Hey guys, I hope you've enjoyed the story so far. I realized last night that it doesn't have much plot in it yet-virtually none. If you guys have any opinions on how I should develop this story, I would be happy to oblige.
Chapter 8:
After Emily and I have had our 'bonding moment', we decide to get some rest. Although Emily has been really nice and caring, I can't help missing Spencer. His approach to me isn't nearly as personal, and even when he gets angry, I know he does it to protect me.
Maybe it's a good thing school is starting in a few days. Maybe that will help me take my mind off everything. Hmph.
The next morning, I wake up about 7 a.m. It's not until I'm walking to the bathroom that I realize that I actually got sleep from the previous night. Thank god. I don't think I could go too many more days with this sleep deprivation, it's terrible!
All of the sudden, I hear the doorbell ring. As I look through the peep-hole in Emily's apartment, I see my half-brother's face. I can't help smiling; even if he is similar to a robot, I can't help but miss him.
I quickly unlock the door and let Spencer in. I greet him with a big smacking hug. I'm feeling pretty good today; Emily's pep talk from yesterday has really boosted my attitude. For now, at least.
"Hey, Spence," I greet him as I engulf him in a large hug. He looks surprised.
"Hey Bells. I missed you." He shows me a warm, compassionate smile. He pauses. "You know, I'm really sorry that I embarrassed you in front of everyone the other day…" he starts.
"Save it Spencer, It's okay. I've gotten over it. There's no way to fix it, so we should just move on, right?"
As soon as I say that, he looks relieved. His posture un-stiffens and his legs aren't locked straight anymore. He shuffles his feet towards the door to close it so he doesn't disturb the neighbors.
I must have forgotten to tell Emily that Spencer has arrived, because while we're talking, Emily comes around the corner with her gun and yells, "FBI, show me your hands!"
As soon as she realizes it's 'Dr. Reid', we all lose our composures. We laugh really hard, falling onto the hard, dusty wooden floor. After a few minutes of laughing, my lungs have won a track meet, and my stomach muscles ache from the constant shaking of my body.
"That was pretty funny," I tell Emily. "You actually thought he was an un-sub or something? Really Em? Really? I guess your paranoid nature comes from working with CIA." We chuckle.
"I have to admit, it was pretty funny..."
As soon as we eat a quick breakfast in Emily's apartment, Spencer and I grab my belongings and leave her apartment. She hugs me and tells me to give her a call; I tell her I will, even though I will avoid calling her as much as possible. I wave at her as Spence and I are leaving her apartment complex. She smiles back at me. I think she enjoyed spending time with me. Whether she realizes it or not, her motherly instincts are effecting her actions about me.
As soon as Spencer and I get home, I go into my room to unpack my stuff from Emily's. Even though I've been at Spence's house 3 or 4 days, it feels like much longer. My room begs to differ. I look at all the boxes lying in the middle of the room. Maybe I should clean….Why the hell not? I start to pick up my room, dispersing my few personal items all over the room while getting rid of the cluttery boxes.
As I'm looking at the few items from my childhood and organizing my room, Spencer knocks on my door. "Come in," I yell. He enters and sees me unpacking. "You need any help with that?" he asks.
"Yeah, that would be great." The last thing I need to do is to ruin my mood by looking over the memories of my childhood. Spencer will keep me preoccupied.
And he does. He helps me unpack and organize my room, almost to the point where it looks like the room belongs to a person with OCD. Since it's a Saturday, Spence doesn't have to go into work unless he's called onto a case. He helps me for a few hours.
"Hey Bella, we probably need to find you a school this weekend, because the school year starts in two days. Is there any preference for schools to go to?" he asks me.
"Not really," I say. "I'll be treated the same wherever I'm going anyways."
"Okay. I was thinking about Cedarwood Prep. It's a private school, but not so fancy to the point where it's uncomfortable to associate with the people. Does that sound okay?"
"Yeah," I reply. "That should be great." I plaster a fake smile on my face to try to please Spencer. It seems to work, because he smiles back at me and says he'll leave me to my own business.
