A/N: G'day dudes. Check it, one hour left til Monday ends so the chapter is late but on time all the same! Okay, so just a note, the italic dialogue is flashback and it goes every two then Lucy. You'll get it when you read it. So, this is a somewhat dramatic chapter but hey, all stories need a bit of drama now and then right? Anywho, enjoy ^^
Chapter 8: Trapped
It was now April and finally the last day of the school term. Lucy was relieved when the Principal informed her that she didn't have to attend detention for the next term. Her English assignment with Nathaniel had been finished and handed in (to Nathaniel's joy) a week before it was due. Mr Faraize was delighted at the two and praised them for their work, giving them 90%.
It was the first time Lucy had gotten a high mark for an assignment in a long time.
Lucy thought back to Rob and Brittney, the two people who befriended her in her first year of high school1 when she was alone.
"Oh gosh, look who it is Rob."
"Not you! What are you doing in our spot, nerd?"
"Don't call me that! Just because I do well and get high marks doesn't mean I'm a nerd!"
"I think we pissed her off Brit…"
"Yeah. Where are your friends? Go hang out with them and get lost."
"… I don't have any friends…"
"…That's kind of sad…"
"Are you too good to have any? What about Kentin."
"Of course not! It's just that… no one wants to be my friend… Kentin just wants to stare at me, it's creepy!"
Lucy smiled as she remembered what they said next.
"Don't be upset about it. Jeez, if we had known we wouldn't have teased you about it…"
"How about you hang out with us Lucy?"
"… Really!?"
"Yeah. Hang with us. We'll show you how to have fun."
"There's more to life than studying you know. Now move over! That's my spot!"
It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship that helped Lucy come out of her shell and see the wonders of life outside the classroom or her desk at home. But according to her parents, Rob and Brittney were bad influences and so they moved Lucy to an all-girls school. By then, Lucy was slowly becoming the girl she was today. Of course, she made friends who were exactly like Rob and Brit, who gave her a little more of a push to embrace the life of drinking all day and partying all night.
"Lucy!" Nathaniel's familiar voice stopped her before she opened the double doors to get to the courtyard. Lucy still was unknown to the fact that every time Nathaniel saw her or Castiel he would remember their make out in the gym. She sighed. Lucy was anxious to get going and celebrate the beginning of a glorious two week holiday.
"What do you want?" She snapped irritably. "I need you to help me carry some things to the storeroom." Nathaniel told her. "Are you fucking kidding me? I'm off duty. I don't need to help you anymore." Lucy argued. "Please! There's a lot of stuff, I need someone to help me." Nathaniel pleaded. "Go find someone else. Maybe Amber will help." Lucy said. Nathaniel sighed. "Please. My sister already told me that she won't help."
"What about Castiel?"
"There is no way I'm asking him for help."
"Jeez, what is up with you guys? Castiel hates you just as much as you hate him."
"I don't care about Castiel. The longest I can stand him is when he's signing a note."
"This coming from the patient student body president."
"Castiel aside, I can't find anyone else. Please help me?" He asked again.
There was something in his tone of voice that touched Lucy's heartstrings and something in the way he looked at her that made her want to give him anything he wanted.
Lucy groaned and kicked the front door before turning to face him. Freedom would have to wait. "Oh, you owe me big time." Lucy said forcefully. "Anything!" Nathaniel said quickly. Then he lifted his hand to his mouth as he realised what he said. Lucy smiled evilly. "Anything? Nathan, you've just put your life in my hands." She pointed out.
Nathaniel put a hand to his head as an angered expression crossed his face. "I can't believe I let that slip… What do you want?" He asked. Lucy thought for a moment before silently walking up to Nathaniel, stretching her arm out to trace the buttons his shirt. Nathaniel tensed up. "I'm not too sure… Guess I'll think about it." She said darkly.
Nathaniel went red and Lucy laughed, moving past him towards the student council room. "You're so evil." Nathaniel said, jogging to catch up to a chuckling Lucy. "What do you need done?" She said as the two entered the room. She dropped her bag on a table as she studied the messy room, with boxes stacked against the wall and papers strewed across the tables. "You know, for someone so organised this room is really messy." She commented.
Nathaniel ignored her comment and moved towards the stacked boxes. "Could you help me carry these boxes to the storage room? There's not enough space to keep them here." Nathaniel asked. Lucy groaned. "Fine." She said, picking up one of the heavy boxes. Nathaniel picked up one too and led the way to the storage room which was up a flight of stairs at the end of the hallway. Lucy grumbled the entire way, Nathaniel sighing at her. But he was happy with her company, even if it meant he owed her something.
Nathaniel guessed that he was used to being around her by now.
