Chapter 37
Jill Valentine
College in Korea, was Piers kidding? Not that I wasn't happy for him but what if him and Chaerin don't work out? What if they break up, he'd be stuck going to school in a different country with no one to help him out. Honestly, maybe that wasn't my worry. It was all happening too fast. I was losing my best friend, he'd been spending so much time with Chaerin and I think he's starting to forget about me. I'm finding it harder to hang out with the two of them. It was never like this when I was dating Chris and Piers would come along, or even when Piers dated Chris and I was there. It was different with Chaerin and Piers. Recently, I've been forcing myself to not hang out with them and Piers never asked about it. He didn't reach out to ask if I was okay. Maybe I was expecting too much from him but honestly I wanted him to. I just want him to care again.
One Week Later
Piers Nivans
"I don't think I can do this anymore," Chaerin says as we sit alone together at lunch. "What," I ask surprised. "I can't... We can't be together. I can't do it." "Why not?" I felt my heart breaking, this wasn't like breaking up with Claire. Claire was forced to leave, this was more like when Dave broke up with me. "We're just drifting apart, you see it and so do I-" "But I don't see it. I thought we were doing perfectly fine!?" "Well then I guess you weren't really paying attention to me, just like I thought." "No, I was. I was trying to be everything you wanted... I love you." "Its over Piers... It hurts me to say it, but we're done." And she gets up and leaves, just like that. One second I'm living happily in ignorance, thinking I was in a happy healthy relationship and next I'm single; learning that I didn't do all I could. That's all I heard from what she said. I wasn't there for her, or I wasn't good enough. Fuck it.
Jill Valentine
I notice Chaerin came into the lunch room without Piers. We still had twenty minutes before class resumed, weird. Well it was until Piers stood in the doorway with tears in his eyes. 'She broke up with him,' the thought immediately popped into my head. I get up from my seat at the table with Sheva and Rebecca, running to Piers and pulling him into a hug. I didn't need him to talk. He embraced me and hid his face in my shoulder, which was a little awkward because of his height but the situation made it not matter. "I'm sorry Piers," I say as I run my hand through his hair. I feel his sharp breaths, he's obviously pretty torn up about it. "We're done," he says. "I'm so sorry." "After everything, she said I wasn't there for her. That I didn't care... I was doing everything I could..." "I know Nivans, I know. And if she didn't, she's an idiot." "I don't feel good," he moans. "Come on," I say as I put my arm around his shoulder. I walk with him to and inside the boys bathroom. He heads into a stall without closing the door and I stand behind him as he kneels down like he's about to throw up.
"This is the boys-" someone started to say before I turned around with a loud yell. It wasn't even words, just a yell and then he left me alone. "It's okay," I rub Piers' back. He didn't actually throw up, he just sat in front of the toilet, crying. "Relationships suck." "I feel that," I let out a small laugh. "No you don't... You were happy with yours." "Maybe with Chris, but we had our arguments and my previous relationships sucked! One guy cheated on me." "What did you do," he turns to look at me. "Chopped off his dick." He laughs through the tears. "No, I might've ripped out some of the chick's hair though." He shakes his head, maybe in disbelief but I did actually do it.
"Fuck's going on in here," I hear a guy say behind me. As I turn I hear a girl say, "Another chick not giving a fuck?" She sounded happy and when I saw her face she looked it too. "Fuck's wrong with him," the guy asks. "Who the fuck are you," I ask back. "Wow, you got a mouth on you," he smiles, "Keith Marshall." I heard about him, him and his sister were the dangerous dead beat bully type. "And you must be Zoey," I look to the girl. She nods with a smile. "And you're Jill Valentine. Dated the previous captain of the football team and was on the team," I nod in return, "And that's the captain?" He still had his back to all of us. "Uh huh," I reply. "Fuck happened to him," Keith repeats. "Girlfriend," I say simply. "Ah," Keith says before pulling a lighter and pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. He lights two right there, one for him and one for Zoey. I stand up and close the door behind me so Piers can be alone. "Leaving so soon," Keith asks. "No," I pull my own pack out, "Light me." "Reds," Zoey smiles, "Expensive." I notice their pack of Newports, which are known for being smoked by poor people.
"Didn't expect you to smoke," Keith says as his cigarette hangs loosely between his lips and he lights mine. "I haven't in awhile, but I used to all the time. Don't think I'm badass enough," I ask. "Well, you don't look it." "You're seniors right?" Keith was but Zoey was a junior. "You heard about the chick who beat up the senior in sophomore year. That was me." They laugh, "That's nice." Zoey pulls out an air freshener that she pulls every few minutes to cover the smell.
