Disturbing the Peace

Chapter 25

So sorry for the slow updates! I really would like to update more often, but I don't write with outlines, I'm a spontaneous writer with certain main ideas for the book. When I do write chapters, I don't want to just throw a bunch of crap together. I like to think I write this book fairly well and would like to keep the plot going the way I want and have carefully thought out chapters for you. Thanks for the understanding, my outsiders!

Stay Gold!

~cmfsif

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I pounce on him in an instant, my arms snaking themselves between the soft mattress and his stiff neck. He looks struck with surprise. He moves his arms slowly onto my back, hugging me softly, as though testing the waters of his own strength, then he begins gripping me tighter towards him. "I love you, Leo!" I cry. "I love you so much!" The words come off my lips so loudly as though I lose control just by saying them. "You don't understand, Leo! You and Kevin, you're all I've got!" I sniff, tears are once again streaming down my face in an unnervingly familiar fashion.

He picks his hands up to my face, wiping the tears off. "Who's Kevin?"

"Well, I guess it's time to tell you," I say, laughing humorlessly. "Kevin, will you do the honors?" I know that I'm too much of a wreck right now to explain everything. I can't relive all that has happened. I won't.

Kevin explains the whole story. About him. About the videos. About me. About the others.

When he catches Leo up to present time, Leo looks shell-shocked. "Wow," is the only word he can manage.

I nod my head. "But I'm okay now!" I add. "And I want you to know that you should be too."

"Kevin could you leave for a moment?" Leo asks.

Kevin nods his understanding and walks out of the room, no doubt to sit in the waiting room.

Leo's facial expression hardens. I reach towards him, "Leo-?"

"You tried to kill yourself?" he interrupts. "You could be dead right now? Do you know how freaking worried that makes me!?" The machine analyzing his heart beats begins beeping more rapidly.

"Leo, I'm sorry," I say. I want to cry. I thought I could trust you, Leo. "I'm taking a week off of school and I'm going to therapy to recover. I'm sorry."

"Don't you dare scare me like that ever again!" he scolds me like I need to be put in time out.

"I'm sorry!" I scream, my voice squeaky from the battle between my thoughts, the tears threatening to reach my eyes, and me. "I didn't want to Leo! I'm sorry!"

I hate being yelled at. It reminds me of my mom.

"Unless sorry can reverse time, I don't want to hear it!" he declares.

Before I even understand what's happening, or why Leo is acting like this, a nurse runs in. "Oh my goodness, he woke up. The heart monitor is telling me that his heart rate is getting too high. I think it's best you leave for now, hun. It seems he's gotten all worked up. You can't do that to him."

"I'm sorry, ma'am," I respond politely before exiting the room. "Take me home, Kevin," I mumble without explanation, "please."

He nods, asking no questions, and walks me to the car. He may as well take me to Chuck E. Cheese's; I wouldn't notice. I would probably still zone out during the car ride, thank him politely, get it of the car, walk into the building, and flop on the floor.

I think of Doctor Jane; wear normal things.

I stand up and trudge towards my room. I see Ashlee cooking in the kitchen with headphones blasting music as she dances. I can faintly hear the tunes, she has it turned up so loud.

I laugh out, but find it drier than I would have liked. "Oh," Ashlee turns around. "Hey, Willow!"

"Hey, Ash!" I call back, grinning.

"C'mon, man. Let's groove to the beat!" She takes her headphones out of the stereo and signals me over.

I trot over, feeling more relaxed, but as I begin to dance with her, I realize that maybe I want some normal in my life. Everything I thought I knew is a lie anyways. Maybe it's time to revert back and try to make myself better.

"Sorry, Ash, gotta go!" I say quickly before running upstairs. I pull out my safe from under my bed and put in the combo. I never trusted banks with my money. I've saved up quite a bit from allowances and odd jobs here and there. Plus, it's not like I ever buy anything. I pull out about $5,000. I go through my drawers, looking for the most normal outfit I own. I find some regular, straight-leg jeans and pair it with a bright blue tee-shirt.

I'm gonna take my first trip to the mall, since I was 9. All of my clothes are either hand-me-downs from Rain or Ashlee, considering I'm the shortest, or I asked Ashlee to buy me something and she went.

I'm not sure how to navigate the place or what the acceptable stores to shop at are, but I assume I can figure it out. I'm pretty smart, right?

I walk to the mall, asking for directions occasionally to ensure that I'm going the right way. When I arrive there, I open the doors and feel entirely lost. Compared to others, the mall is not large, but compared to what I know, it's a deceiving,y massive building. I only see kids from my school there mixed with a young adults. There's a lot of PDA, I note. I see tons of girls in tight skirts and crop tops, and I feel the need to cover my own body at the sight of it. "And I thought what they wear at school is bad," I mumble.

I begin walking forward. Time to make a new you, Willow. And that starts with appearance, I think to myself. I walk around and see a large store with blue writing over it, reading 'SEARS.'

"That looks like a place I could shop," I mutter, quickly crossing the main area of the mall. I look straight ahead, as to not cause a conflict with any of the other people. But of course, looking up leaves short objects unseen. And that, my friend, leads to tripping and falling.

I bang into the small, blue ottoman, bruising my shin and falling forward. I whimper at the contact, luckily falling on top of the ottoman.

As to be expected, people begin laughing at me and I feel entirely singled out, bare from the large crowd that once shielded me from greedy eyes.

I stand up, embarrassed, a feeling foreign to me. I scan the room. There actually aren't that many people looking at me, considering, but it feels like the entire world is giving me a stare down.

Most of the people who were laughing slowly close their circle in on me to ask if I'm okay. Still slightly giggling with a bubbly smile on her face, a girl reaches her hand out and I take it gratefully. "Sorry," she says, before forcibly stopping her laughter. She pulls me up.

"I'm okay," I shift awkwardly in the large crowd. They all disperse from around me, muttering indistinguishable words.

The girl who helped me up was still standing there with two other girls. "You're really pretty," she chirps. "Are you new here?" Her head is slightly tilted, ready for my response.

"Um..." Chance at a fresh start. "Yeah, I couldn't come for the first week of school though." Not a lie.

"My name is Chrissy." She extends her arm politely. "You?"

I fumble with my fingers, trying to figure out why she's extending her hand. I decide on slapping her hand with my own, in a sideways high five. "Willow."

She pulls her hand back. "No, silly, it's a handshake."

Crap.

She extends her hand once more and I take it, shaking it lightly. Well, there's a first time for everything, I guess.