Samantha - Rebecca being weird part 2

Okay, so on with what happened yesterday. Usually; Lilyana, Melanthe and I  walk home together (unless we have better things to do), but yesterday I decided that I had to talk to Rebecca, which meant staying late. I knew that for whatever reason Rebecca might skip school, she'd never, ever miss ballet. She throws her soul into her dancing, so I knew that no matter what; she'd be there. So I did my homework in the library until six, which was when her class got out. I grabbed my backpack ad ran into the courtyard; hoping beyond ope that I hadn't missed her. But no, there she was,

Walking down the schools long driveway, her purple hat stark against the gloomy late afternoon. I could see the silver gleam of her ballet bag over her shoulder. 

" Hey! Rebecca!" I called, cupping my hand around my mouth. She didn't turn around. "Rebecca!" I shouted again, and I winced at how loud and annoying it sounded in the crisp fall air. Still she didn't turn around, or speed up, or give any indication that she'd heard me - which of course she must have. I sighed in exasperation, and began to run after her, short puffs of air exploding into the chilly afternoon, my footsteps pounding on the asphalt. 

Finally I caught up to her. I stepped in front of her, panting, blocking her path. 

" What the hell, Rebecca?" I said, grabbing her arm as she tried to get around me. She flinched, yanking her arm out of my grasp. 

 " What?" She said, her tone bored, as though she hadn't skipped school for no reason whatsoever.
" What do you mean, what? You know perfectly well what!" I said angrily, mentally groaning at how   parent-ish I sounded.

" I was sick, Samantha." She said, in a well-duh kind of voice, rolling her eyes. But she refused to meet my eyes, her large hazel orbs sliding down my face to focus on the ground. 

" Come on, Rebecca. Where were you today? The teachers were freaking out, like, totally."She shrugged.

"Yeah? So what. I'll just tell them I was sick, okay?"

" But you weren't. This isn't like you."

" Samantha  - " she started, then stopped. "Nevermind."

" You weren't sick. You were at dance, right? I challenged, knowing how weak an argument that was. That girl would probably go to her dance class if our house was on fire. Mercifully, she let that pas without comment, saying only:

" It doesn't matter, Samantha. Really." She turned as if to go.

" Come on, Rebecca." I said, exasperated. "What the hell is going on? 

" Do you ever feel restless, Samantha?"

"What?" I said, surprised. " Er....yeah, I guess."

" Like you can't stand to be here anymore, like an ache so deep inside of you that you can't go anything about it. And sometimes you can't control yourself anymore, and it's like you're falling, but you don't know where, or why. You don't know who you are anymore." Her voice was low, but her words sounded foreign to me.

" What are you talking about, Rebecca?" Maybe she was sick. Like, delirious, or something. "Do you feel ok?"

" Like you're being chased," she went on "but you don't know what's chasing you, and nobody else can see it but you, and even you can't sometimes. And its like you can't go on another moment, you have to run, or escape, but you know you can't.  You know you can't get rid of whatever it is that feels so wrong. And you know that you shouldn't feel this way; that it's wrong - that you're wrong, somehow. But you do."

" Are we still talking about why you weren't at school?" I asked, confused. "Because are so going to be in so much trouble if you don't have a legitimate excuse. " She sighed. 

" Listen, never mind, okay?"

"Huh?"

" I was sick, alright?"

"Rebecca, what..?"

" Today. i stayed home sick. Just....leave it at that."

" Rebecca, I don't-?"

" Drop it, okay, Samantha. I shouldn't have said anything, I just....." She stopped, and shrugged, scuffed her shoes on the rough pavement. " I thought maybe... it doesn't matter." 

"  Rebecca, wait!" I called, still confused. What was she talking about. But she was gone, her bright hat disappearing around the corner; and i knew he wouldn't be home for dinner. 

Samantha