Break Me Out

Monday 10 a.m.

I was standing up with my back leaned against the white walls. My arms gently rested on my stomach. My eyes were closed and there was a small blush not-so-discreetly planted on my cheeks. All I heard was the hum of the air conditioner that was located on the far corner of the school's main office. The room was chilly which resulted in hugging myself a little tighter. My eyes were still closed when I heard a frustrated sigh. I didn't put much thought into it as it was probably my mother's.

"Where are these people? They said they'll be back quickly."

"Mom, it's only been a five minutes. Relax."

I heard her heave another frustrated sigh. I lazily opened one eye and watched her looking around with a sign of annoyance. She was frantic. Her body shifted from one side to the other and there was an uncomfortable look in her expression. "I hate this place," she hissed, "ever since I stepped into this place, I hated it." My eyebrow rose in curiosity. I was about to ask her what was wrong but she too quickly stood up. "Whatever. I need to use the ladies room. Where is it?"

I shook my head in bewilderment. What is wrong with her? She's been completely out of it lately. I scrutinized my mother as she looked at me expectantly. Ever since those colorful letters began arriving she's been moody and fidgety. Every noise appalled her. She's always alert and her movements changed. Even the way she walked was different. She looked like she was always on the watch, extra careful with everything. With me she has been the most careful with. Always asking me if I opened the letters, if I got some weird text or I noticed anything out of the ordinary. Everything seems normal to me except for my mother.

What is she hiding? Ever since Trent was placed behind the bars, we both promised we would never keep any secrets from each other. That was our oath we made with the letters we sent to each other. Why is she acting so weird? She's been acting exactly how she did years ago, when we were still-

"Loren, honey, where's the restroom?" My mom's voice put an abrupt stop to my thoughts. I sighed gratefully because I didn't like where they were going towards. I observed my mom again. Her countenance no longer held the look of utter frustration. Instead, it was wiped out with a blank expression. I motioned with my head towards the entrance of the main office. "Down the right hall and to the left. They're parallel to the cafeteria doors." She nodded. Before she left the room, she stepped closer to me. Her hand gently cupped my cheek and she gave it a caress before sighing and leaving the room. I watched her slim figure disappear through the door and I gave myself time to close my eyes again.

The ache on my stomach was somehow non-existent now. It wouldn't be long before I'd have to go back to school. I could take another week off, I thought. Yes, I will take another week off. My mom and Eddie wouldn't have a problem with it, especially Eddie. A smile formed at the thought of him. I quickly shook my head to get rid of the memories of his lips forcedly pressing on mine. When shaking my head didn't work, I opened my eyes. I breathed in gradually to control my now frantic heart. Alas, it didn't work. He's not even with me at the moment yet he manages to have this effect on me.

I don't think I'll ever get use to him and everything he does.

To distract myself from the raging desire to have Eddie with me, I looked around the narrow room. The white walls were covered with an abundance of posters. Some were for clubs, others advertisements and others looked a couple years old. There're four chairs on the other side of the room, each cushion with a different ugly print. There were four doors leading to four different rooms. One was the printing office, the other was the vice principal's room, the other the principal's office and last one was the attendance office. The room was pretty long, but not wide enough to create a perfect square. I looked up the ceiling and nothing but white grain was staring back at me. The hum of the air conditioner was the only thing that kept me company in this silence.

My eyes flickered to the clock. I watched the big hand routinely go one click at a time at clockwise rotation. I watched it with outmost boredom. My eyes hooded and like my mother, I was becoming impatient with principal.

I came here to pick up my class work for the past few days and the next week. My mom wanted me to stay home but I couldn't stand being in my house for another day. Eddie and Melissa were disapproving of it, too. Melissa almost had a heart attack when I said I wanted to go to school. She yelled and slightly screeched about why I would want to come this 'hell-hole'. "We lost her, guys. She's a lost case," were her last words before she gave up and left.

