"Cameron?" My ears twitch when I hear my name called. I duck my head further behind the bookcase, biting down hard on my lip so as not to be found. Footsteps sound on the other side of it and I press myself even closer to the wood and books.

The smell of old paper and ink fills my nose and I close my eyes as a headache begins to spring to life under my temples. These aren't my types of smells. My types consist of oil paints and canvases and pencils.

"Cameron? Weird, she must not be here."

"She probably went home already." Another said and a sigh of relief passes my lips at having escaped my two best friends. Their footsteps retreat, getting further and further away from my hiding place and I.

As soon as I know they're gone I lean back and sit against another bookcase parallel to the one I'd been pressed up against. My hand comes up to my shirt and I grip the spot over my heart.

"Thank god they're gone." I whispered as I feel the fast beat against my hand. It's unnaturally fast and I grimace at the pain I feel. Sweat forms on my brow and my breathing becomes labored.

Here it comes.

Fear begins encompassing me and I grit my teeth together as my muscles tense before relaxing. A hiccup of a sob escapes me and it feels as if invisible walls are slowly closing down around me, sealing me off from the rest of the world.

I lean my head back against the shelf and squeeze my eyes shut, willing this attack to quickly pass. It does anything but and I can feel tears threatening to fall. I bang my free hand on the ground hoping to relieve some of what I feel. It doesn't work and I find myself curling inward, pulling my knees to my chest and bowing my head.

It only makes me feel like I'm suffocating more. There's no escape, no matter what I do and the tears that were just threatening earlier escape and run down my cheeks before dampening my jeans.

"Hey, are you alright?" I vaguely hear someone ask, but my hearing goes in and out and I'm not sure if I just imagined it or not. The next thing I know someone's hand is coming to rest gently on my shoulder. I jump and look over at the stranger who's found me.

The edges of my vision are darker so I can't make them out too well. My heart chooses then to thump painfully hard and my hand flies out and grips tightly on this strangers shirt.

"Make it stop." I cried as I pull myself closer to them, burying my face in their chest. For a moment the stranger is completely still and then I feel them slowly wrap their arms around me, pulling me closer.

"It's alright. It'll be okay, just breathe. Keep your eyes closed. Picture something amazing. Something that completely stuns you. Picture your world." Their voice is soft and gentle and I can feel their fingers running through my straight, brown locks of hair.

Something amazing.

My thoughts shift from my painful attack to that of my favorite place in this small town. The art room at school. It's the place filled with my favorite smells and atmosphere. I can practically smell it now just thinking about the place.

My heart starts to slow down and my body begins to relax against this stranger. I breathe out slowly and shudder as goosebumps start rising over my skin. My entire body begins shaking and I suddenly feel very cold.

"That's it. You're doing good." They whispered and I grip on tighter to their shirt. "You're doing amazing." Another hiccup escapes me and they start humming a soft song into my ear which seems to be the last thing I need to completely escape my attack.

I stay against my savior for another moment before slowly pulling back from them. I rub at my eyes before blinking a few times to clear my vision. As soon as it's clear I look up at this kind person who decided to help me.

My eyes widen as they land on Sean, the teen prodigy of our school.

"S-S-Sean! Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-I mean-I didn't-" I bow my head in embarrassment and shame at having been seen having an attack like that by this guy who's adored by all at school. "I'm sorry." I whispered.

My chin is tipped upwards and I'm forced to meet smiling and kind, light blue eyes that still hold a note of concern in them. He's smiling brightly down at me and my heart starts beating fast once more.

"Hey, there's no need to apologize. You don't control when you have panic attacks like that, they just happen. Are you okay now?" I bite down on my lip, doing my best to restrain my tears from falling.

I've already caused him enough trouble today.

I nod and pull my chin away from his hand. Neither of us says anything after that and the silence becomes too much for me to handle. I scurry to stand up and grab my things.

"Again, I'm sorry." I said before hurrying off.

