They hate me (and I hate me too)

chapter 2

The next morning, the sun shone through the thin curtains, lighting up the room gradually. Once it was high enough, Josie stirred awake. Stretching her arms as she sat up, yawning. It took her a few moments to find the courage to get out of bed. A small part of her was eager to lie back down and fall asleep, but she couldn’t. She had to keep on moving. Had to get further away from Mystic Falls.

With that thought in mind, Josie reached over to the end of her bed, grabbed her bag and pulled it onto her legs. She fished out an envelope and opened it.

She counted fifteen twenty-dollar bills. It’s all the money she had saved up throughout the years, tucked in her little piggy bank on her desk. Three hundred dollars. That should be enough for a couple of days if she was careful. Shoving the money back in her bag, Josie picked up a pair of black trousers and a jumper. She hurriedly got dressed, then grabbed her bags and left, handing her key back on the way out.

She walked along the same streets as the night before. The town seemed friendly and quaint. It reminded her of Mystic Falls in some ways. The diverse little shops on the streets, a little café with some derivative of the town’s name on its sign. The town square with a patch of greenery encircling a statue of someone important.

A weird sensation was creeping up her chest as she kept on walking. Her mind would drift off to her sister who was probably awake by now. What was Lizzie’s reaction when she saw her sister wasn’t in their shared room? How long did it take for her to find the letter Josie had left on her bed? What had she thought when she had read it? Was she going to respect Josie’s wishes, and not look for her? Or was she going to drag her back to Mystic Falls and face everyone? Was she going to understand?

Shaking her head, Josie stopped at the red light indicating she couldn’t cross the road yet. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Lizzie would understand and if not, well at least she wouldn't be there to feel her, to see her wrath. The little man turned green and Josie crossed the street and walked over to the bus stop. Looking at the timetables, she saw the next bus was in an hour and a half.

Huffing slightly because she didn’t want to stay in one place for a very long time, Josie decided it was best if she bought some food and drinks for the trip. The sandwich she had made last night had been eaten on the bus.

Josie walked for only a few minutes until she found a small store. Walking in, she was greeted by the cashier tending to a customer. Nodding back, she picked up a basket and strolled through the aisles.

She mainly picked snacks - they were going to last longer than the fruits at the front of the shop - breakfast bars, water bottles and an energy drink.

Once she had gotten to the register, she pulled out the envelope from her bag and handed the cashier a twenty-dollar bill. After having shoved all her groceries in the same bag with the money, Josie left and walked back to the bus stop. She pulled one of the breakfast bars out and nibbled on it as she waited.

She didn’t mind. Truly. She liked people watching. It’s something she did whenever she found herself waiting for her sister and mother who were busy buying the latest trends in whatever city they were staying in. Usually, however, she would be sitting in a café enjoying a cappuccino and whatever sweety goodness they had on sale that day. This, however, was a far cry from Europe.

The morning wind was cold as it brushed against Josie’s bare skin. The streets were basically vacant if not for some people driving to work, picking up a coffee on the way. It was still too early for kids and teens to be walking to school. They were probably enjoying warm pancakes covered in sirup, drinking orange juice and laughing about something inconsequential.