I went home after breakfast, but before I left I asked Coraline repeatedly if she wanted me to stay which she responded with the shake of her head.

"Are you sure? I wouldn't mind staying here with you for the week, Grandma will still be gone, she won't be back until the end of fall break. Of course I would have to go back and grab some stuff from the house, but I could stick around if you want me to." I rambled, I to really wanted to stay with her, not because I was scared, but because I really like spending time with her.

"Yeah, I'll be okay." She mumbled, her hands that were hidden in her oversized sweatshirt rubbed up and down her arms with her head down facing the wooden floors by the door where we stood. Awkwardly, I cast my own eyes to the floor and inched towards the door.

"Alright then, well, if anything comes up just give me a call… Okay Jonesy?"

"I will." A silence passed over us and I opened the door and walked out with a final wave in goodbye. I hopped down the porch steps and headed towards my bike, securing my helmet on my skull before straddling my bike and driving off.

...

Two days had passed and I had had no contact with Jonesy. No text, no call, no Batman signal in the sky, okay that was a bit of a stretch, but you get the point. I swear I must've driven past her house at least a thousand times, just hoping that on the rare chance she'd see me and run out of her house with her chauffeur hat and a smirk. No such thing happened and I started to get worried.

I picked up the phone and dialled her number, one ring, two rings, three rings, four rings, on the fifth ring her voicemail message went off.

"Hey it's Coraline Jones, if I didn't pick up that probably means I'm out adventuring. Sorry you couldn't make it, but leave your message after the bell!" Her chipper voice sang before the ding went off and I ended the call.

"Okay, maybe she just missed the call, I'll ring again then I'll leave a message." I took a big breath and typed her number again. One ring. Two rings. Three rings, four rings, and then the fifth ring.

"Hey it's Coraline Jones, if I didn't pick up that probably means I'm out adventuring. Sorry you couldn't make it, but leave your message after the bell!"

"H-hey Jonesy, I haven't heard from you for a few days and I just wanted to make sure you're okay…. Give me call when you get this okay?" I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding turned up the volume on my phone so I wouldn't miss her call.

Three hours had went by and it was now five o'clock. No call back from Jonesy and yeah, she could be adventuring like her voicemail said, but we always go on adventures together. Maybe I'm worrying for nothing. But what if she needs me but is too afraid to ask? That's it. I'm picking up Thai food and we're going to eat it together at her house. I ran out to the garage, attached the box to my bike and put on my helmet. I whizzed through the Main Street of Ashland, turned left on Walker Avenue, turned left on Parker Street, and finally right to get to Ashland Street. After going down I found the shop, parked my bike, and ran inside, quickly ordering our meals and giving the man a handful of crumpled bills that I earned from working at the auto-shop. I grabbed our food and placed it in my bike box slamming the lid closed before hopping back on. I drove through the leaf-covered streets until finally I reached the Pink Palace Apartments. I tore off my helmet, picked up the boxes, and sprinted up her steps, jamming my key in the door, and twisting it open.

"Jonesy? You here?" I shut to door and began my search through her house. I stopped in the kitchen and set our food on the table. "Cora? I brought dinner." I checked the living room, the study, the dinning room, no Coraline. I climbed the stairs and went to her room. On her bed under a heap of blankets was a quivering lump which I deduced as Coraline. Without switching on the lights, I walked over and sat on the edge of her bed. Gently, I placed my hand on what I assumed was her back and started to rub it in slow, comforting circles. She flinched at my sudden touch, her sobbing pausing for a brief second before she popped her head out of the covers, looking at me with glassy eyes that continued to spill over. I pulled myself farther in the confines of her bed, taking my hand to brush the inky blue strands of hair that stuck to her face with tears of glue. With her eyebrows knitted together and leaking orbs, she launched herself into my arms as more sobs wracked her body. I rested my chin atop her head and continued to massage her back.

"Shh, shh, Cora, I'm here. I'll always be right here for you. You're safe, I promise, I won't let her hurt you anymore." Coraline's grip on my jacket loosened as I whispered reassurances to her. Slowly, her sobs reduced to mere whimpers and she nuzzled the front of my jacket. I couldn't tell if she was trying to comfort herself with my presence or just trying to wipe her nose, but I wouldn't mind either way. Lifting her head from my body, she said,

"It's l-like e-every time that I-I-I close m-my eyes…s-she's there. Just w-waiting to pounce f-for the k-kill. It's a n-never end-ding nightmare. I can't escape, n-no matter how hard I-I try…She's always t-there Wybie. Always." She tightened her grip on me and looked me in the eyes, her own eyes drowning in tears of fear.

"Never again will she get you Cora, she's completely trapped and has been for some time now. I wouldn't let anything harm you." I pulled her against me in an embrace, and she returned with a much softer clutch from her skinny pale arms. In an effort to lighten to the mood, I asked "Are you hungry at all? I brought us Thai food, I even got those potstickers that you like." I saw her nod against my chest and decided to let go of her. We got off the bed and started our descent down the stairs.

We plopped down in the kitchen chairs and opened our boxes to begin eating. At first, I'd ask her a question and she'd give a dull answer, I could tell she was still in her 'frightened and depressed' mind and wasn't ready to be herself quite yet. After a while I gave up the fight and let us eat in silence, but in my head I was thinking of ways to lift her spirits. At about ten minutes, I came up with a solution, but knew I should wait until she finished her food. Unfortunately, a gloomy Coraline meant she'd eat about twice as slow as usual. In the meantime, I decided to pick up the kitchen a bit, loading dishes in the dishwasher, throwing away the stray napkins, and putting back the cereal and pancake boxes in the pantry that they belong to. Coraline finished eating and began to pack away the leftovers in green tupperware bins. I threw away our take-out trash and pushed the table and chairs into the dining room. When I returned to the kitchen, Coraline was looking at me strangely as if I'd just swallowed an egg whole, shell and all.

"Wyborn Lovat, just what do you think you're doing?" She questioned, her arms crossing. I pulled out my phone and from my music I selected 'I Married an Angel' by Johnny Mathis. I strolled over to her, grabbing her right hand and placing it in my left, wrapping my other arm around her waist. Hesitantly, she placed a her left hand on my shoulder as I began to twirl her around the kitchen. I placed my forehead against her's and looked into her eyes all while we continued to sway along to the soft melody. Coraline's eyes shimmered, her cheeks blossomed to a pink colour, and her lips parted slightly with her soft breaths. Carefully and slowly, I spun her in a circle before she winded back into my arms, and I swept her to a modest dip. We swayed together until the end of of the song when I pressed a light kiss on her forehead and pulled away gently. Her eyes were dazzling with awe and admiration, her fear and depression long dead by now.