The storage room was in the middle of the hallway and Nathaniel had left the door open so he didn't have to unlock it every time he came up. Being the last day of school there were barely any students around so it was safe to leave it open. Plus, seriously, what would a student steal from a storage closet that had nothing of any particular value in it? Paperclips? "Okay, let's get the rest." Nathaniel said as he and Lucy placed the boxes in an empty corner of the room. "It's small." Lucy said as she scanned the tight space, noticing a rectangular window as the only source of ventilation. Nathaniel nodded. "That's why it's for storage. It's too small to be a classroom. Come on."
The two continued carrying boxes up to the room, Lucy continually complaining about the work all the way. Her familiar nagging actually kept Nathaniel entertained and he matched her nagging with sarcasm and challenges that made her eager to get the job done quickly.
"That was the last two boxes." Nathaniel said happily as he dusted himself off. "Thank goodness!" Lucy said. Her face was red with exhaustion and she contemplated to give up smoking (even though she rarely did it) and start working out. "Thanks Lucy." Nathaniel said with a smile. Lucy's heart skipped a beat. "Umm… whatever." She said backing away. "Just don't expect me to do it again!" She said, raising her voice. Nathaniel chuckled and Lucy felt herself go red in the face. He was so nice to her despite how she spoke to him. She felt a little guilty as she continued backing away.
That's when Lucy's elbow hit something and she turned to see the door of the storage room slam shut. "No!" Nathaniel cried. Lucy looked at him with a bored expression. "What? We can just open it up." She said as she reached for the door handle. She twisted the knob a few times but the door would budge. It had locked. "Ah, fuck." She said. In her anger, Lucy kicked the door only to have a sharp pain fill her foot. "Fuck!" She said even louder. Lucy began to pound on the door with her fist. "Hey! Anyone out there!?" She called through the door. "It's highly unlikely there'll be anyone out there." Nathaniel said. "I'll just get the key…" He fumbled around in his pocket for the keys.
His face explained everything to Lucy when she looked at him. "You don't have the key?!" She exclaimed. "I must've left it in the student council room." Nathaniel admitted as he felt his heart race. He didn't do well with small spaces thanks to his asthma. Thankfully, he had his inhaler –
A quick check of his pocket had Nathaniel wanting to punch himself. His inhaler wasn't with him. He must've left it in his bag back at the student council room. How could he be so reckless? It was almost always in his pocket save for the rare moments he forgot it or would get in the way.
Lucy continued banging on the door and yelling for someone to "get their asses over here and unlock this fucking door" for another few minutes. Nathaniel felt a headache and he leaned against the boxes he and Lucy stacked up. This was not good. He felt himself warm up and he concentrated on keeping his breathing even though it was hard to keep calm when he had Lucy yelling and banging on the door.
"Damn it!" Lucy said with a final pound on the door. "I don't even have my phone with me. It's in my bag. Fuck!" She turned to look at Nathaniel. "You're being really quiet. I'm guessing you don't have your phone either." She said. Nathaniel closed his eyes and just nodded, trying to keep his breathing in check. There was the open rectangular window at the top of the room but it was pretty small and Nathaniel was sure he wouldn't be able to fit through it. Below it was a storey drop to the top of the gym and below that was the concrete of the courtyard.
After a small silence Lucy spoke up again. "Hey, you don't look too well." She said. "Do you have clausphobia?" Nathaniel kept his eyes closed as he frowned. "Clausphobia?" He echoed, racking his brain for its definition. "Yeah, you know. When you don't do well in small spaces." Lucy explained. Nathaniel chuckled and Lucy's face went red. "What's so funny!?" She shouted defensively. Nathaniel opened his eyes, looked at her and laughed even more. "Hey!" Lucy yelled, balling her fists. "I think you mean claustrophobia, not clausphobia." He said while trying to catch his breath.
Even though he was laughing Nathaniel was getting a little nervous. He hadn't had an asthma attack in a while because he usually had his inhaler handy to stop it from happening. "I don't see how that's funny!" Lucy said, crossing her arms. "It's just that… clausphobia… it sounds like a fear of Santa Claus." Nathaniel said with a grin. "It was just so funny! You're so cute sometimes Lucy!" He said before bursting into laughter again.
Cute? Did Nathaniel just call her cute? He didn't seem to realise it. Lucy let out a small smile and felt her cheeks burn up as she watched him slide to the floor in a fit of laughter. As soon as he had calmed down Lucy walked over to sit next to him. "You still didn't answer my question." She said. "If I'm scared of Santa Claus?" Nathaniel replied with a small chuckle. "What I really meant. If you're claustrophobic." Lucy corrected, slowly drawing out the word to make sure she got it right. Nathaniel swallowed. "I am." He admitted, breathing in and out. It wasn't steady; his breaths were short and shaky.
