Squinting, she tried to read the red digits on the clock that was beside the front door she couldn’t see it from here, but she knew it was after the bell.
Class had started.
She hated being late and she wasn’t late.She was right here, and nobody was coming to get her.
It’s not like she was going to fall.She knew how to use her crutches; she’d just gone for a fitting last week.Her therapist said that she could try being off crutches because she had gained enough strength and her gait improved, maybe she could try a cane.
Her mother had hugged her so hard, Josie cried.
She knew where the classroom was.
But she wasn’t the kind of kid to break the rules.Never wanting to stand out, Josie did her absolute best to follow the rules and not get in any trouble.
Would her teacher be mad at her if she left the bench?
Josie swallowed; she needed to move.Her stomach in knots, she stood, walked down the hallway to the double doors that led to her classroom.
Pushing the doors open was tricky but she used her left crutch and got through fine.
“Josie?”Her teacher came briskly towards her.“Where were you?”
“Where I was told to be.I thought someone was coming to get me-”
“Nobody is coming to get you.”
Josie coughed, spluttered, she wretched and threw up.Her neck hurt from where something sharp had broken her skin, her teeth chattered so hard her jaw vibrated.
“Nobody is coming to get you.”A fistful of her hair was yanked.
Josie tried to open her eyes, but they were heavy.
Her scalp burned from how hard her hair was yanked.“Ow!”
“That’s better.Good you’re awake.You don’t look good.I think we gave you too much of the drug.Do you feel okay?Never mind.It’s not about how you feel.It’s about the fact that I have you here and now you’ll listen to me.Why couldn’t you just go on a date with me?You accepted my present.That means something.”
“Carter?”
“Yep!That’s me.”
The world tilted.She fell to the side, her eyes closing.This couldn’t be happening.
“Wake-y, I need to make sure you’re okay.Drink this!”He held a cup to her lips and suddenly realizing how dry her throat was, she wanted whatever was in that cup.
“What is it?”It hurt to speak.
“Water.Honestly Josie, do you think I'd go to all this trouble to poison you?If you were to poison someone, what would you use?You can tell me.”He knelt in front of her.Her hand shook as she took the cup.
Carter had a loopy smile on his face, and she thought back to how his last chef quit on him.To how he'd hover around his staff.How she’d constantly excused his behaviour because she was always trying to be the nice girl.
The girl who didn’t cause any trouble.
The girl who would go out of her way to make life easier for someone else.
“Don’t cry.Don’t cry!”Carter said.
He wiped her cheek with the back of his sleeve, Josie tried not to recoil.
“We were talking about poison.Tell me what you'd use if I let you into the kitchen right now.Not that I'm stupid.You don’t think I'm stupid, do you Josie?’
