AN: Heeey thanks for reviewing! I know this is a little late, but you won't be so mad when you realize how long it is :)

I've noticed that th story's getting a little dark. Especially in this chapter. But no worries, it's gets a lot... umm, "fluffier"... haha. You'll see.

OH and before I forget... I AM THE PROUD OWNER OF A GG3 I finished it yesterday and it was really really really good! It's a shocking book, the best in the series so far. If you want any hints as to what happens (don't worry i don't give anything away) go to my profile and click on the link to my blog.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Zach. aka "Trouble".

Chapter 3: Needlessly Numb

Things felt right and wrong, all at the same time.

I wanted to run. Run till my ankles gave in. Till there was nothing but a heavy silence to fill the void I couldn't quite place.

I had to get somewhere. Somewhere where the calm would take over. Take over everything.

Pain wouldn't find me there… wherever that was.

Trouble was still there.

Quiet, yet mocking.

Close, yet kept his distance.

Colors spiraled, scattered and dispersed in all directions possible. Most fluorescent. Others still drowned in a moist haze. All at once however, the fog began to thin.

I blinked till my eyes refocused and blinked some more once they had. And in only a couple of seconds, all was clear again – visually.

But it wasn't till I forced myself to stare Trouble right in the eyes that I lost control again. Again. And boy was this time harder than the last.

He stood almost a head taller than me. With shoulders broad, relaxed… but strong. An uncontested smirk played delicately on his lips while his stare borrowed into mine. Eventually, his overtook my own.

Perhaps the most intriguing feature about this stranger was his eyes. An electric, tantalizing blue studded his perfectly crafted face. But as thrilling as they were, the look they carried seemed all too familiar.

I'd seen it before. Though I didn't know exactly how to go about describing it. It wasn't a trait, it wasn't a pattern and it wasn't too recognizable. All I can tell you is that I'd seen it in my father's eyes before. My brother's too. And there was something about it that caused my insides to churn.

Maybe it was a sign, maybe it was a warning. Till this day I'll never know. But I'll never regret the day – that day – I chose to ignore it.

My initial instinct was to push passed him and continue on my way. After all, he was no one to me. Just another nameless face in a crowd. Another boy, another time, another heartbreak. And let's face it, I was in no condition for that.

There was a break in the moment that came all too quickly. Though you and I both know I could have had all the time in the world and still never be ready.

Trouble smiled a bright, warm smile. I struggled for balance.

"This is the guidance office, isn't it?" He asked, finally breaking the unbearable silence.

I blinked and waited for the words to come.

They didn't.

Trouble leaned back to get a better look at me. All of me. And a part of me wondered how long it had been since I'd moved.

"Easy, Slick, easy," He chuckled, taking me by the elbow. "Are you okay?"

No. But responding was the last thing on my mind.

Then, as if absent for the passed hour, my stomach began to retract in a groan. Trouble smirked.

Shitshitshitshitshit.

I hadn't had anything to eat in hours… twenty, to be exact. But it wasn't like I was going to tell him that.

"You should have a seat, Slick." Trouble suggested, attempting to sit me down. But I pulled away. The warmth of his hand slid out from beneath my arm and it felt refreshing to be in control of my own body again.

"I… I have to go." Was all I could think of to say.

My stomach was recoiling by then. The heat radiating off the lights was burning at my neck. And for once, I couldn't cry.

He looked at me in confusion, but it was nothing compared to how I felt. Glancing back at the clock on the far side of the room, he opened his mouth to say something. Probably something cute. Probably something funny, or kind or welcoming…

But I would never know.

Because I was already out the door and halfway down the hall.

--;--

Cold.

Cold like I never knew.

Cold on my neck. Cold on my palms.

Cold everywhere.

And now everything is numb. But that's just the way I like it.

"Emma?"

A voice was calling. Its sound echoed off the waxed floors of the school corridors. Recoiling off dented lockers and abandoned text books. I chose not to answer.

"Emma…?"

Not now. Not now. Please.

"God damnit, Emma!"

I had suddenly grown to hate my name. The screech of it was deafening. It never occurred to me to question who had been calling it though.

With one last intake of a breath, Abby collapsed on the floor beside me. Her golden hair sprawled in a giant circle. The sight of her, if anything, didn't help my situation at all.

"I've been looking all over this fucking school for you, Dobson!" She complained. I could smell the smoke in her breath. It was suddenly everywhere. "You haven't talked to me in weeks. And don't even think about lying to me because I know when someone's tying to avoid me. So fess up, now."

That's the good thing about feeing numb. Nothing, not even Abby's words, can hurt. For the time being.

When I didn't respond, her bright blue eyes were suddenly scorching.

I didn't flinch.

"Oh, so now you're a mute? Is that it, Emma? You're now a spineless mute?"

Still, nothing.

"And since when did you get so skinny? And… pale? Why the hell do you look so…"

Beat up? Ghostly? Ugly?

"…anorexic?!"

I stood. The cool of the lockers and the tiled floor beneath me slid away just as the sound of that damned school bell shot through our ears.

Students burst out of every classroom. Lunchtime.

"Come on," Came my flat, expressionless voice. "Let's go."

--;--

"So… I heard about your dad."

We'd been sitting in silence for minutes. And it had taken her exactly that long to think of something else to say other than, "Fuck" or "You should eat something.".

I sighed, but I doubt she heard it over the commotion of the lunchroom. With a full plate of carrots, celery, potatoes and a burger, Abby didn't even bother touching it and instead, pushed it to me. My stomach growled.

"Do you… want to talk about it?" She inched the plate further.

But I just stared at the plate of food like it was infested with Swine Flu and pushed it back.

Abby rolled her eyes, "Jesus, Emma! Eat something. Or at least say something!"

That was the thing about Abby White. Even when she was trying to be nice… she wasn't.

I sighed once more, leaning almost halfway across the table. Propping myself up on my elbows, I whispered, "Something." And fell back into my seat again.

Abby slapped the table with her perfectly manicured hand and groaned. "That's not funny, Dobson. You know it isn't. Now, please, just…"

But her words only fell short. It took me the longest time to figure out what was happening. And once I had… it was too late.

The entire lunchroom had suddenly erupted in hushed tones. Even the lunch lady had lost herself in such a stare that she mindlessly continued scraping her rusted pan. The jocks' table was mumbling with suspicion. The cheerleaders were busy trying to suppress their giggles. Even the nerds had dropped their pens (and their metal braced jaws) to stop and stare.

But probably the most peculiar, was Abby's. Her glossed lips were in the shape of a perfectly rounded O and her bright blue eyes flickered with excitement, then fell to disappointment as a shadow loomed over my side of the table.

I sat up in my seat, still partially confused. I wished I could be numb again. All over till I could feel nothing. Hear nothing. See nothing. Be nothing.

And then I heard it,

"So... we meet again, Slick."

AN: Review! That last sentence was sooo overly cliche, but I just had to add it. :)

NEXT CHAPTER: Emma learns that Trouble actually has a name; and an important Zach Flashback, you won't want to miss.