Chereads / Jess’ Girl / Chapter 16 - Panic

Chapter 16 - Panic

During lunch, Lucy goes ahead and sits down early at the table she usually meets Lane and Dean at. As she was waiting for them to come over, she opened her backpack to take her pills and eat her lunch before she stopped.

This wasn't her backpack.

No, she thought, this couldn't be happening. Whose backpack was this then? She sifted through it with her hand quickly. She only found a pack of smokes, a comb, some novels, but that's it. Then the light bulb went off. "Jess." she breathed.

"Oh no.." she panicked. There was no way that her bag could still be back at the classroom. Jess must've taken her bag. Did he realize it was hers? He must've, his bag wasn't nearly as heavy as hers. She was starting to sweat under the pressures of trying to plan out how to get her bag back.

"No, no, no.." her composure worsened as her thoughts did too. She thought maybe Jess might rat her out to the principle. Unauthorized drugs in school, perscription or not, weren't allowed in the school. She was so screwed. She felt a heavy weight building in her chest; making it hard to breathe.

She made the bad decision of looking around, only to find people were glancing and looking at her like she was a weird carnival attraction. Just by the feeling of embarrassment Lucy was starting to feel sick. She panicked hearing people's whispers before she slipped to the floor and tried hiding. Breathing was becoming harder to do. Lucy gasped for air; drawing the attention of more students.

"Hey is she okay?"

"Somebody get the nurse!"

"Hey, hey are you okay?" people kept prodding.

Lucy stayed on the floor paralyzed finding it hard to breathe, let alone speak. "Hey, step back!" she heard a familiar voice. She saw Jess kneel down to her level. He looked at her concerned before looking at everyone else, "Beat it would ya?" he yelled at them. Slowly people dispersed.

"Lucy." he looked at her as she continued her panic attack under the table. She shook her head rapidly; whimpering under her lack of breath. Jess bit his lip, "I know, I know." he looked around, "Look, you don't have to be freaked. Everyone's gone." he assured her.

Her breathing wasn't getting any slower, and it wasn't going to in a short amount of time if Jess were right about the caffeine pills.

"I-I can't br-breathe-" Lucy gasped.

"I know. I know, it's only temporary. It'll be over soon, if you let it." Jess said soothingly. "Can I sit?" he asked. Lucy swallowed hard and tried to breath before giving up and nodding rapidly. Jess carefully scoot himself under the table beside her. He slowly took her hand in his; thinking to make up a nickname for her to seem more friendly. He sighed, "Breathe, Lucy-Lu." he said.

Lucy immediately pulled away, "No! No don't say that please..!" she gasped; panicking more. "What?" he looked confused. "T-that name--please don't say that n-name!" she begged as if it were torture. Jess nodded quickly, "Okay. Okay." he assured her.

Lucy tried focusing on her breathing. Lucy really wished she had her music with her. If only she could find it.

Jess cursed slightly to himself before thinking. He didn't want to spend the rest of lunch under the table. "Hey Lucy," he spoke up, "I've seen just about every Gene Wilder's movie..." he said; looking at her with a smirk, "But I've never actually seen Willy Wonka."

"What??"

"It's true." he said amused by her reaction. He took her hand in his again; his fingers resting discreetly on her wrist pulse. "I've never seen it."

"H-how do you know th-he songs?"

"It's over hyped." he shrugged. "Everybody can know the Oompa Loompa song and never seen a single one."

"B-blasphemy."

He chuckled, "You think so?" he said as he felt her pulse was getting a little slower. "Y-you have to watch it." she breathed out.

"I think I could spend the rest of my days content without having watched it." he said impartial to it. "N-no, you have to watch it." she took another deep breath. He smiled feeling her pulse was now steeping to regular. "Invite me over already then." he said.

Lucy closed her eyes exhaustively. She subconsciously rest her head on his shoulder and breathed out. "Rory won't mind..?" she reminded him. Jess bit his lip. He thought to himself. "No." he answered, "No she won't."

Lucy held onto his hand firmly and tried to calm down. "Okay.." she inhaled and exhaled regularly. Jess bit his lip. It's true, all his efforts to get with Rory had paid off. He still felt as though being with Rory was more rebound if anything. Rory did just break up with Dean. And whenever Jess would show public displays of affection, Rory was quick to duck them behind a tree or something. "Let's not flaunt it." she claimed. He sighed. He wanted to flaunt it. He was finally with the girl he had been pining after, only finding that it was half a sweet victory.

Jess looked down at Lucy to see she was falling asleep on him. The nurse came by a few minutes later to check up on her.

The nurse suggested the rest of the day Lucy slept in the nurse's office. Jess sat with her as the nurse called Lucy's grandpa.

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