Eddie was more concerned and anything I said to him, he would dismiss. He couldn't find any reason why I would want to go if my mother was capable of attaining my work without a problem. He was mostly afraid that I'd stumble upon Adrianna, or much to his horror, Cameron. Then I went and told him Adrianna was on a 20 school days suspension. Cameron wasn't a problem that couldn't be avoided, anyways.

"I need to get out. I feel suffocated being here all the time," I reasoned.

Eddie looked at me for a moment before taking my hand in his. He softly pushed me out the kitchen, opened the front door, led me towards the walkway, and stopped right in front of the mail box. He let go of my hand, and I began missing his warmth. He extended his arms, "There you go. You're outside. Now there's no reason for you to go to school." I narrowed my eyes at him and he gave me a cheeky grin.

My gaze averted from the clock to my now vibrating back pocket. I quickly took it out. My smiled widened as I looked at the caller. I immediately answered.

"Hello?"

"Helloooooo!" I checked the caller again. It was Eddie, but it didn't sound like him. "Eddie?" I asked.

"No, it's Ian." I heard his accent. "And Tyler." He didn't have any accent, just his cockiness.

"Oh, it's Loren." I stated then went and cringed. Of course they know who I am, I thought. "Yessssss. Look Ty-Ty I'm talking to Loren." Ian said. I heard a grunt from the background. "Ty-Ty say hi to Loren." All I heard was, "get away from me. Eddie is gonna kill you."

"Lorennnnn-"

"Ian, are you drunk?"

"Yesss, I am drunk on the roller coaster that is life."

He's really drunk. "Oh. Are you alright?"

"Not really." He confessed with a sad tone. "The roller coaster of life is not so fun. It's sooo bumpy. I think I threw up a couple of times." He sounded so depressed that I couldn't hold in a giggle. "Lorennnnnnn?"

"Iannnnnnn." I mimicked.

"Please tell Eddie not to kill me because that'll make me very sad if he does kill me-" "You're going to be dead to feel anything, stupid. Loren? Tell Eddie to kill him, and then some." There was humor in Tyler's voice.

"Ty-Ty! You don't mean that!" Ian yelled. "No-no Loren. Don't tell him to kill me." He whined and Tyler started snickering at Ian. Then it got really quiet. I waited for a moment and thought they hung up until I heard Ian and Tyler whispering.

"Oh my goodness! Did he wake up? Is he coming down?" It was Ian. "We're so dead!"

"No. You're dead." Tyler responded back in a hush whisper but I distinguished panic in his voice. "Get the paper towel and clean the vomit."

"No you clean it!"

"I'm not gonna touch your vomit. You clean it!"

"Ew. That's gross- Oh bloody hell! He woke up. Pass me the paper towel!" There was shuffling of feet, something fell and then I heard Ian grunt. "Hello?" I said. Few seconds later I heard horrified whispers. "Where did the phone go?"

"How the hell did you drop it?"

"I don't know! I threw it somewhere when I saw the paper towel being thrown at me." There was stuff being move around. Then I heard a deafening screech. "EWWWW. I TOUCHED IT. I TOUCHED IT. I TOUCHED IT. I TOUCHED THE PUKE."

"SHUT UP! EDDIE IS GOING TO KILL US!"

Ian was still wailing and he stopped all of the sudden. "Loren? Loren where are you? Loren! No we lost Eddie's boo. What do we do? He really is going to kill us now. Where is she? Loren?"

"Do you think the phone landed on-"

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" Eddie. I pulled the phone away from my ear.

"Hey sleeping beauty. Got your goodnight sleep on?"

Eddie ignored Ian. "Why does it smell like vomit here? Ian are you drunk? Tyler what the hell are you stepping on?"

"OH FOR FUCKSAKE. IAN I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!"

So much yelling, I think I've gone deaf on my right ear. I waited for Eddie to burst in rage. Ten seconds passed and then I heard him sigh. "I will go back up and take a shower. This room better be shining so much that I can't see shit when I come back. You got that?" I heard him sigh again. He sounded so close.

"Eddie," it was Ian, "we lost her. Ed. We lost her." He sounded so helpless and I stifled a laugh. "One minute I had her and then boom, she went flying away."

