Collision Course(18)
Author: S.C. Stephens

"Wow, you’re perfect," I whispered, my voice feeling slow and slightly slurred. I leaned in closer to her, her breath light on my face as she watched me with wide eyes. "Your skin is so soft, like flower petals." My fingers traced her liquid cheeks, forehead, down the line of her nose, across the fullness of her lips. She inhaled a quick breath at that and I tracked the movement of those lips, mesmerized. I leaned in even closer to her and her scent hit me; a sweet, light perfume that made my mouth water. "You even smell like flowers." I leaned in even closer until our noses touched, my hands still caressing her features. The heat of our flesh together burned all the way through my body, scorched me in sensitive places. "I wonder how you’d taste…"

I leaned in even closer, inching my lips to her full ones. Anticipation filled the space between us and her light breath on my skin stopped. Heat rushed through my body and every part of me felt light and airy, carefree…fearless. I giggled at the feeling and then our lips finally brushed together. She sighed into my skin as we met.

Oh, wow.

Her skin was nothing in comparison to that soft flesh. I wanted more. I wanted that softness everywhere on me. I wanted it now. I moved my hand around to her neck and forcefully pulled her into me, shifting our heads so I could part our lips and sneak my tongue inside her. I was harsh in my eagerness and she pulled away from me. Or tried to, I had a firm grasp on her neck and pulled her back in. I pushed my tongue back in her mouth, tasting her again. She was heaven. She was sweet and soft and enticing and arousing and I wanted so much more.

"Stop it, Luc!"

My world suddenly shifted backward and confused, I blinked and looked around. Sawyer’s mouth was no longer on mine. In fact, she was about two feet away from me, scrunched farther back along the wall, breathing heavily, and looking at me like I was a stranger. "What’s wrong with you," she asked between pants.

I stood up and scrambled away from her. There was nothing wrong with me. My body disagreed. The sudden movement of standing made my head go dizzy and then black. I fell to my knees and landed harshly on the wood of the gym. My breath came out in a rush as my hands fell to my knees. I took a deep, steadying breath and felt small hands clutching my shoulders. Sound rushed to my ears – sounds of the noisy gym, sounds of the band, sounds of the cheerleaders’ chants, sounds of Sawyer, asking me something over and over again. My head couldn’t separate the pieces. I started to panic.

When my vision started to clear, I stood up more slowly. But my vision swam and twisted almost violently. I couldn’t focus on one object for long. I saw Sawyer, looking concerned, and then she shifted to bleachers and blues and whites and a sea of multi-colored shirts. It was making me nauseous. I backed away, away from the bleachers. Sawyer tried to grab my shirt, to stop me, but I pushed her hands away and hurriedly backed up…onto the court.

The light of the full gym hit me and my eyes felt like watering. I looked over a sea of faces, not recognizing any of them and clutched my head, trying to stop the spinning. I couldn’t. I started breathing heavier and backed further away, until a giant hoop hovered over my head. I thought I heard my name and laughter, but language was mumbling before reaching my ears and I couldn’t make sense of anything.

A long, black ponytail filled my vision, but I was suddenly twisted and facing a short, pixie cut of brown hair. "Lucas?" Arms pulled me back towards the bleachers and I stumbled along, my feet suddenly too big for my body. The short hair in front of me turned to the black hair beside me. "What’s wrong with him, Sawyer?" Concern filled both faces and as my head stabilized in one position, I made out Ms. Reynolds in front of me, her slim arms over mine, her svelte body close to me, and my hand hanging tantalizingly close to her hip. A surprising fire shot through me at her nearness.

"I don’t know. He said he had a headache earlier…?"

I stepped even closer to Ms. Reynolds and brought my arms around her waist. She was slim and curvy and warm. She made me warm. "Hey, Ms. Reynolds. God, you’re hot, totally fuckable." I leaned into her, so our heads were touching. My words were still slurred and slow, but she apparently heard me just fine…along with everyone in the bleachers near us. A simultaneous gasp echoed around me and Ms. Reynolds pulled back and went about three shades of red.

Just as my sluggish head was wondering what I’d said that was so wrong, Ms. Reynolds brought her hand up like she was going to slap me. I blinked and tried to focus on her hand and then the hand relaxed and dropped back down to her side. Not saying a word, she extracted herself from where I still had my arms around her and grabbed my wrist, dragging me out of the gym. We passed all of the bleachers again on our way out, but I barely noticed. I could only stare entranced at the lines of the laminate on the ground, while I stumbled and tripped my way after her.

And then suddenly, I was falling. I had no reflexes to speak of, and no way to catch myself, and I landed heavily on the side of my face. Oddly, I didn’t feel the impact. I only felt the coolness of the ground beneath me. It actually felt a little nice against my slightly heated skin, so I giggled and stayed where I was along the ground. Other giggling sounds filled my ears and I laughed harder, thinking we all sounded nice together.

Then, roughly, a pair of arms was under me and I was being lifted into the air. The sudden movement made my head swim and my stomach lurk. I tried to vomit, but nothing came out and I groaned. As I was righted the upset feeling passed and I breathed out a quick sigh of relief. Then I was shoved forward. Someone behind me said something along the lines of "be gentle" and then firm hands were on my shoulders and I was being guided out of the room.

