Chapter 6
As the weeks at Blackwell passed, Abby's condition and her spirits continued to improve. The repetitive nightmare persisted, however. Fortunately she didn't let it dampen her morale. There were no more borderline paranormal occurrences while she slept, but that didn't stop her from fretting over it. Luckily, that was all she had to fret over. Rachel and Kate proved to be good friends and were a lot of fun to be around. They'd also met some of the non-residential students too and were quickly establishing a group they were comfortable with as well as learning who best to stay away from. As they'd predicted, Victoria hadn't been any less bitchy in the day as she was after being rudely awoken at night. She and her cockroaches, Courtney and Taylor, were best avoided if possible. But on the occasions they sat on the steps to the girls' dorms, completely blocking the entrance and refusing to move, Abby and Lynn quickly discovered that making out in front of them got them to get out of the way pretty quick. They weren't too much of a problem.
The problems began one day at the start of October. Lynn had just finished photography and was about to head over to the science lab to meet Abby as she left the classroom. That was when a voice from behind her caused her to falter at the door.
"Lynn, could you stay for a moment please?"
"Yes, Mr Jefferson." Lynn let go of the doorknob and turned to face him, walking back over to the desk he was leaning against. As she expected, he wasted no time getting to the point.
"I was just wondering how you were finding your time here at Blackwell. I hear there were a few problems getting settled in."
"Well, Abby had a bit of a stress response and managed to put her back out carrying boxes." Lynn shrugged. "She's pulled herself together, though. I knew she would."
"I understand she's had to put up with a lot over recent years." Jefferson nodded in understanding. "I've known her family for a while, as she's probably told you. Her father kept me updated as things progressed. I know all about the situation with her mom. I won't pretend I know how it feels but I know it's hard for anyone, no matter what age, to be separated from a parent."
"I know it's had an impact." Lynn nodded. "We were both pretty shaken by it. Still, we've kept on and got through it together. We're not those fifteen-year-old girls that first heard her mom wasn't coming home for a while anymore. I'd like to think we've grown from that."
"Oh, I know you have." Jefferson agreed. "To survive is to endure and to prosper. From a mere glance at each of you, I know you've most certainly survived. And speaking of glances, I've been keeping an eye on what each of my students has been wearing for the past couple weeks. Now, I've been offered a photo modelling gig for a local fashion line and the clothes on offer seem very similar to the sort of thing you would wear. Now, I've been authorised to bring a model of my own to work with and I was wondering if you'd be interested. It's entirely your choice, but if you were to go for it then I could really use it to help you segway into a photography career. This plus an entry into the Everyday Heroes contest this year..."
"Oh, I'm not entering that." Lynn said. "There would only be one ticket for the winner to go to San Francisco. I couldn't leave Abby like that." Jefferson looked taken aback for a second, before quickly regaining his composure.
"Maybe so, but if she paid her own ticket-"
"Then she'd still have to pay the entry fee to get into the event and her own accommodation while we're there." Lynn reminded him. "We couldn't afford that."
"I see." Jefferson sat back against the edge of the desk again, looking like he was trying to play 4D chess while not looking at the board. In the end, he gave up. "Well, you've clearly thought about this. Still, I'd like you to consider this modelling opportunity. Just like the contest, I'm only authorised to bring one student; but this is located in Arcadia Bay. We'd be in a variety of locations ranging from the woodland to the lighthouse for the best range of sceneries and would only take a couple of days as opposed to being gone for a whole week. And you'd be back at Blackwell by nightfall each day. You wouldn't have to really leave Abby at all and it'll be like a two-day field trip." Lynn paused, considering his words. The idea of not being able to bring Abby with her was one she wasn't fond of, but on the other hand it would be better than San Francisco and abandoning her for a week. They'd been so close even before they officially became a couple that they were borderline codependent and given her stress response when they'd first moved in it definitely didn't seem like a good idea to enter the Everyday Heroes contest, as badly as she'd wanted to. But this was something different entirely. Something better.
"How long do I have to think about it?" she asked.
"I'll need an answer fairly promptly." Jefferson said, reaching over and grabbing a pen. "Here's my number. Please don't save it to your contacts. Just send me a message telling me it's you and whether you're in or not. Also, I have to ask you tell as few people as possible since I don't want to promote jealousy among some of my other students. While I can't name names, I think you can guess which ones I'm on about." Lynn could. Victoria was liable to fly off the handle with jealousy, not even taking into account that it was probably more about the dress sense than the model themselves. She had her style and Victoria had her own. There was nothing wrong with that. And she didn't see anything wrong with accepting the offer, either. It wasn't like he was a total stranger. Abby herself had told her he'd been a friend of the family for nearly two whole decades. If Abby would trust anyone to steal her away for a day, surely it was him.
"Okay, I'll think about it." She nodded in thanks as she folded the paper and slipped it into her pocket. Just then, a knock at the door made them look over to see a scrawny boy with blond hair in a collared sweater that really didn't suit him standing in the doorway. It dawned on Lynn instantly that he was the type who would be much more comfortable just relaxing in a hoodie with a group of friends, but had been raised away from friends and dressed like he was sworn to uphold rigorous public standards. Then again, if the reputation of his family was anything to go by, that probably wasn't too far from the truth.
"Uh, Mr Jefferson? You wanted to see me?"
"Ah, yes! Come on in, Nathan." With that, he turned back to Lynn. "I apologise, Miss Collins, but I have business with Mr Prescott here. I'll wait to hear back from you." Lynn nodded and headed out, not wanting to overstay her welcome. Instantly, the stark contrast of the noise levels assaulted her. The photography room was calm and peaceful whereas the clamour of all the students in the halls was something that filled her head full of static. The crush of bodies made her realise how Abby must have felt whenever she was in a car. And speaking of the blonde devil, she caught a glimpse of her speaking to Miss Grant as she got ready to leave. Leaning by the door, Lynn could just about make out what they were saying.
"You were right, Abby. They've really sorted themselves out since that first class. And they're not the only ones. I've seen a marked improvement in you since you joined us here at Blackwell. And you seem more confident in the class, too."
"I just needed some time to find my feet." Abby replied. Lynn could see her blushing red. "That and a decent sleep." In the end, she left them to it. She leaned back against the locker she was standing by and waited. It was a couple of minutes before Abby emerged and noticed her standing there.
"Hey, you." Lynn wrapped her arms around Abby's neck, resting her forearms on the blonde girl's shoulders and gazing into her eyes before leaning in for a kiss. They kept it brief, not wanting to get on the bad side of the campus security. The security for the most part was pretty lax, but that just made it all the worse when someone actually was penalised for something. That meant they'd really messed up. "Listen, Mr Jefferson just made me a bit of an offer that might help me start a photography career." Lynn told her, keeping her voice down so that there was less risk of being overheard. "I want to talk to you about it before I accept, but it sounds promising."
"Well, I'm only hearing a cause for celebration." Abby grinned, wrapping an arm around her as she walked with her towards the exit. "Now, I know you don't have any classes for a couple hours yet and I've just had my last one until much later today, so as far as I'm concerned I'm taking you to dinner. Consider it a date. We haven't been able to have one in a while."
"Who's this outspoken girl and what's she done with Abby?" Lynn muttered, causing Abby to burst out laughing.
"Yeah, we'd better get you out of here before she sees." With that, she took Lynn's hand. Together, they headed for the parking lot.
Author's Note: Just a quick update before I go to work. The next few days will probably be pretty busy so I don't know when I'll have chance to do one.