"How many drinks did you have?" A pause. "You know what I don't care. Just clean this room up and start getting use to the idea that you will no longer step into the bar."

"But Eddie, we lost her!"

Eddie gave out an impatient sigh. "Lost who?"

"HER."

"WHO IS HER?"

"Loren. The apple to your eye, the peanut butter to your jelly. Ya know, the one that gives you butterflies in your stomach. The one that you would so much love to get it on-"

"Ian, shut up."

"What? I'm only repeating what you told us."

"Just shut up, and tell me how you lost Loren. Wait-" There was silence and Eddie let whatever Ian said to him before process through. "YOU LOST LOREN!"

If I thought Eddie was angry before, boy was I wrong. "No-no. Don't come close to me. I didn't mean to! Eddie, stop!" I heard Ian let out soft cries. "How the hell-" Ian let another cry out, "did you lose-" another cry, "my girl, you asshole!"

My girl. My face turned into a tomato. His girl.

"Yo, Eddie." It was Tyler who spoke. "Stop beating him with the pillow. He didn't actually lose her. He just dropped the phone when she was on the line." Ian wasn't crying anymore, that was a good sign. "You called Loren?" Then Ian's cries resounded once again. "Why-" poor Ian, "did you-" another cry, "call her?"

"Stop hitting me! It hurts! I didn't say anything stupid. I swear on everything I have."

"Eddie stop beating Ian up. You're over-reacting." Silence. "Wait, why are you coming up to me? Stop walking." Tyler sounded scared? "Eddie, c'mon. Put the pillow down. Help us look for the phone." He was now nervous. "I think she's still on the line, and there's a possibility that she won't ever talk us again after this."

I heard Eddie mumble incoherently and I heard something fall to the floor. I figured it was the pillow. Suddenly things were being pushed around. There was more yelling from Eddie's parts, whining from Ian and nervousness radiating from Tyler.

"Where the hell did you throw the damn phone?"

"Loren, if you're still there, I am truly sorry you had to hear that." It was Tyler.

"I'm just sorry my friends are idiots." It was Eddie and I knew for some weird reason that he was smiling.

"Best Friends, pal," corrected Ian, "And we're the only ones you have."

There was more movement of furniture then I heard a yell of triumph "Found her! Hello, you still there?"

"Hi Ian."

"Victory, she's still alive and well."

"Give me the damn phone."

"No! I'm not done talking to her."

"Ian give me the phone, now." Eddie growled.

"Can I at least say goodbye to her?"

"Make it fast."

"Hey Loren, your boo needs some chill pills. He has his panties up in a twist." He whispered. "I heard that," Eddie grumbled. "Shh, I'm talking to Loren right now. Okay, so the main reason Tyler called- cause he was the one that looked for you name, just letting ya know- was to tell you that we love you dearly. You got Eddie out of his habits of being a pansy. Oh and also, we like this best friend better. Past Eddie was a no-no. This Eddie is a yes-yes. Right, Ty-Ty?" Tyler's response was 'drunken' with not a very nice word following it. "Thank you, Ian."

"No problemo, senorita- Wait! I'll give you the phone in a second. Sheeh!" He breathed heavily. "Here's your other half." I let out a soft laugh. My head snapped to the main office's entrance. Someone had opened the door rather loudly. It wasn't my mother. It was only Mr. Reverie, a short and stout middle-age man. He smiled at me and proceeded to the attendance office. I returned his smile politely and looked at the door. Where is my mother?

Eddie's sigh brought my attention back to him. I smiled. "That call," I began, "was interesting." Eddie chuckled lightly, "Sorry. You didn't need to hear that."

"No, it was fine. I find your friends… interesting."

"We were actually going for incredibly handsome, and fastidiously charming." Ian yelled. "Sorry, did I interrupt you again, Lover-Boy."

"Shut up and clean your shame, Drunken-"

"Please no more profanities." I blurted out. Eddie laughed at that. "Sorry, no more cursing. You heard that boys."

"Roger that, Lover-Boy."