At least I'll be able to associate with people my age, which will be nice unless I'm bullied like I've always been in the past.
For the rest of the day, I listen to music and go for a run outside while Spencer is making phone calls about my education. I forget to ask him before going out for a run, so when he finds my room unoccupied, he freaks out. Of course I didn't figure this out until later.
As I'm running outside on the trail leading from the apartment complex to the park, my feet are hitting the pavement in rhythm while I'm listening to music. My iPod is playing Fix You by Coldplay, which makes me feel especially emotional and sullen.
As I'm approaching my tenth mile, I heard a voice behind me.
"Bella Harmon, you come here RIGHT this instance."
OH SHIT. I FORGOT TO TELL HIM I WAS LEAVING. HE MUST BE FREAKING OUT.
I turn around and approach him. As I take the headphones out of my ears, I start to speak to him. "Hey Spence, I'm REALLY sorry. I forgot to tell you I was going for a jog; I didn't exactly have to tell my parents I was going anywhere when I used to leave the house, so I figured it was somewhat normal to just leave your apartment. I'm kind of still getting adjusted to the living arrangement." I stare into his eyes, trying to determine how he will react.
But how he actually reacts is what surprises me.
"I'm not mad," Spencer says. His face is emotionless, so I can't really predict what he's going to say. "But you need to be A LOT more careful. Because of my job and the stuff you've been through in the past few days, you need to give me notice before doing anything."
I sneer and roll my eyes. He just looks at me with complete seriousness.
"I'm serious. You need to be inside this house during late hours. The crime rate dramatically increases during late hours in isolated areas such as a jogging path. You're not going to be allowed outside of this house after 10 o'clock, but I will permit you to have an early run in the morning if you would like."
I smile at him. Then he says something that completely surprises me.
"Your pace is incredible. I couldn't keep up, so I just drove my car along the route I saw you on until I caught up enough to catch you."
He chuckles.
I'm surprised at his comment because I'm not used to compliments.
"You could really give Morgan a run for his money you know," he states.
"I'd like to surprise him one day," I reply.
I smirk and give Spencer a big grin. He wraps his arm around my shoulder. "Come on, we should heading home and getting dinner, it's already 9 o'clock."
"Okay Spence," I whisper.
After Spence and I eat a dinner consisting of Chicken Lo Mein and green tea, we decide to watch some television. After we watch an hour or so of The Big Bang Theory, we both grab a book. Spencer picks up Les Miserables; one of my favorite books, while I continue reading My Sister's Keeper. The book is really touching so far; it's about a girl getting cancer and her family's struggles throughout the time. The main character, Anna, is attempting to sue her parents because they are forcing her to give her kidney to her dying sister.
The book seems to play with my emotions. Everything the main character/narrator is feeling, I have also felt before. The only difference is that the narrator, Anna, had the guts to stand up to her parents, unlike me. She took control of her body, which I never did. In the end of the book, Anna ends up dying in a car crash, and her sister gets her kidney, which saves her life.
If Anna's actions never helped her in the long run, and she ended up dying, what will my decisions do for me? I never stood up to my parents like she did. I'm doomed. My life will never change.
I stare at the book for a few minutes while my mind races. I can't help but compare this book to my life, and the result makes me assume the worst about my future.
Because it is silent in the living room, when I slam my book and strut into my room, Spencer notices. He tells me to get some sleep, which I tell him I will and hope for. It's already 11 o'clock, so I decide to hit the hay.
As I slam my book down on my dresser and climb into bed, my emotions overwhelm me. Tears quietly caress my face as I'm staring into nothing; paying attention to nothing. I can't help but think of the doom that defines my life. As tears roll down my cheeks, I close my eyes, hoping for the sleep and peace that I will most likely never come.
Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I felt like writing a less depressing chapter; these last few have been EXTREMELY dark. Next chapter I will most likely be enrolling Bella in school, unless some other idea pops into my brain. If you have any ideas for me, reviews and messages are appreciated. Have a great weekend. (: