Title – What you leave behind
Rating - PG-13, just to be on the safe side.
Summary – Abby, John and Susan as teenagers. What happens when Abby moves?
Disclaimer – I don't own anyone
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I'm lying on my back on my mattress with my arms draped across my face. I sigh to myself. It's been only 2 days since I've been here and I really want to go back. I miss my friends, my old room but most of all, my boyfriend. I've talked to John over the phone a lot and we've decided that it doesn't matter how far away we live, we're together. A long-distance-phone relationship is better than no relationship at all. It's just that I want to hold him and kiss him and that's not possible over the phone. I've talked to Susan a lot too. I really miss her as my best friend around here. I haven't been to school here so it's just been me, my mom and Eric for the past two days and I really miss someone to hang out with, other than my baby brother that is.
My mom has been off her meds since before we came here. It's actually the reason why we came here. She has been running around the house decorating it and commanding Eric and me to help. But since we were doing more harm than good we were sent to our rooms to decorate those. Of course Eric couldn't do it by himself so I had to help him, resulting in the fact that my room is still totally empty except for the one mattress on the floor where I sleep. Eric's room is totally furnished now, but since there's no paint on the walls or anything, it's not very cosy. It just has to do for now. We can go to the hardware store tomorrow since we don't start school for another week.
Maggie had made some calls and got us placed at some public school. I really don't feel like going to a school where I don't know anyone, but I have no choice. If I'm lucky I'll meet some nice people there to hang out with while I'm at school. I don't want to bring them home though. It took me a long time before I brought Susan over and then John and the others. You never know what my mom's going to do and I really don't want to take that risk. Thinking about them makes me sad. I really, really miss them.
I hear a knock on my door but I don't answer it. I just want to be alone right now. The knocking continues.
"Go away!" I shout.
"Abby?" I hear Eric's voice.
"Not now Eric" I say.
He doesn't listen and opens the door anyway. I open my eyes and look at him. He walks over to me and sits next to me on the mattress.
"Eric, I said not now" I sigh, turning my back to him, lying on my side.
Then I feel his little hand on my hair and I don't know why, but I feel tears pricking in my eyes. I have to be strong for him but I'm tired of it and I can't do it anymore. The past two days I've been telling him that it's okay and that it's going to be great here, but the fact is that I don't believe it myself. I feel miserable here and I know he probably feels the same.
"Are you okay Abby?" he asks.
I sniffle softly, not wanting to let him know that I'm crying. He's not used to me crying in front of him. Since Maggie is not much of a mother I'm the person he depends on most. He goes to me if there's something wrong. I think he sees me more as his mother than as his sister.
"Yeah I'm fine Eric" I say, trying to sound convincing. I don't think he's buying it though.
"If you're fine… then why are you crying?" he asks me in a concerned voice.
"It's nothing. I'm just a little tired"
"You have to eat something Abby. I made some sandwiches for myself because mom doesn't want to make dinner. I can make you something too"
"No thanks, I'm not hungry. But it's very sweet of you" I wipe my eyes before turning to him.
"Have you had enough to eat?"
He nods vigorously.
"Okay that's good. I think you should go to bed soon. It's almost eight and we have to get up early tomorrow so we can get paint for your room"
His face turns happy for a second but then sad again.
"Abby, I don't like my room. I can't go to sleep in it. It has all this scary noises and stupid shadows on the wall. I really don't like it Abby" he says with a pouting face.
I feel bad for him. I'm thinking about the best way I can solve this.
"Do you want to sleep here with me?" I ask.
"Really? Just like in the other house when mom was away and I was scared and couldn't sleep?"
"Sure, hop in!" I say, patting on the space next to me.
This brings a smile to his face and he quickly lies down next to me. I grab a blanket from the end of my bed and drape it over him. He cuddles closer to me and I hold him until he falls asleep.
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I'm woken by the sound of my cell phone. I look at my watch and see that it's only ten o'clock at night. It's feels later though. I guess I've fallen asleep along with Eric. I look at my little brother sleeping in my arms, not bothered by the sound of my phone at all. I untangle myself from him, careful not to wake him. I grab my phone, seeing Susan's home number flashing in the screen. I walk out of the room quickly so I won't wake Eric and I walk into his room, sitting on his bed.
"Hey" I finally answer my phone.
"Hey Abs" I hear Susan's cheery voice. "What took you so long to answer it?"
"I'm sorry. I fell asleep and I didn't want to wake Eric so I had to get out of the room"
"I thought you both had your own room" Susan says.
