AN: Hey! So I LOVED the feedback from the last few chapters! I'm REALLY glad you all enjoyed them, I was worried you'd hate them! anyway, here's chapter 37!
Chapter 37
I woke up the next morning feeling as if I had been hit by a fourteen wheeler and backed over again. I rolled out of bed and my normal routine commenced. I was running a smidge late, rushing around to make sure I had the proper books in my bag. Since the ordeal the night before, I decided it was best to carry around all personal items that could potentially get me into deeper trouble with Spencer. I slipped my journal in with the rest of my books, and grabbed my tiny green satin jewelry box that contained my razor blades. I didn't think it was a great idea to carry around pieces that could be categorized as weaponry, so I took the film canister that held the blades themselves and hid them inside my pointe shoes within of my dace bag that I then shoved to the back of my closet. He would have to be extremely adventurous to get to them, especially in the shape that my closet was in.
As I hurried out to fill a travel mug with coffee to drink on the go, I saw Spencer had already beaten me to the kitchen.
"Oh, hey Spenc" I greeted him while quickly filling the cup with bitter liquid. The air was tense, as expected.
"I have rehearsal until 7:30 tonight, which means it'll probably run until 8:00. I'll be home around then. By the way, I got the tickets you asked for, they're in the envelope on the fridge" I informed him, grabbing an apple from the basket on the counter and dropping it in my bag to lead him to believe I intended on eating it. I had previously bought seven tickets for opening night, one for each team member that had been dying to see what my cast I worked our asses off for.
"Oh-uh, alright, thanks. I-I'll see you later I guess" Spencer slurred out. I yelled goodbye on my way out the door, dreading the day ahead of me.
"I think I've reached my ultimate level of done" Ari proclaimed dramatically just before first period.
"I'm with you on that one" I rolled my eyes. Matthew showed up a few seconds later, and by the looks of it we were all on the same boat.
"So, did anyone do the Anderson essay on the big bad Stalin?"Matthew sighed.
"Shit!" I shouted, slapping my palm to my face. After the breakdown I had last night, I had completely forgot about the paper.
"I'll take that as a no?" he chuckled, but my expression remained serious.
"I didn't do it either. I was going to go to the auditorium to write it, then sign in at the front desk when I was done so it looked like I came in late instead of skipped class. Care to join?" Matthew offered up, and it was tempting. I thought about the possible consequences, then realized that for once I didn't really care.
"Looks like I have no choice" I gave up. "Ari?" I jerked my head in her direction.
"No can do, if I miss any more French classes this quarter I'll lose credit, sorry guys. See ya in chorus, hopefully" Ari replied dreadfully. She had the tendency to skip class a little too often.
Matthew and I sat in the auditorium until about halfway through fifth period, our hands all cramped up. They were ordered to be a minimum of two pages, maximum of five, and hand written. I finished my essay around third period, but stayed with Matthew to help him finish his.
"You're lucky, you know" Matthew slipped in just as we were putting our books away. I was stunned, why the hell would anyone call me lucky? I was just the opposite.
"What do you mean?" I responded with a puzzled expression.
"You're wicked intelligent. You don't even need to try in any of your classes, you just suck information up like a sponge, it's like nothing ever exits your brain" Matthew pointed out. He was right, I didn't need to try very hard when it came to school. Once I was taught something, it simply stuck. Most would love to have a mind that could do that, but it came with its own burdens.
"It's not all glitter and ponies, Matthew" I smirked. "Besides, what you talking about? We take almost identical classes" I added in.
"Well yeah, but you breeze through them. I have to practically beat myself over the head with everything we learn just to understand it" He confessed. I didn't really know what to say, so I remained silent as we exited the auditorium, signed in at the front desk, and carried on to our designated classes.
Just before Matthew and I parted ways, his voice cut into the quietness.
"Hey, what's up with you today?" He gently laid his hand on my shoulder from behind. I didn't want to reveal to him everything that happened the night before, he didn't need the extra stress, but I knew he was the one person I couldn't lie to and get away with.
"It's just a few things with my brother. It's nothing to worry about, really" I swept the events of last night under the rug, when all I wanted to do was blurt out everything. But I couldn't, not even to my best friend. It's not that I didn't trust him, I was just afraid he would look at me differently if he gained insight on the battles I fought in my head.
"Are you sure? You seem off, even for you. Do you wanna talk about it?" He asked with a gentle tone.
"No, no it's fine. I'd rather just let it go away on its own" I fibbed a bit, I really did want to talk about it. I needed someone to make me feel like I wasn't crazy. Although, I wasn't sure if anyone could give me that.
"Okay. Well, if you change your mind, you always know where to find me" Matthew grinned, then waved goodbye seconds later to turn into his classroom. I found myself forming a warm smile, something I desperately needed to feel.
Later that night, I mercifully fell asleep at a decent hour to the sound of raindrops beating down my window. I was out the minute my head collided with my pillow as if I'd been hit over the head with a hammer, that is until I was woken up by a loud crack.
My body jolted up and small squeal escaped my throat. I loved rain storms, when when you added thunder to the mix I quaked in fear like a mouse did tabby cat.
Seconds later, there was a bright flash, followed by another crackle, then a shrill boom. It caused me jump once again, and my breathing became staggered.
The bangs came one after one, each louder than the last. I was frightened to say the least, alone in the dark with the outside world invading my little space.
I was so desperate for comfort, I did something I never thought I'd be able to.
I wrapped myself in my white fleece blanket I kept at the foot of my bed and took a deep breath. I dashed across the hall and lightly tapped on Spencer's door, not receiving an answer. I quietly turned the door and pushed the door open. My eyes by that point had adjusted to the darkness, and I could see Spencer laying on the right side of his king sized bed, rubbing his eyes.
"Spencer?" I whispered, sounding too startled for my liking.
"Jenna? I-is everything alright?" He questioned. I felt guilty for waking him up in the middle of the night, but my fear overran that guilt.
"Can I sleep in here tonight? Th-the thunder..." I trailed off, biting the edge of my blanket.
"Yeah, yeah of course" Spencer said sympathetically. I hobbled over to the large bed and plopped my burrito-like self next to Spencer, leaving a comfortable amount of space between us.
"Thank you, Spencer" I murmured a few moments later, but Spencer had already drifted off. He stayed on his side of the bed, and I stayed in my temporary spot. Despite the recent events the two of us had tolerated, and the strain it caused, there was no tension in the air that night.