oppressed women? I can dig it.

I took a seat off to the side in the back. I was looking forward to this class.

It ended much faster than I wanted it too. We were actually pretty much just screaming the whole time to get our frustrations out. It was surprisingly, very therapeutic.

My next class was Home Economics, room ten. I was looking forward to learning something that I could really use in the future.

Two class periods worth, and Benny sat next to me in this class. It was bound to be my favorite so far.

"I want you guys to make something sweet," the woman said, "Cake is the obvious choice, so just try to make it right."

I looked at Benny and smiled.

"You like cake?" she asked me.

I shrugged, "I enjoy it from time to time."

She giggled, "Then we shall make a splendid cake."

I grinned as we started making the cake.

She definitely seemed like she knew how to make one. I, however, was lost.

The only thing I knew we really needed was eggs, and eventually frosting. It wasn't anything like making a cake from a box.

"Mix all that together," she pushed the bowl towards me.

I nodded and did my best to mix them all together.

++++++++++

The cake was finally finished, and it looked decent.

I was in charge of decorating, and it looked like a toddler frosted it.

"My kind of cake," she grinned as she tasted it.

"Is it any good?" I asked.

She nodded as she took another large bite of cake.

I smiled and got my own bite. It was good.

I felt a small amount of pride, knowing I helped.

"We should save some," she said, wrapping it in aluminum foil.

"Giving some to the boys?" I asked.

Her face went red, "No!"

Her face said no, but the blush said yes.

"It's okay," I said, "I was thinking the same thing."

"I'll walk around with it," Benny said, "You just finish your last class."

I nodded as I looked down at my schedule.

"Fitness, huh," she said, "Sucks to be you."

I nodded, "Yes, it does."

"Have fun anyway," she said as she stood up.

The class was definitely over.

I made my way through the grounds, and I noticed the black gate once I was in front of the teachers for fitness.

They read off our names to make sure we were all here like we were supposed to be, then they talked about separating us, to play Volley Ball.

A couple of the Fitness teachers were guys, so I guess this school wasn't just all women.

There were several people on the other side of the gate, and I just found myself watching them when the teachers dismissed us.

Because I didn't have the shorts and shirt, I couldn't participate in the game. In the end, it was a win for me.

The longer I stared, I realized Michael was one of them.

I was still mad at him, wasn't I?

He was talking to a few random people, and he just looked bored.

The girl they were talking to pointed in this direction, and I watched as Michael turned to look.

I was still staring, could he see me all the way over here? Of course, he could. If I could see him, he could see me.

I found myself frowning when he smiled and waved.

The girl he was with looked pissed. He said something to her, and she stormed away. He obviously called her a name, and she left.

Why was he smiling and waving at me?

I turned my head and faced the other girls in my class.

Why did my heart speed up?

He was a perverted jerk, and he knew it, he used women for sex, and he didn't care about them. I can absolutely not like him, ever.

I turned back to see if he was still looking. Sure enough, he was facing this way, talking to them but not taking his eyes off me.

I felt my phone buzz, and I couldn't help but think it was him.

My hand dropped to my pocket, and I pulled the device out to see the name 'Michael King.'

My heart sped up, and I glared over at him.

I opened the message.

From: Michael – 'Enjoying the show?'

What the hell was I supposed to say back to that?

I smirked to myself, why not play along? Cater to his ego.

To: Michael – 'Thoroughly.'

I looked back over at him, and he looked down at the message and just responded.

Part of me thought he was going to show the message to his friends, but he didn't.

It buzzed again in my hand.

From: Michael – 'There can be a private one later.'

Why was he even trying to sleep with me? I really don't understand why.

To: Michael – 'And what would this private show entail?'

I watched the phone and waited for him to reply.

From: Michael – 'Whatever you want.'

I felt my body heat up. I shook my head quickly.

To: Michael – 'Why me?'

I asked him before I really even thought about it.

From: Michael – 'Why not?'

I glared at it. He was just playing with me.

To: Michael – 'Is sex all you think about?'

I don't know why I even keep responding, I knew he was messing with me.

From: Michael – 'Sex isn't the only thing I think about.'

To: Michael – 'Prove it, what are you thinking about right now besides sex?'

I felt my anger rising as I stared at the clock. Two minutes turned to three, then four, and then he responded at eight.

I opened the text as soon as I got it.

From: Michael – 'Well I'm talking to you, so you.'

I stared at it blankly, he was thinking about me? The irritation in me evaporated like it didn't even exist in the first place.

Don't let it go to your head. It will eventually lead to sex. It is inevitable.

I didn't even respond, I just put my phone back in my pocket.

It didn't make me feel any better that he would openly tell me he wants to sleep with me. It just irritated me.

I know sex will eventually happen, but that's all he wants. I am more than just a vagina. I am a person!

"Why is he looking at her?" I heard a voice not too far away from me ask.

I turned to see the same group of girls I encountered in the bathroom yesterday, excluding the blonde.

I turned back around to see Michael still looking this way.

Did he expect me to reply to that message?

I took my phone out.

To: Michael – 'You have a fan club over here.'

He was faster than I thought to respond.