"Yeah well, he finds his room scary so he's sleeping with me tonight. We're going to paint his room tomorrow so it'll be fine then"
"How's your room? More furnished then when I last talked to you I hope…"
"That was morning Susan. I haven't really had the time to get to my room yet. First Eric needs a good room, and then I'll get to mine"
"I'm sorry I can't help you with this Ab"
"It's not your fault" I sigh. "I'll survive"
"So, how's your mom?"
"Well, apart from the fact that she's been manic, that she doesn't want to make dinner for Eric and that she hasn't noticed that the house is a mess apart from my room where really is nothing in it, I think she's doing great. But on the other hand, I haven't really talked to her so I wouldn't know"
"I guess I don't have to ask how you're doing" Susan says and I can hear in her voice that she feels sorry for me.
"Yeah well, this whole situation sucks and I really miss you and John and the others and-" but then I get a lump in my throat and I can't talk anymore.
"Abby, are you still there?"
"Yeah" I manage in a high pitched voice. "I'm sorry, it's just that-"
"Yeah, I know. We miss you too. John's been here all day because he didn't want to be alone. He's been miserable. He sat at my bed and cried for half an hour. I've never seen him cry before. I don't know what to do with that"
"He cried?"
"Owh yeah" Susan says "It made me really uncomfortable you know…"
"I can imagine" I say, smiling a little bit as I imagine Susans face when she says this. But then I hear my mother calling my name.
"Hey Suz, my mother is calling me so I better go. Talk to you tomorrow?"
"You betcha!" Susan says. "Owh no, wait! What do I tell the people at school?"
I sigh. I hadn't even thought about that.
"Ehmm, just tell the truth, but leave my mother out of it"
"Okay sure. Hang in there Ab! I'll call you tomorrow. Give Eric a hug for me okay?"
"Will do. Thanks Suz"
"Sure, bye"
"Bye" and then I click my phone shut. Suddenly the whole house is quiet. I'm not used to this house myself and sitting here, I understand why Eric doesn't like his room. There are no curtains so you can see the shadows of the trees outside moving on the walls all the time. I make a mental note to get him some curtains tomorrow too. Then the door opens and Maggie steps in.
"Abby I called you. What are you doing here?"
"I was on the phone. Eric's asleep in my room and I didn't want to wake him, so…"
"Why is he in your room?" Maggie asks
"Because he finds his room scary" I say in an accusing tone. I don't think she gets it though.
"Well, he'll just have to get used to it"
"Mom, he's eight years old! From one moment to the next his whole life has changed and he's living in another house. I think it's perfectly normal that he's scared"
"Don't take that tone with me Abby! I'm only trying to do what's best for you and Eric!"
"What's best for us? Are you serious? We were perfectly happy where we were mom! We had friends and school, and, and… everything! Our whole life was there! But then from one day to the next you decide that we have to move! Now we have nothing. Our house is a mess! Have you seen my room? It's one mattress mom!" I say, totally frustrated now. I can't contain myself anymore. I just have to get it all out.
"Why is it that I can't do anything right with you Abby?" Maggie says. "Everything I do you disapprove of"
"Well maybe if you took your meds sometimes, you could see what you are doing wrong. Just a suggestion" I say bitterly.
Maggie looks at me with pure hate in her eyes. I don't care though. I've had enough of this.
"Go to your room now!" Maggie says angrily, pointing in the direction of my room.
"Happily" I spit back and I walk past her, slamming the door shut behind me, leaving her alone in Eric's dark room. I run to my room and once I'm inside I close the door quickly and lean my back against it. I'm trying really hard to keep the tears from falling, but it doesn't work. I haven't cried as much in my life as I have in these past two days, but I don't care. My life is so messed up right now. With the tears still streaming down my face I quietly change into my pyjamas and then crawl on my mattress next to Eric. I grab another blanket and drape it over myself and cuddling Eric close to me, my tears finally slow down and then I'm asleep.
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A/N: Well, that was chapter two. Kinda sad, I know, but I need this for the rest of the story. I really liked the suggestion from Erdoctor15, to jump ahead in time and have her come back, but I'd already thought of this. Although I think I'm going to do that later on in the story. I have a whole storyline planned out now and it could work very well. So thanks for reviewing! Thanks to everybody who reviewed by the way! If you have some suggestions or things you'd like to see in this story, leave me a review and I'll see if I can work it in. Well anyway, I hope you'd enjoyed this chapter… There'll be more John in it later, I promise… but this is it for now, so leave me a review and tell me what you think of it! Thanks…