As the door closed behind me, a mass chorus of laughter broke out. I thought it sounded beautiful, and turned to head back to the sound. I was forcefully re-routed and made to walk down steps and another set of doors, to a chill that made me shiver.

"What’s wrong with him?" A black head spoke these words beside me and a warm hand clamped over mine. I held it tight, savoring the heat as the sudden iciness around me made my teeth chatter.

"He’s obviously drunk, Miss Smith…are you?" A deep voice behind me said that and I tried to place the voice.

"No, Mr. Varner…and he isn’t either. I’ve been with him most of the day and he hasn’t been drinking." I leaned my head into the voice speaking beside me; it was beautiful…like an angel’s.

The deep, male voice behind me continued, "Most of the day – not all. He could have sneaked something into his last class." Hands lightly pushed my shoulders and I tripped up on my huge feet, almost stumbling to the harsh looking concrete, before those hands shifted to underneath my shoulders, keeping me upright.

The warm hand in mine was joined by its mate and I turned my head to stare at a beautiful set of gray eyes…angel eyes, I was sure. I smiled warmly at her and she frowned slightly. Had I upset my angel? The gray eyes flicked from my face to the voice’s, behind me. "We’d be able to smell it if he had, and he didn’t. I’m telling you, he was fine before the pep rally." Her bottom lip stuck out in a perfect pout and I stopped walking. I wanted to feel that lip again. So soft.

I leaned in to make contact with her and was harshly shoved forward, my feet stumbling, and only the strong arms under me, saving me from the cold ground, yet again. A long, exasperated sigh sounded from my helper behind me. "Well, he snuck something on the way there. He’s obviously not fine now."

The warm hand returned to mine from where it had been jostled free. I clenched it, never wanting that warmth to leave me. The black hair shook side to side while my angel spoke, "No, he didn’t. He only had Aspirin…just…just Aspirin."

Another long sigh behind me and a surprisingly feminine sigh on the other side of me. "Right…strong Aspirin then." A hand was taken from supporting me and pointed out between my angel and me, to a distance that seemed so far from me, it could have been a different continent. "Go home, Miss Smith, Ms. Reynolds and I will take care of this." I tried to copy the pointing movement, and automatically fell back into the strong chest behind me. I was shoved forward and the hand returned to my shoulder. The sigh returned as well.

"No, I want to stay with him." My angel’s voice was sweet in my ear as she leaned close to me. I turned my head and tried to rest mine on her shoulder, but tripped over a rock instead, and nearly plummeted to the ground again.

The voice behind me got stern as hands righted me again. "I wasn’t asking…go home!"

"Yes, sir."

Very reluctantly, the warm hand pulled away from me. I panicked. No, my angel couldn’t leave me. She made everything okay. My life was okay because of her. If she left me, the darkness would settle in…I knew it. Somehow, it was the only thing my frazzled brain knew for sure – she couldn’t leave me.

I pulled away from the strong hands behind me and flung my arms around my angel’s waist. "No, no, no, no…please don’t send her away. Please don’t send my angel away." Hands tried to pull me off and I fought against them with every uncoordinated muscle I had. Tender hands swept my face and a soothing voice cooed that everything would be okay, but everything wouldn’t be okay, not if she left. I started to cry. "Please, God…no. Don’t take her too. I need her. Please don’t take her away from me too. You take everyone away."

My arms cinched tight around her and I started to sob mercilessly into her shoulder. The strong hands stopped trying to separate me from my comfort and soft hands ran up and down my back soothingly. Another set of hands lightly brushed my shoulders. "It’s okay, Lucas. She can stay with you…at least until your mom gets here. It’s okay."

My sobs eased as two sets of small hands eased the ache of sudden loneliness in my body. My head relaxed into an even fog of semi-peace and I pulled my head from my angel’s damp shoulder to see her face. Her cheeks were as wet as mine felt. I frowned and cupped them in my hands. "No…don’t cry. Angels don’t cry." We stared at each other for a moment, her gray eyes flicking over my face, looking concerned and scared. I felt a happiness surge deep within me and longed to share it with her. Still cupping her face, I leaned in close. "I love you. You mean everything to me…everything." Joy overwhelmed me and I leaned in to feel that softness of her lips again.

Rough hands pulled me back and got me walking toward a boring looking building. "Jonathan, be careful with him." The other feminine voice sounded displeased at the male one behind me.

"It’s getting cold, just standing around out here. I’m not just gonna stay in this while these two make out. I’d like to get home sometime tonight." Hands shoved me forward and I reached out for my solace. She reached back, easily catching up to my shuffling form and clutching my hand tight. All was right with the world, with my angel again by my side.

Time ebbed and flowed around me, none of it making sense and none of it mattering. I had a soft hand in mine and that was all I focused on. Some part of me was conscious of moving to the nurses’ station on the first floor, where something cold and wet was placed in my free hand and a firm voice ordered me to drink it. I laughed at that until a sweeter voice asked me to drink it, and I complied. As the bland beverage hit me, my throat squeezed in sudden thirst and I finished all that was given to me in a matter of seconds. My body was forcefully shoved down onto a hard, flat square and another cold cup was given to me. I drank that one down as well.