***

"Oh god. What was I thinking? Letting an attack like that happen at school! God, I'm such an idiot!" I scold myself as I hurry down the steps of the school building, taking them two at a time. I just want to get as far away from here as possible.

Preferably somewhere I can curl up in the dark and just be alone.

"Hey, hold up!" I jump at how close the voice is and lose my footing on the stairs. My heart thumps painfully slow in my chest and I fall forward and towards the rest of the stairs.

Before I even have a chance to hit them a strong and calloused hand wraps around my bicep and jerks me backwards. I slam against their chest and choke out a breath of surprise.

"Holy crap that was way too close for comfort." I look up and behind me into Sean's smiling face. "I'm just saving you all over today." My face must turn eight different shades of red at that and I pull away from Sean, stepping two steps down to put some distance between us.

"I'm so, so, so sorry. I just keep causing you all these problems and I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry." I said, squeezing my eyes shut so I don't have to see the annoyed look that must be on his face.

God, why am I like this? Just causing problems for everyone?

I can feel my anxiety take hold of me at that and my breathing starts becoming labored once more.

I'm terrible. I'm a nuisance to everyone around me. Jesus, why can't I be better?

I reach up and grip the spot over my chest where my heart beats away at my rib cage. Sean's hand comes down on my shoulders, then, and I open my eyes as I look up into his concerned face.

"Hey, it's alright. I'm not troubled in the least." My anxiety seems to lessen at that, but my free hand still curls into a fist.

He's just saying that. He doesn't mean it.

A small, nagging voice whispers in the back of my mind. I bite down on my lip at that.

"Really, Cameron, I'm not."

"How do you know my name?" I asked, bowing my head as I try to calm my racing heart.

"How could I not know the painting prodigy of our school?" I snort at that and look towards the trees beside us.

"I'm not really a prodigy."

"Well, everyone seems to think I am, so if I say you're one then it must be true." For the first time today a smile that isn't forced tips my lips upwards. A gentle hand comes up and a thumb runs over my upturned mouth. I look up at Sean, my eyes wide at the kind smile he wears. "There's that smile I see whenever you paint." I blush once more and quickly look away.

"You're the first one." I said my voice still tiny.

"First one?"

"You didn't tell me to calm down during my attack earlier and again, a few moments ago when it started happening again. Everyone always tells me to calm down." My smile falters and I look down at the ground.

"If it were as simple as saying the words calm down, then you wouldn't be having the attack in the first place." I nod in agreement and start toying with the edge of my shirt.

"Exactly." We fall into a long silence at that until my phone starts going off in my back pocket. I look at the name and my frown only seems to increase as I read my friends name on the screen. "I-I need to go. Bye, Sean."

"See ya around Cameron."

***

"Seriously, what's up with you?" I bow my head more at the annoyance radiating in Kim's voice. She always knows how to make my day get a little darker, though I know she doesn't mean to. "First, you ditch Emma and I yesterday and then you don't even answer my calls. Did something happen?" I look up just as Sean leaves a classroom at the end of the hall. Immediately I look somewhere else and hope like hell he doesn't notice me.

It's then that Kim gets unnaturally close.

"Did you have another attack?" I freeze up at that and we both stop walking altogether. "You did, didn't you?" Kim turns me towards her, placing both her hands on my shoulders. "Why didn't you tell me? I could have been there for you." There's a kindness in her voice that I appreciate, but it's almost drowned out by the pity I see when I glance up into her face. When I remain quiet she gives me a gentle shake, trying to grab my attention. "Are you listening to me?" Without thinking I remove her hands from my shoulders as I say,

"It's not all about you, Kim." There's a slight annoyance in my voice that surprises us both and I instantly regret what I just said. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean that, really. Kim, I'm sorry." My chest starts rising and falling at that unnaturally fast pace and my breathing starts becoming labored. "I'm so, so, so sorry. I don't know what came over me and I swear I didn't mean it." Kim blinks twice and by then I'm getting into full on panic mode. "Please don't hate me! I really want us to stay friends. I'm so sorry!" I can feel the tears threatening my eyes and I know I must look psycho or something.

