Song: A Love Like War by All Time Low. I just discovered this song and I'm absolutely obsessed with it.

I lapsed back into my ordinary routine for the next two weeks: dragging myself from class to class, going to the band room at lunch, and, most of all, avoiding Wesley and Aimee.

Every time Aimee saw me she'd give me a dirty look which I would return indifferently. I didn't understand her attitude. All I had done was talk to him. I did what she asked, though. If I ever saw Wesley sauntering down a hallway, I'd flee in the opposite direction.

To make matters worse, my dad and I had another drunk run-in. I fled before he could do anything and stayed at Elise's house again.

Elise still didn't know what was going on with my dad. I just hoped he'd get over his drinking soon. He kept getting too shit-faced to remember what he did by the time he sobered up again.

My increasing stress level caused more panic attacks. I had four more, each one worse than the last. And with each one, I fell further and further into a depression.

I'd never been terribly depressed before. I mean, every teenager has that down-in-the-dumps thing going on. But this was different. This was an inability to drag myself out of bed every morning because life just wasn't worth it. It was not being able to eat because I never had an appetite anymore. It was staring listlessly at a wall for an hour because I couldn't bring myself to do anything else.

I think Elise had noticed but she didn't say anything. She probably thought it was my mom's absence that was making me feel like this. I tried my best to act like my normal self around her, just so she didn't get too worried.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When the lunch bell rang on Thursday, I made my way down to the band room as per usual. My day had been downright terrible today. I'd gotten my failed U.S. history test back and all of my classes that morning were boring and much too long.

Of course, today out of all days, the band room was locked. Our band director must have been absent or something. She always left it unlocked unless she was out of the building.

I kicked the door angrily. This meant I had to sit in the cafeteria with the rest of the school. I stormed sulkily to the cafeteria.

I caught sight of Rodney immediately. He was sitting by himself at a lunch table. I sat down across from him, ignoring Aimee's glare from the table next to us. She was sitting with Wesley and the rest of the jocks and their girlfriends.

Rodney and I talked for a couple of minutes, munching on his chicken nuggets. Then all of a sudden I heard my name being said from Aimee's table and some snickers.

I think that's what broke me. My dad had been drunk again last night and I'd slept in my car, only sneaking back in this morning. Hearing people gossiping about me was the last straw.

I felt the tremors of a panic attack beginning to surge through me. Gasping, I jumped up, only to stagger a little to my right. The numbing heat was moving up my arms and soon I was leaning against the lunch table, bracing myself with my hands, and hyperventilating.

The cafeteria started going quiet and I could feel people's gazes shift to me. That obviously didn't help. Their whispers became a roaring in my ears and the walls began closing in.

Suddenly, I heard my name being yelled. The deep voice pierced the rushing sound in my ears. Someone grabbed my arms and turned me towards them. I didn't register anything else until the person took my right hand and placed it on their chest and tipped my chin up so I was looking into a pair of blue eyes.

Under my right hand, I could feel a steady heartbeat. The person's breaths fanned steadily over my face and the blue eyes stared intently into mine. I stared back, getting lost in the blue irises.

I calmed down, my breaths becoming more and more steady, until I could register what was going on around me. I was pressed up against a lunch table and people had formed a loose circle around where I was standing, staring at me. Everything was absolutely silent.

Then I realized who was holding me. Wesley Hannigan. One of his hands was pressing mine to his chest, his other one holding me up by my waist. His blue eyes were searching my face worriedly.

I let out a gust of air and stared right back at him. Then a wave of nausea came over me and I collapsed against his chest.

Wesley caught me easily, scooping me into his arms in one swift movement. He  turned towards the exit of the cafeteria and called to one of his friends who grabbed my stuff and fell into step beside Wesley. They pushed through the crowd that had formed and left the cafeteria. We were heading to the nurse's office.

"No," I murmured. I felt Wesley stop.

"What's wrong?" he whispered, looking at me intently.

"Not the nurse. She can't... My dad... He can't know," I managed and let my head nestle into the crook of Wesley's neck. He smelled so good. Like cologne, clean laundry, and boy.

"Okay. He won't find out. Go to sleep," he whispered, turning towards the exit.

I felt a cool breeze hit my face as I drifted out of consciousness.