Classes always had a way of draining Jenna, they made her feel like lesser version of a human being whenever she was in the presence of everyone else, it felt like a there was an invisible line dividing her and everyone else. A line that she couldn't cross no matter what she did.
She knew everyone else had a demon or a battle that they were battling with, she sometimes saw girls who dug their nails deep and hard into their skins whenever they were uncomfortable, she saw people who threw up just at the sight of food, but yet she felt none of them could hold a candle to her suffering.
It was like her life had already been predetermined by someone before she even graced the earth with her meager presence. Jenna hated the fact that she was a slave to a destiny she felt she didn't deserve.
Her mother once told her that everyone in that house was a sinner in their past life and they were born through her to atone for their sins and suffer for everything they probably did.
On some days she didn't believe it, but on days like these when the sun felt too hot, the sweat dripping down her face and back felt like acid, her tongue felt too dry and her saliva tasted like poison, did she believe her mother's words.
Jenna wanted to live, she wanted to experience the joys of life that was portrayed on the television screen, she wanted to experience every single emotion that existed but it seemed like she was only limited to pain, sadness, and tiredness.
She tried being angry once but she realized it required way too much energy than her body had to offer and thus she buried that emotion deep within her where it raged like a storm caged in a bottle waiting to be broken free.
Her vision blurred, the sun felt like daggers piercing her eyes and she had to squint just so she could see. Jenna knew if she tripped and fell here no one would care, she was an outcast, at the bottom of food chain, a social pariah.
Everyone looked down on her and she didn't mind one bit, she didn't have the time or energy to keep up with the hassles of friendships and the false pretense of love in a relationship.
Her stomach rumbled in protest; a protest that was going to be ignored due to the fact that she had no money on her to even bother getting a bottle of water.
After a while her stomach stopped rumbling because even rumbling required energy of which she had none left, the only energy she had was the one she was using to get home and nothing else.
She could feel herself growing weaker with each step she took, and it began to feel like she was walking on pins and needles.
Her eyes shifted to the ground where she watched her shadow, it was just as weary as she was and it was all her fault. She knew her actions affected not only her but her shadow as well, yet she let her distaste for her father stop her from eating and building up the much-needed nutrients.
She felt remorseful and disappointed in herself that she couldn't take care of the one person who had stuck with her through thick and thin.
"Hey there" a cheery voice called out, with her eyes still focused on her shadow she watched another shadow approach hers. "You're the girl who gave me directions this morning right?"
Jenna looked up and grimaced at the happy face in front of her. She hated people who smiled, because it was something she couldn't bring herself to do.
"Are you alright?" he asked as he took a step closer to her, she took one back. He paused and stared at her carefully. "You look like a frightened animal"
Jenna wanted to speak but her mouth wouldn't open, it probably had something to do with the fact that her tongue was dry and felt like sandpaper in her mouth brushing against her teeth.
Sucking in a breath Jenna watched as his hands raised slowly and she felt a cool palm on her forehead. "I think you're running a fever"
"No shit sherlock" the voice said with irritation lacing its voice, "even a blind person can see that!"
Jenna pushed his hand away, she didn't like being touched by strangers, most especially by the man that stared at her with worry and interest written all over his face. It was appalling and frightening to have someone look at her that way and it made her want to shrink away from his gaze and bury herself somewhere far away from his prying eyes.
Jenna could feel the delirium about to hit, she wished she had stayed home. It was the fever, she knew if she didn't get home on time she'd end up doing and saying things she didn't mean, and she didn't want to do it in front of a complete stranger that she had been completely rude to earlier in the day.
The sun suddenly felt hotter and she felt light on her feet, like a fairy that was preparing to spread her wings and fly. A hand slid behind Jenna's back and guided her slowly out of the school gate.
"What are you doing right now?!" the voice all but screamed in her head.
She wished she knew as well, but she didn't. She was too tired and out of it to notice anything happening around her, all she knew was that she was being guided somewhere.
She could feel her pace slowing, she didn't have the energy to walk any further and she could hear herself gasping for air and it made hot tears sting the back of her eyes as a feeling of helplessness enveloped her like a shroud.
After a few more steps Jenna felt her foot leave the ground, she should have been startled but she wasn't even in the right state of mind for that and the pounding in her head wasn't helping things.
"Padron me" Adam said as he held her against his chest bridal style.
It was new for her, no one had ever held her that way, it made her feel weird all over, it momentarily distracted her from the pounding in her head and the voice that wouldn't stop talking in her head.
It was the first time Jenna had felt that light in her life, it felt like she was floating on clouds. At least she could say before she died that she got to experience something from a tv show.
"My organs aren't worth as much as you might be thinking" Jenna said when she looked up and her eyes met his strong jawline, "believe me"
He chuckled and it vibrated his chest and Jenna felt the vibration down to the tip of her toes, a feeling she never knew had existed previously.
"Believe me when I say I want nothing to do with your organs" he said in a bid to reassure her.
Jenna nodded, half believing and half tired. She didn't even have the energy to be wary or fight him off if he even decided that he'd take his chances with her organs.
*
Mallory jogged, almost running to the park where her boss had texted her to meet him. During moments like this she found him unbearable, the way he bossed her around with a nice smile on his face.
She didn't hate him, he paid way too much for her to harbor such a feeling for him in her heart, if anything she adored him. He was everything she wanted in a man; he was tall, confident, sexy as hell, handsome to boot and most important of all gold spoon rich.
He had met his fair share of women but it never went past date nights that didn't extend to his personal home, he liked his space and boundaries and it took her two years on the job before she even found out what the color of his front door looked like.
The image that awaited Mallory as she came to a halt surprised her, along with the words he uttered, it had her confused and wondering if she was lucid dreaming. In front of her sat her boss with the girl from the morning nestled comfortably in his laps, a place she had dreamed of multiple times when she lay awake at night with her hands between her thighs.
"Here are the keys" Adam said as he motioned for her to collect the car keys from him, "drive us to my house"