From: Michael – 'Like I give a fuck about half of those cunts.'

To: Michael – 'Do you act differently when you actually like another human being? Or do you just treat everyone like they're a hole to fuck?'

I gripped my phone tightly. If he knew what was good for him, he would be the one to stop texting me.

The girls were talking about something before I heard them say something about Michael.

I rolled my eyes, and I felt my phone go off again.

Son of a bitch! Just stop texting me!

I looked down at the screen, if I didn't open it, I wouldn't get pissed off at his response.

I couldn't not open it. It was like a burning coal in my hand, I was far too aware of the unread message.

What did he say to that? Was he going to get pissed off and just call me a name and be done with me?

I wanted to know just as badly as I didn't want to.

I clicked on the message.

From: Michael – 'People are horrible, why should I treat them any better than they treat me? You are still a Virgin, so you don't understand the appeal of sex.'

It pissed me off how right he was.

My phone went off again.

I glanced down to see another message from him.

From: Michael – 'There are very few people in this world that I like, and even less I love. I treat them better than most people treat the ones they love.'

To: Michael – 'I get it, I'm a hot-tempered asshole. I just don't understand you.'

I let out a small sigh. I know I have a temper. I know I speak before I think, I just don't understand why he pisses me off as much as he does.

My phone went off again, and I was considerably slower to read the message.

From: Michael – 'The second Benny decided she liked you, you became off limits to me. That's why I like you.'

I stared blankly at the message. He just confirmed my suspicion. He was messing with me this whole time. He couldn't make a move on me, so he wanted me to make one on him? I think he knows I won't. That's why he is as smug as he is.

What an asshole.

So, he liked me because he couldn't have sex with me?

That definitely irritated me, but at least I know where we stand.

To: Michael – 'Thanks for that, now I know how fun I am to mess with.'

The next message he sent me, I ignored. I wasn't playing this fucking game anymore.

I heard whistles blow, and I knew it was time to get ready to go. It took me a minute before I found my footing, I reached for the gate to help me stand, and I heard a loud yell from the other side.

I barely touched the gate with the tips of my fingers, so my hands didn't lock around the bar. A painful burn ripped through my body, and my arms dropped to my sides, and I couldn't move.

Now that I studied the fence, I could hear a low hum coming from the black gate.

I looked up to see a wide-eyed Michael much closer to the gate than he should have been.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

I looked at him while I stayed on the ground.

What was I doing? I was pissed off at him… right?

He tried to stop me from touching the gate.

"Ren," he hissed, "What the fuck were you thinking?"

I could hear the anger in his tone, but my legs wouldn't let me stand.

First, they were asleep now, I don't know. They didn't feel like they were mine. My legs. They were completely numb. I felt myself starting to panic.

"The gate over here is on during school hours," he sighed, kneeling by the fence "Don't touch it."

"Hey!" the voice came from my side of the gate.

I tried to turn, but then a teacher rushed to the gate, "You need to step back, young man!"

The teacher looked fearful as he approached.

"She touched the gate," Michael stated, "I was seeing if she was alright."

His tone was odd, he sounded more respectful.

"I can handle it from here," the teacher said, "But thank you."

I felt arms grab me, one tugging on my arm and the other one lifting me from my other armpit.

"I think we need to talk to the maintenance guy about turning the voltage down," he sighed, "You're completely limp."

I wanted to say something, but honestly, I had no idea what the hell to say here. All I knew was that I messed up big time, and I couldn't stand.

What the hell? Why would they have something like that between the schools?

++++++++++

I laid perfectly still in the school infirmary.

I was getting a tingling sensation throughout my body, but other than that, I pretty much had full movement back in my body.

I felt grateful that the numbness didn't last very long. More than anything else, though, I was frustrated with myself for being so damn stupid. Why didn't anybody say anything about that gate before?

It's already tall enough, and sharp enough at the top. Did they really need to run an electrical current through it?

I shook my head in hopes of shaking the thoughts, but my head began to throb. The only thing I could do now was sigh and feel sorry for myself.

Turns out it was Mr. Roberts who brought me here, he wasn't my teacher, but he was kind enough not to leave me there.

The school nurse occasionally hovers over me and smiles.

"Are you getting any feeling back?" she asked, politely lifting my arm off the bed.

"Yeah," I said even though it felt like I swallowed nails. "Everything is tingly."

Shaking or nodding my head wasn't an option. It hurt too much.

I showed her that I could move my hands and wiggle my toes.

She smiled wide "That's great."

I licked my lips in hopes of getting a little more moisture in my mouth.

"How much longer do I have to stay here?" I asked her.

"When the tingling sensation goes away."

I heard a loud voice, and I think I made a face.

The nurse opened the door, and I could hear Benny talking quickly.

"Is she in there?" she asked, "She wants to see me!"

"Do you want me to send her away?" the nurse asked.

"No," I said, "Let her come in, please."

She nodded reluctantly before stepping aside so Benny could enter the room.

"Thank you!" Benny snapped.

Once she was in the room, she was on me, hugging me.

"Oh, Ren!" she shouted, "What happened?"

I think Michael told her what happened.

"I touched the gate," I admitted, "I didn't know it would do this."