"Copy that, asshat- oh, I'm sorry Loren."

Tyler let out a "manly" scream, and then began insulting Ian whom just said, "Did you not hear what the lady asked of us? No more cursing! I am so sorry Loren. Tyler cannot be fixed."

Eddie groaned, "I feel like it will be them who will drive you away from me."

"I doubt it," I giggled. "I mean, Melissa is twice as weird and yet, she's still stuck on me."

"You guys do make quite a pair. Her being you know, her, and you being, you."

I smiled. "Melissa is not all sarcasm and sassiness. I guess, even though I've never put much thought to it, she keeps me grounded. You know she was the first friend I've ever kind of had." I admitted.

"Hey! Did you forget about that boy on the hill who was desperately trying to befriend you?"

"Which one?" I joked.

Eddie laughed, and that sound caused the hairs on my arm to stand up.

"I hope I was the only one, because if there were more than one, Loren Tate, then we would have a deep problem."

"Oh well, there's no one else. Just you."

"Now that, that makes me-"

"LOREN AND EDDIE SITTING ON A TREE."

"FIRST COME LOVE THEN MARRIAGE AND THEN SEXY TIME-"

"Was that Tyler singing?"

"Ian and Tyler, they are special." Eddie stated. "Anyways, I was hoping we could go out tonight. There's somewhere I want to take you." He leaned away from the phone to yell something at Ian and Tyler. "So can you come?"

"Sure, let me just ask my mom." And queue my mother. I was about to say something to Eddie but all thoughts washed away as I looked at the puffy red eyes, tear stained cheeks of my mother. My eyes widened as she pursed her lips and shrugged at me. She limply sat on the chair and avoided my concerned gaze. She breathed heavily and I took a step forward. She waved me off.

"Loren," Eddie's voice quietly asked, "what's wrong?"

My mother… she's been crying. It's been two years since she last shed a tear. My mother has never cried in front of me before. The only one that can cause tears from my mother was Trent's- oh god, no- inflicting emotional and physical abuse. All nightmares haunted me right back in the moment. I clutched the phone and my body began trembling. She looked at me, and her eyes, so hollow now, pleaded me to drop it.

One by one, memories of watching my mother beg, yell, scream and whimper in pain all came crashing into me. And as I stood there everything surrounding me transformed into a memory I desired to erase. It was midnight, I was in my room when I heard muffled yells and the impatient demands of my father. I slowly opened the door, the yells became prominent and as I took a step at a time down the stairs, I heard him growl, "Get on the table you bitch and spread your leg as wide as you can." Her cry of help was so painful. I couldn't help her even if I tried. My body shook when I heard a grieving cry. I heard skin hit against skin. Tears ran down my cheek and hated myself. Crying won't do anything, I snarled. And I rounded off the corner, determined to kick, punch and push Trent from my mom.

I stopped dead my tracks. I stared helplessly and I was back at the main office with my mother looking hauntingly at me. Lost and hopeless. Lost and stuck in the same memory as I was. I let out a raspy breath, she shook her head.

I was stupid to think that I was the most broken between us. In the end, she went through the most pain. How could I be so thoughtless and selfish? All along when I had my panic attacks, she too suffered. How selfish was I to think that I was the only one stuck in the past?

"Loren?" Eddie's voice was now concerned. I heard anxiety and a sudden familiar form of helplessness in his voice. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

The hand clutching my phone trembled. "I-" my voice cracked. "I'll call you-you back." I held the tears. I can't cry now. Not in front of my mother, and not with Eddie on the line. "Loren- please don't—" I hanged up. The phone dropped and I rushed to my mother.

Hello beautiful people. I hope you are doing mighty mighty fine. I've been slipping in updating haven't I? Well, here I am and I hope you guys liked this chapter. It'll progress, I promise. And more Leddie sexiness will come. Mistakes will be fixed later this week, and maybe another update too.

Shoutout: to everyone who's been with me since the beginning. And to all those new readers.

Song: "Break Me Out" by The Rescues

P.S. thinking of putting this fanfic on Wattpad. Hmm maybe.