"You're such a dork!" Tasha's voice is such a relief. I turn around to see her smiling face. "I just came by to see how you were doing. I haven't heard from you in a while."
I giggle and say, "I tried calling you, and your phone just rang. I didn't know what to think. You always answer the phone."
"Anyway, are you coming to school today? I saw Blossom on the way up, and she already had her backpack on, ready to walk to school. Doesn't she still have to wait ten minutes before she leaves? She has always been so weird! Buttercup is still in her pajamas though I guess. Truly, they are the two extremes." Tasha is so hyper. Too bad she has to go to school - what a waste of energy.
"No, I'm staying home today. The Professor thinks it's best for me." I'm happy about not having to go to school, but I know it's best for me. Who knows where Ian is hiding right now. I mean, he could be outside my window right now. My nerves get to me and I stand up and walk over to the window. "Okay good." I heave a sigh of relief.
"Dude, are you okay?" Tasha can sense my nervousness. I'm sure that she knew what I was doing when I looked out the window. I tell her I'm fine, in one of those tones that demands that she not bring it up anymore. "Okay, well, I guess I'll go. I know you're upset right now, Bubbles. If you need anything, call me on my cell phone. Dad said I could skip school to comfort you, if you needed it. He said he'd excuse it."
Professor and Mr. Sanders are very different. Mr. Sanders doesn't really care if Tasha gets an education or not. I smile at Tasha, and tell her thank you. She smiles back and her ice blue eyes show her true sincerity. She's been my best friend for years. Everybody knows that. She's always here for me, and I'm always there for her. That's what friends do.
She leaves and I find myself on my own again - feeling hopelessly alone. I plod down the stairs and call out to see where the Professor is. He yells back, "I'm out here, Bubbles!" He's outside gardening. Why is he gardening? It's getting toward wintertime. He's a little eccentric sometimes.
I walk outside and sit on the lawn, next to where he's pruning his decorative ground coverings. He was never very good at keeping real plants alive. He just gets those plants that act as filler. They'll die soon though. Then, he'll be sad.
"Bubbles, we need to talk. I know this is all very hard for you. I have bad news though. Officer Maxx called. He told me that Jake is in very bad shape; they told me that there was quite a bit of head trauma. They also said that he is in a coma. He's been unresponsive since he arrived at the hospital. His vital signs aren't very stable, and they don't know if he'll make it." Before Professor even finished telling me that Jake was in a coma, I was crying. I'm steadily weeping now.
The Professor stops pruning, and turns to me. He gives me a hug, and tells me not to worry - that everything will work out. I nod. I don't believe him. Nothing good has been happening in the past three days, and Jake might die from it.
I tell the Professor that I'm going to go watch a movie. He tells me it's a good idea - that I need to get my mind off of things for right now. I walk into the living room, and realize I never ate breakfast. I turn and walk into our airy kitchen, and fix myself a peanut butter sandwich.
I walk back into the living room and start another DVD. I finish my sandwich and decide that I'm too bored to watch a movie. I try to get more comfortable. Maybe if I'm more comfortable I'll be more likely to enjoy the movie. I relax into the couch, and begin to slip back into sleep.
I go to scream when I feel the large, masculine hand on my shoulder. There is another hand over my mouth. No sound comes out. I try to bite the hand over my mouth. I can't see anything. I feel a soft blindfold over my eyes. I try wiggling my eyebrows to move the blindfold. Nothing happens. I am so scared.
I can't move any of my body. I realize I'm no longer on the couch. I've been lifted in the air. I must have been drugged. I can't force my body to respond. My brain is getting cloudy. My thoughts are getting muddy. The world is getting foggier. Everything goes black.
My thoughts reassemble at the sound of Ian's voice. It used to be such a soothing sound. Now it's nothing more than the real life vocalization of my worst nightmare - a real life scary movie. He tells me, "You never even knew that I was staying in your own house. I was very lucky though; no one has come into this lab in days. I've been making such a mess upstairs, why would they?" I don't respond. I can't respond. I'm gagged.
He realizes my problem, and laughs, "Yes, Bubbles, you always were a bit of a sap. No, I take that back, you were more than a bit of a sap. You were a big sap. Don't get me wrong, Bubbles. I love you. This is the biggest lesson I've ever had to teach you. I need to be a priority in your life. Your sisters, and that Tasha, can't be above me. You need to learn that I am number one in your life. I know you weren't with Jake, but I needed his help. I needed him to lie to Buttercup - maybe she'd think that you were at fault."
He said he loves me. I knew he did. I know he does. He takes off my gag and I tell him, "I love you too, Ian. I knew you were just trying to show me the right way. I don't mean to treat you second to my sisters. I think of you as number one, Ian." I smile a real smile at him; I haven't done too many of those in these past few days.
"Bubbles, listen. I'm going to untie you. I'm going to let you back into your house. I need you to prove your love to me. Otherwise I'm going to kill Tasha. Then, if you still won't love only me, I'll kill your sisters. By then I hope you'd have learned, but if not, then I'll just have to end our relationship one way or another. You do love me, don't you, Bubbly?" I nod a yes answer, and he unties me. He stands me up, and kicks me. I fall to the ground in pain, and he kicks me hard, in the ribs.
He helps me up, and hugs me. He kisses me; it's a hard, emotionless kiss. I don't understand. Maybe that was part of his point. Sometimes I wonder how many other boyfriends are like mine. He sends me up the stairs, and as I walk out the lab door, into our house, I hear the phone ringing. I run to the kitchen and answer it. It's Tasha. She doesn't sound too good.