"The gate is always on," she said, "That is something your teacher is supposed to tell you, fitness is the only class the other school is practically involved with."

I felt like an idiot, I should have heard the humming before. The electrical current going through the gate should most definitely be changed. It was painful when I tried to move.

"Michael told me what happened," she said, "He said he tried to help, but a teacher made him back off."

"Yeah," I said.

I don't really remember why I was angry. I knew I was angry. I just didn't feel it anymore, I should, but I really didn't.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled.

"Absolutely not!" Benny shouted.

"Keep your voice down," the nurse hissed.

Benny was quick to shut her mouth.

That woman even startled me with her tone.

"Can you move?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said.

"Then why are you still in here?" she asked in a whisper, before glancing over at the nurse.

"I just need to wait for the tingling sensation to go away," I told her.

"And here I was, thinking that was a good feeling," she chuckled.

I laughed, and it hurt.

"Sorry," she giggled "But that's fantastic, you're okay."

I lifted my hand, and she was quick to grab it.

It felt strange when she touched me, I didn't have the full sensation in my hand. Right now, I wasn't focused too much on how my hand felt.

It was a great feeling, having her worry about me.

I felt like I was going to cry, but I willed the tears away. This was a good thing, I reminded myself. Someone actually gives a damn about my well-being.

We laid there in silence, and I couldn't help but wonder about not being able to get my uniform if it came today.

"Are the uniforms here yet?" I asked her.

"No," I heard her chuckle, "We should get them on Wednesday. How long do you think you were out for?"

I shrugged, feeling a little silly, but she smiled at me.

"I got you a fitness uniform," Benny stated.

"I could have done that," I said.

"Not while you are recovering, you can't," she stated.

"Thank you, Benny," I said.

"I'm your friend," she said, "It's what friends do for each other."

"I'll pay you back," I said.

"Don't worry about it," she said, "It wasn't my money."

I glanced down at her.

"The King can be quite generous," she said, "He told me not to say anything, but I could care less."

"Thank you anyway," I said.

"You a very welcome," she said, "The boys are both worried about you too, Maybe I can Skype in here?"

She said it, but I saw her gaze going to the nurse again.

"Keep it G rated," the nurse said as she got to her feet, and she walked out of the room.

I couldn't help but smile.

Benny sat up next to me and helped me sit up too. She took the pillows from the other four beds and put them behind me to help keep me up.

"Thank you," I said again.

She smiled at me and sat as close to me as she could.

I could hear the beeping from the app on her phone as a worried looking Gus came into view.

Benny smiled "She is alive!"

I smiled sheepishly.

"You scared me," Gus said before sighing, "When Michael told me what happened, I wasn't sure…"

"I'm alright," I said.

"Someone on this side died from that gate last year," he said, "The jolt just stopped his heart."

I felt the blood drain from my face.

"I didn't know," I said.

"It is the schools' responsibility to tell you that kind of thing," he said.

He sounded like a worried father.

There was small noise from behind Gus, so he turned around.

"Is that them?" I heard a quiet voice.

"Ren is alright," Gus said.

The other occupant walked up to the computer and leaned down to look into the camera.

Michael sighed before showing a small smile, "Damn, way to fucking scare a guy."

"I'm alright," I said, "Thank you."

"That teacher was a fuck face," he shook his head. "He filed a complaint, and I can't leave campus until Thursday."

"I'm sorry," I said, "I didn't know."

"Clearly," he said, sounding irritated, "The teachers obviously stopped telling students about that fucking Gate."

I didn't know what to say. All I've been saying are the same three things. I'm sorry, thank you, and I didn't know.

I really didn't, but I heard his voice telling me, no, but I didn't listen because I was mad at him.

"Ren?"

I looked up to smile lightly.

"Sorry," I said.

"Can you move alright?" Gus asked.

I nodded, "I'm a little sore, but I can move."

I watched them both nod and let out a breath. They were really this worried about me?

My hand went up to cover my eyes.

"Ren?" Benny asked.

I shook my head.

Her arm wrapped around me. I think I was shaking.

"Is she alright?" Michael asked in a tone I haven't heard from him; he sounded a little more than just worried.

I couldn't will them away this time. I cried, and I didn't want them to see me cry.

"Oh honey," Benny said.

"What's wrong?" Gus asked, "Is the pain that bad?"

"I can get you something," Michael stated.

I shook my head, "Thank you."

My voice cracked, but I meant it.

I barely had my mom. My little sister and I weren't close anymore. I hadn't spoken to my father in a while. I didn't have anyone.

I leaned into Benny, and I cried into her shoulder.

The hand she held her phone with, she turned to only towards her.

"I think she is a little overwhelmed," she said.

"Strangers worrying about you can do that," Michael stated, "But I get the feeling that isn't the whole thing."

I wiped my eyes, and I smiled at them through the camera on her phone.

"It's been a long time since someone had worried about me," I said, wiping more tears away "I am very happy."

Benny hugged me tighter, and I watched as Gus grinned. Michael stood there, and I couldn't read his expression, he looked kind of lost.

Here I was thinking that moving here was going to be the worst experience of my life, but I was very wrong.