Although he knew it wasn't there Nathaniel checked his pockets again for his inhaler, panic levels starting to rise. "It doesn't help that I don't have my inhaler with me…" He continued. "Inhaler? Wait, you have asthma?" Lucy said in surprise. Nathaniel nodded and he felt his face going hotter. Sweat beads were beginning to form on his forehead. "It's getting hot in here huh?" He said nervously, fanning himself with his hand. "We have to get out of here. You're not looking so well." Lucy said, her lower lip quivering. This was all her fault. If only she was a little less clumsy and more aware of the things around her they wouldn't be in this situation. "You care?" Nathaniel asked. "Of course I do!" Lucy shouted back. "I'm not a robot you know! I do feel things! Jeez!"
Lucy sat on her knees and began to loosen Nathaniel's tie. "What are you doing?" Nathaniel asked. "What does it look like? I'm trying to cool you down!" Lucy said pulling the tie over his head. She began to work on Nathaniel's shirt, unbuttoning the top two buttons before he interrupted again. "It looks like you're going to take advantage of me." He said. Lucy narrowed her eyes. "That better be a joke…" She threatened. "Of course it is!" Nathaniel said, bursting into broken laughter. He was nervous and definitely not thinking straight.
Lucy was starting to worry. "Nathaniel, you're not breathing properly!" She exclaimed, using his full name. She fumbled around with the rest of the buttons and practically ripped the shirt of Nathaniel's back.
That's when Lucy gasped as she saw Nathaniel's body. His perfect skin was covered in bruises, some fading away while others very recent. She ran her finger down Nathaniel's chest and he winced when she touched some of the bruises unintentionally. "Who did this to you?" She whispered, not really wanting an answer. Was he bullied or something? Nathaniel was a nice boy and the only person he didn't really get along with was Castiel and Lucy didn't think Castiel would take it so far as to bash Nathaniel up.
Trying to cool Nathaniel down wasn't going to work for much longer. They were in a small room and the small window was the only ventilation. There was no-one outside in the hallway but there could be someone outside.
Lucy stared up to the window and took in a deep breath. "Hold on Nathaniel." She said firmly as she moved to stack boxes. It was hard work but in no time she had a makeshift staircase that led up to the window. Nathaniel's breathing wasn't getting any steadier and Lucy knew she had to work fast if she wanted to get him out safely.
It was a tight squeeze but Lucy was determined to at least stick her head out of the window to call for someone. She scanned the outside and cursed when she couldn't see anyone around and that the top of the gym had covered some areas, blocking her vision. "Sorry Lucy, but I can see your underwear…" Nathaniel said from the storage floor. Lucy turned back to glare at him but stopped her argument when she saw the look of worry on Nathaniel's face. His head was positioned upward as he tried to get air to pass through his windpipe, causing him to accidently take a peep up Lucy's skirt. "Just worry about breathing." Lucy called down. Nathaniel nodded and closed his eyes while Lucy turned back to the window.
Taking in another deep breath Lucy stuck her arms and her head outside the window. She tried to push herself forward but couldn't move when she tried to get her torso outside the window, her breasts preventing her from going any further. "Anyone out there!?" She yelled. "We need help!"
Lucy cursed when she saw there was no one around and then swore even more when she realised she was stuck, unable to move forward or backwards. "Damn it!" She said, using the side of the building as a support to pull herself forward. She heard a sound and tried to turn to see what it was. "Nathan? Are you alright?" She called. No answer. "Nathaniel!" Again she used his full name and there was no answer. "Fuck!" She exclaimed.
She managed to push her torso through the window, kneeling down on the boxes inside the storage room while the rest of her was outside. Someone would have to notice right? It's not every day you see a girl sticking out of a building. "Is anyone out there!?" She yelled again. "Help! We need help!"
Lucy began to panic as she was getting no response. As if it would help she pushed a little more forward. Taking in a deep breath she yelled again. "HELP! SOMEONE HELP US!" Coughing a little she took in another one. "ANSWER ME IF YOU'RE OUT THERE! WE NEED HELP! HELP!" Again she coughed, her eyes beginning to water.
She heard a movement to the side and craned her neck to see two figures emerging from the school. "L-Lucy!?" Lysander's familiar voice called up. He stood in shock as he saw her swinging her arms. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?" The Principal called up, her face red with anger. "DON'T MOVE! I'LL BE UP THERE!" She said before hurrying back into the school. "HURRY!" Lucy yelled, coughing again.
"Lucy, what are you doing?" Lysander asked. He saw Lucy's glare. "Admiring the view, WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE!?" She yelled back. "Sorry I asked…" Lysander muttered under his breath. "Be careful!" He called up. Lucy scoffed. "Please. I'm very care-" Lucy was cut off as she felt her body moving forward. She had pushed too much and her legs had emerged from the window behind her. "LUCY!" Lysander called, watching in horror as Lucy tumbled out of the window…
A/N: 1. So I guess I should say this (even though it should've been explained earlier) high school is between the years of 7 to 12, so Lucy's first year at high school was when she was in year 7. We don't have those junior, sophomore, etc tags so I'm just using what I know. Thanks to my reviewers (ZorraVixen, and Ashclaw10, the usual and the new!) and to those who favourite or follow this story :) See you all Friday!
