Our Ironic Serendipity (IM5)

Chapter 10

The morning following my outburst, Will and I kept our distance. He attempted speaking to me a few times, but I ignored him. Now I'm sitting in the room, once again reading to distract my thoughts. It's closer to 2 PM now, so I finally decide to leave the room and possibly cook some lunch.

I see Will reading on the couch, ignoring my presence. I clear my throat to get his attention.

"Do you want something to eat?" I ask, trying to look neutral.

"Sure." He doesn't look up. I bite the inside of my cheek, wondering if maybe I shouldn't have gone off on him the way I did yesterday. Then again, it won't matter anymore once this storm is over. He's leaving and I won't see him again.

I turn away, stopping myself from thinking about him any longer. Instead, I walk to the cabinets and look through the few canned food items we have left. I find a big can of spaghetti-o's and open it up, pouring it into a pot to heat it up. Once the heat is adjusted, I go back into the room, avoiding being in Will's presence for longer than necessary.

****

As I read the last chapter of The Hunger Games, I feel my phone vibrate in my lap. It startles me at first, but then I immediately pick it up. My heart skips a beat when I see who the caller is. There, on the small screen, reads the name "Grace."

I quickly jump up from my bed and answer the phone.

"Hello?" I say, almost frantically.

"Hey, how are you?" Hearing her voice is like a bucket of relief being poured over my head.

"Hey- hi. Uh, I'm okay. I'm good. Hey, can you give me a sec? I want to go outside to get a better connection."

"Yeah, sure," she replies. Upon hearing that, I speed out of the room, up the stairs, through the basement door, and out the front door onto the porch.

"Okay, I'm outside. What's up? How are you?" I ask her, desperate to make sure she's okay.

"I'm alright, I guess. This storm is really wearing me out, though," she chuckles.

I smile as soon as I hear her laugh, even if it did sound forced.

"Sorry I didn't call earlier. I meant to, but I've been busy trying to take care of the house and stuff. I just wanted to call and make sure you're doing okay." She always calls during storms to check on me; we both do.

"It's okay. I tried to call you, but you didn't answer... I figured you're still upset with me..." my voice trails off as my mind flashes back to the last argument we had.

She stays silent. For a moment I get scared that she hung up, but she speaks before I can get anxious.

"I'm sorry. About last time, I mean," she says.

I let out a silent sigh.

"It's okay. I'm sorry, too."

Again, silence.

"Have you changed your mind?"

"No," she snaps.

"Grace-"

"Rose, I've made my decision," she cuts me off.

I close my eyes, trying to stay calm.

"That's it, then? You're just going to let yourself die?"

"I already told you that-"

"No, Grace! That's not how life fucking works! You don't just kill yourself because some assholes you don't even know said shit to you! Grace, I know it hurts. I know you're sad. I know you feel like you have nothing to live for and you're all alone, but you're not. I'm here for you, I know how you feel, and I can help-"