"Woah, it's okay Cam, don't worry about it. It's fine, really. I'm not angry." Her eyes dart around us and I know people must be watching. She smiles down at me and I can see the worry there in her eyes. "Just calm down." My hand comes up and grips onto the spot above my heart as the edges of my vision turn darker. The sounds of whispers and gossip enclose around me and those invisible walls start closing in on me once more.

The next thing I know I'm being picked up, though by who I've no idea.

"It's alright. It'll be okay."

"Sean?" I question quietly as my hand comes up and grips on tightly to a white shirt. His breath runs over my ear as he whispers,

"None other darling. Just hold on, I'll get you out of here." I don't say anything to that, just nod and bury my face into his neck. Breathing in deeply I smell the art room I love so much. It calms me down slightly and I grip onto him tighter. The whispers that had been all around me become drowned out by off-key humming and the gentle sway of being carried helps to ease away the fear. "You're doing good, Cam. Keep doing what you're doing. Just close your eyes and imagine your world." Sean whispers and I nod as I do just that.

I imagine my world. My art room. The smells of oil paints and pencils and paper. I envision everything that's right and nothing that's wrong.

"It's beautiful." I mumble under my breath and my heart slows down to a normal rhythm. The invisible walls leave and the fear completely vanishes. My body starts to shake and goosebumps rise over my skin once more. "I'm not sure what's worse. The actual attack or the after effects." I said as I shudder from the cold. Sean just chuckles at that and I finally pull away and open my eyes so I can see just where we're going. We've yet to actually stop moving.

I'm surprised to find that we're outside the school building. My eyes zero in on a tree that Sean seems to be heading towards.

"We're outside?" I questioned and Sean's hair tickles my forehead as he nods.

"I figured you wanted as little people as possible to see you having an attack so I brought you out here." I nod and look down at the ground.

"I'm sorry...for causing you more trouble." Sean laughs at that and sets me down on the grass. As he takes a seat beside me he says,

"If it were really as much trouble as you seem to think it is, then I wouldn't be helping." I pull my knees up to my chest and wrap my arms around them.

"Yeah, but I just keep being a nuisance. You shouldn't have to help me and yet I keep dragging you into my own problems and I'm just so sor-" Before I can finish speaking Sean presses his palm to my mouth, effectively silencing me. My eyes meet his and he smiles brightly.

"No more apologies out of you. I'm tired of hearing them." He removes his hand from my mouth after that and I chew on my bottom lip.

Of course. It's just a bother if I keep saying it. I know I'm just an annoyance.

"I'm-" I stop myself before I can get the rest of the sentence out and frown, looking away from Sean. He moves closer and nudges me gently before saying,

"When someone helps you when you're in trouble you should tell them 'thank you' not 'I'm sorry'. Try it, I'm sure it'll make you feel a lot better." I look up and into Sean's bright eyes and there's only happiness in them with a tinge of worry for me. My chest tightens and I have to look away from him as I whisper,

"Thank you, Sean." A weight feels like it's lifted from my shoulders at the two words and I'm honestly surprised that I do feel slightly better. Unlike with 'sorry' I'm letting go of most of my fear and worry with 'thank you'. I breathe deeply before letting it go slowly and looking up into Sean's eyes. He only gives me a big, toothy grin as he reaches up and ruffles my hair.

"You're welcome, Cameron."

I think this one is probably one of my absolute favorites outside of Day 1. I absolutely love Cameron and Sean in this story and it feels a little refreshing leaving theirs off without a definite or obvious to whether or not they're dating afterwards. I mean, I'm sure we can all guess the answer ;) but it's still nice not having it thrown in our faces.

If you enjoyed the story this time around don't forget to hit that star button and please, please, please drop a comment on your favorite one so far out of these 11 stories. I love hearing from you. Also, if there's someone you think would enjoy this story (or any of the previous ones), or the collection in general go ahead and share it with them. Let's grow this Bookoholic army. Until tomorrow!