7. Will this ever stop?
I had finally talked myself out of going to the funeral for the thirteenth time when Dean came into my room. He was in a black t-shirt and jeans. He eyed my pajamas curiously.
"C'mon, Mandi. You've got to get dressed. It's almost time to leave." he said pulling me into a hug.
"I'm not going, Dean. I've finally decided that I'm not going." I said quietly sitting on the edge of my bed.
There was a knock at my door as it opened revealing my sister, Dani thanking my R.A. for leading her to my room.
"Mandi, what's gotten into you?" Dani asked closing my door. She stopped and looked at Dean with a questioning look. "Hi. I'm Dani, Mandi's older sister."
"I'm Dean Portman, Mandi's boyfriend." Dean said feeling awkward about being in my room with my sister. "Uh, Mandi, I'll wait for you downstairs."
I watched Dean leave my room and let my eyes travel to my sister who was in a knee length black skirt and a simple black blouse.
"Mandi, I don't know what has been wrong with you lately, but you're going to the funeral. And what was he doing in your room?" Dani asked as she started rifling through my closet.
"He was trying to make me go to the funeral. It's not like we haven't slept together. He's the guy that I was telling you about a while back." I said defending Dean against my sister.
"That guy that you were friends with benefits with?" she asked pulling a pair of black jeans and contemplating them.
"Yeah. We became official a little while ago." I said taking the jeans from Dani.
"Is he good to you, Mandi?" she asked pulling out a long sleeved thermal shirt and tossing it to me.
"Yeah, he's wonderful." I said nonchalantly as I pulled the jeans and long sleeved shirt on. "I couldn't ask for anyone better. He really cares about me."
I joined Dani at my closet to search for a t-shirt. We finally settled on an Iron Maiden shirt with Eddie pulling the strings of the devil from The Number of the Beast. I pulled it on and ran a brush through my hair.
"Well, I just hope that you don't get hurt." Dani said handing me my sunglasses.
I put my sunglasses on and pulled my etnies on.
I pulled my hair into a ponytail as we walked down to the main lobby where Dean was waiting as he said he would be.
"Are you riding with me or him?" Dani asked me quietly as we approached Dean.
Dean looked at me expectantly and I looked at Dani as we stopped in front of him. I stepped closer to Dean and let him put his arm around me as I buried my face in his chest.
"I'll see you there, Mandi." Dani said waving slightly as she walked out of the lobby toward her car.
"It'll be alright, Mandi." Dean said as we started toward his car.
The gathering at the funeral was small. I knew that my parents didn't have that many friends, but it seemed that most of the friends they had were scared away by the murder/suicide. The people that were there were grouped tightly around Dani and me, as if they were trying to give us strength. I knew that none of them knew what life was like at home for us girls, and none of them had suspected what it was really like.
After the funeral was over Dani pulled me aside to tell me something important.
"When I told the administration about our parents, they told me that since you're 18 and you have a scholarship, you're good. The scholarship will get you through until graduation. I have to go, Mandi. Take care of yourself." Dani said pulling me into a hug.
"I'll talk to you later, Dani." I said returning the hug and watching my sister walk off.
Dean and I left the cemetery and headed back to Eden Hall. He held my hand to try to reassure me that everything would be alright. But I wasn't so sure. I had the strange feeling that something horrible was going to happen soon.
It wasn't long after we got back to Eden Hall that I had to get started on the editorials for the school paper, and Dean had to go to hockey practice.
The editorials were as easy and dreadfully boring as I had known it would be. When I completed it, I put it in my folder and walked down to the paper office to turn it in. jerry was there when I walked through the door.
"Oh, Mandi. I heard about your parents and I'm terribly sorry. Is there anything you want to talk about?" he said as I laid my folder on his desk.
"Thanks for your concern, Jerry, but I don't need to talk about my parents." I said walking out of the office.
I found as I walked through the halls on my way back to my dorm that people were whispering about my parents' deaths. It didn't bother me because I was finally free.
I was a little sad and shocked when I first learned the news, but I was looking forward to getting out of their suffocating grasp anyway. They were trying to make me a deadbeat like them, but I was too rebellious to let them.
Being orphaned at 18 was tragic, but it probably would have been worse if my parents had been more loving and caring. Since they were abusive, it didn't affect me that hard.
When I reached my dorm, Dean was already there. He had wet hair from his shower and a smile on his face.
"I've got a surprise that will cheer you up, Mandi." Dean said standing up and giving me a hug. "Grab your camera and come with me."
"Alright, Dean." I said grabbing my camera and following Dean out the door.
There was no way that I could have known what would have happened next.
Well lovelies, this is chapter 7. Mandi has some foreboding thoughts and feelings, but are they all in her head? Stay tuned to find out. Thank you to all of you who read and review! Show Mandi some love!!!
~cloakedauthor21