Keith was a lot like Chris physically, sure his face was different and he weighed slightly less than Chris but honestly no one came close to Chris' weight in our school. A really noticable difference was the lack of stubble and the longer hair style. Zoey on the other hand wasn't muscular like her brother. She was skinny with dark hair that was usually worn in a ponytail, but today it was down with bangs making her look a little more like a skank. Sorry, she had that reputation around school. Not that she slept with a lot of guys, she just was poor and by that she was assumed to be skanky, but from what I've seen so far she seems cool. She wore a lot of eyeliner and had a piercing on her right nostril so I guess she played the part, wow that's mean.
"You're dating that kid Ellis right," Piers' voice comes from behind me. I raise an eyebrow as I watch him leave the stall. "Yeah," Zoey smiles, "How'd you know?" "I tutor him. The one with the southern accent." Zoey nods, "You're doing a great job." "Thanks." "So, girl troubles," Keith asks before blowing smoke from his mouth, "Thought you were the one Jessica told the school was gay." "It's complicated." It was actually, I'm still confused as to what the hell Piers is doing in life. "Well suck it up," Keith says. My head goes back and my eyes shot open in surprise. I don't say anything though, I kind of thought the same but I understood and wasn't going to say it. "Fuck you," Piers says calmly. Keith shrugs. Piers walks past us all and heads for the door. "Where you going," I ask. "To class." And he leaves.
"The fuck was that," I ask placing the cigarette in between my fingers. "We all knew it," Keith smirks. Zoey kind of agrees in the background but doesn't say anything. I shrug and lean against the sink, "You don't know him." "He'll get over it eventually." I nod and roll my eyes before continuing on my cigarette. We spent the next forty-five minutes smoking and talking in the bathroom. Nothing serious, just about how long I've been smoking and drinking and how they didn't expect it from me. I agreed, saying that I wouldn't have seen the me I am now coming from the me I was in freshman year. "We should all drink together some time, the other kid too," Keith smirks. "Other kid, forget his name already," I smirk. "Shut up, come on it'd be fun! Definitely get his mind off shit." "As long as there aren't any hard drugs I'm in," I joke. "Dad's the coke head, not us," Zoey responds. "I was joking but good to know. I should get to class." "Aw, look at Jill still caring about her grades." I roll my eyes and leave the bathroom.
Why am I hanging out with the deadbeats, worse than deadbeats actually. They're criminals, at least their parents are... well dad is. Whatever, they don't have a good reputation and I do so I shouldn't do this. But they're cool, not just like peer pressure cool, they seem like okay people on a personal level. They might steal, drink and smoke but hey I do that too. I guess I'm just responsible? And I don't actually need to hang out with them, they said we should. I didn't make any plans. I'm conflicted.
Piers Nivans
I walked home alone today, that's all I wanted right now. To be alone. Helena went home, back to Chicago, last Thursday. Her parents finally had enough, or maybe missed her. I don't know, but I mean her leaving hasn't really affected me. She hadn't been around much recently anyway. She'd been with Forest, sleeping at his place too. Jill's the only person I really have. I mean, that's not true but that's how it feels. I have Sheva and Rebecca and Finn, kind of Sherry and Jake but Jill's been there for me this whole time. All the three years. Jill's the only one who really matters, it's weird actually.
What am I going to do about college, Chaelin broke up with me. I don't want to go to Korea alone. What the hell was I thinking not applying to any backups. I should've thought about this, I should've made plans. Its all my fault, I'm not going to blame anyone else for my problems. These ones actually were. I couldn't control mom dying, or Dave leaving but not applying to schools other than one in a country where I don't speak the language is entirely my doing. Maybe I just won't go to college, plenty of people are fine without it. *Ring* The phone?
I grab the landline and answer with the cheeriest hello I can manage. "Piers Nivans?" "Yes, who's calling," I ask. "Jamie Gunderson from Raccoon Hospital. We have an opportunity for you." "An opportunity." This is weird. "Yes, we have a new prosthetic that we'd like you to try out." Of course they've tried this before. "I've already declined all other offers. If its just for aesthetics I don't want it, tha-" "Mr. Nivans, this one isn't. Its an experimental one that uses your own nerves to control the fingers and everything." What? "Why me?" "Well, the creator requested you specifically for the trial." "Who's the creator?" I dont' know anyone like that. "A mister Jean Willington." "I don't know him." "Well, he requested you by name. You should come in and check it out." "Will do, thanks again." I hang up. What the fuck.