Read Reaching Rose (Hunter Hill University Book 3) for Free Online Page B

exasperated. "C'mon, girl." She gives up on me and pushes me to an empty table. "I'll have your lunch brought to you." Nina walks away, leaving me alone and paranoid.
    I'm so hyper-aware all of a sudden. It's as if that breakdown I had the other day broke my shut-off valve and turned on my emotions. I don't like it at all. Closing my eyes, I try to slink back into my daydreams and shut the room out so that I'm alone with my past. But it doesn't come. I close my eyes tighter, willing my past life, before the accident, to appear behind my eyelids, but it remains black, the sounds of the rec room breaking in too loudly for me to get there. Wetness takes the place where my dreams should be. No. I won't let them fall. Damn these tears. Why did I have to break down the other day? Why couldn't I just remain empty and emotionless? Damn that chocolate pudding. He did this to me. He broke through my resolve. He made me feel again.

8
     
    BEN
     
    "You're gonna sprain an eyelid or two closing them so tight. At the very least you're gonna give yourself a headache."
    Her eyes pop open and she moves her joystick so she's backed away from me an inch.
    "I don't have leprosy or anything like that, if that's what you're concerned about." I know she isn’t concerned about that, but I wanted to try to make her laugh. I failed.
    She turns her chair to the left, positioning her back to the table.
    I'm about to say, "It's gonna be hard to eat with your back to the table," but I refrain, realizing she's turned her scarred side away from me. I see the aide walk in with Rose's food and signal her to bring it to the table next to where we're sitting. I move to my table, grab my tray, set it on my lap, and wheel myself to the table that Rose is facing. "Sit here with me?" I ask her, rather than tell her.
    She eyes her food, but then looks back at her lap.
    "Come on. Really. I don't bite." I try to keep my voice sincere; my intent really isn't to be obnoxious and annoy her.
    Her lip quirks, but she doesn't move forward. Instead, she remains with her back up against the other table and stares at her hands on her lap.
    I don't continue to stare at her; that would just be rude. So I return to finishing the lunch on my tray and try to come up with something I can say that would make her smile. My brain comes up empty.
    "Hey, Ben." I hear his joyful voice across the room. If he could move his limbs, I'm sure his arm would be waving wildly.
    "Johnny. Dude."
    He maneuvers his chair by blowing into a straw-like tube and makes his way over to me. With a heavy breath, he says, "Mind if I eat here?"
    "No, dude, be my guest."
    "And you don't mind my being spoon-fed like a baby?"
    "Cut the shit. You know I don't."
    "Just thought after you saw it once, you might've, maybe, got repulsed by me."
    "Right. Johnny, this is Rose," I say, nodding my head in her direction. "Rose, this is Johnny."
    Rose's eyes rise, but she doesn't lift her head.
    "Hey, Rose. Nice to meet you."
    Johnny looks at her, waiting for a reaction, then he looks at me. "The girl who doesn't talk, right?" he whispers unsuccessfully.
    I roll my eyes, but out of the corner of one, I see her grimace.
    "And he's the boy who can't move," I say jokingly to Rose.
    "He's got that right," Johnny says, chuckling, still waiting for a reaction from our mute friend.
    "So, how's therapy going?"
    "Eh. Same ol’. Someone else moving my legs for me and shit."
    I just nod, because, yeah...that sucks.
    "It's all part of the game, Ben. Gotta have faith, right?"
    Again, I nod, but this time I try to say something encouraging. "Gotta have faith, man. You'll be fixing your mom's gutters again in no time." I just wish I could believe that for him. But he does, and maybe that's all it takes for him to actually do it.
    "Damn right I'll be up there. Mom's got no one. She counts on me."
    I take a bite of my sandwich, but when I look up, Johnny's got that frown again. Though he swipes it away when he sees me notice.
    "Hey,