Take Me With You Read Free Page B

minute he goes back to school Monday.
    “Yeah, sure. You’re not even here.”
    The way he easily accepts my request to keep this between us, maybe it means he won’t tell anyone after all. If he’s here there’s obviously a reason for it, probably something having to do with all the torture me and the others put him through; so maybe he’s as invested in keeping this quiet as I am.
    I can hope anyway.
    No one can know about this. It’s bad enough that I’ve gotta do it, but having the others find out about it, no fucking way. Secrets are called that for a reason. If we wanted the whole world to know our shit we’d get up on the top of a building and shout it out to them. The fact that we keep them so close to the vest, it means that it’s better off not knowing.
    I can’t have people knowing what I do to myself or even what was done to me. Those are my secrets and just like I won’t ever tell my mom, I won’t tell anyone else either. Not even some stuffy doctor that thinks because he’s got a degree it makes him trustworthy. If anything, all being here is gonna do is make me clam up even more.
    Eric Carmen. Another one of the special kids we’ve chosen over the years and tortured the living hell out of. Of course he would be the one that found me here. Now that he caught me though, I can’t help being curious to why he’s even here at all.
    Is it because of the things we’ve done to him, or is there more going on with him than just being in a class with the rest of the “special” kids?
    Before I can give it much thought, the old dinosaur across from me starts speaking and I’m brought back to the real reason I’m here. Time to put Eric and the whole incident that just happened out of my head and put my game face on.
    “Let me start by introducing myself. I’m Dr. Thompson and for the next several months or however long you feel is needed, I’m here for you, Amelia.”
    “Amy.”
    “Excuse me?”
    “My name—it’s Amy. I don’t go by Amelia anymore.”
    Shit. Not even here five minutes and already giving this guy material to use in order to head shrink me.
    Note to self: Keep your mouth shut.
    “Alright then, Amy it is.” He says, taking me by surprise. Maybe this guy’s not as good as everyone thinks. Telling him I don’t go by Amelia should have opened the door for a shit load of questions, but he’s not asking me anything.
    “I don’t really think I need to be here.”
    He chuckles and the way it sounds, it reminds me of someone better left forgotten. He used to laugh the same way. He also used to level me with the same look as the shrink is now. Shit. I really need to get the hell out of here.
    “Most people believe the same thing when they sit across from me for the first time, but it’s been proven that everyone that ends up here, does indeed need to be here.”
    “Well I don’t, so can we just move it along?”
    “Can you tell me why you’re in such a hurry to get out of here?”
    My goal when my mom forced me to come here was to just say whatever I needed to in order to get the fuck out of here, but the way he’s looking at me, his undivided attention on me, it changes everything.
    Opening my mouth, prepared to tell him that I’ve got somewhere more important to be, I’m blown away when that’s the last thing that comes out.
    “I need to get out of here because things are going to get worse if I stay.”
     
    Eric
     
    “Do you think we can keep this between us?”
    It’s been over three hours since she asked me that, but I haven’t been able to let it go. It’s made even worse because right along with her question, I can easily pull up the image of her arm, the burns on it and any attempt at forgetting is thrown out the window.
    How weird is it that the girl that goes out of her way to burn other kids every day at school is the one walking around with so many that you can barely make out burn from skin?
    I can’t care about this. Whatever the reason is for her