AROUND THE HEART IN 80 DAYS

Sixteen

The only thought that quickly went through her mind as Edrei was still reeling in the sudden attack was "had I been a man and Edrei the lady, would I have resorted to hitting her?
The response came quicker, "I would have ignored her."

But she could no way in hell ignore him anymore. She would never mean to purposely hit a person, no matter what. It must have been her wits end.

"You're not grieving," she added while soothing her right knuckles, her back hitting the door to her room, "you're intentionally and unnecessarily being difficult."
And as the brave coward she was, she slid a hand between her body and the door and quickly fell away, into her room, shutting it behind her as fast as she could.

It was the second time she was running from him into the safe haven. And now how safe was it anyway? Would she continue to bicker and hide? For how long?

Her exhausted self sunk into the mattress that was not hers, so sadly.
Maybe she wasn't cut out for this kind of roommate, no matter what she told herself. Would she keep on fighting a battle that had no winner?

She sighed heavily and gathered up her hair to throw in a careless but secure bun.
She should call the man's sister and tell her she wasn't strong enough to tame one in mourning. Grief was grief and everybody bore theirs differently, each worse than the other. It was possible that he would come around but not because of her.

She looked to her bedside calendar with the little crosses. A month, four days. She could not survive two months. Jacqueline exhaled again. Nothing she could think of required this much endurance.
But where would she go? The shop she just got seemed like the sanest option at the moment.
Oh well. People got experiences everywhere, right?

She fell on the bed, completely deflated and fully out of ideas. Should she beg him? She knew she could be so humble to get what she wanted and she wouldn't mind. Oh yes. To beg him.

You just whacked his jaw though. She frowned once more. A sensation sparked up behind her eyes and down to the bridge of her nose. She wanted to cry.
Querido Dios, ¡lo siento mucho!
And she hadn't brought herself to cry since she had landed herself in this situation.
Jacqueline lay down and hugged herself within the folds of her now fumbled blanket. All she could do was enjoy this little moment she had that was on the verge of normal. Within her cocoon... trying not to cry.

Steady breaths, she told herself, in and out and in and out.

A sniff came to her nose, tears forcing itself to flow but it was willed to stop. She had to remind herself that she had seen worse at the former house. Like one time, three years ago, when she hadn't serviced Amanda's wagon because it had been a difficult month and money supply was thin, she gathered up courage for the possible worst, which was a heavy open handed slap from Amanda, one that travelled from whatever nerve connected from her cheek down to her chest.

Slaps weren't new things, they were graced for special occasions. And most times, Fiona acted as a witness, a passer-by or she was so used to it that it didn't faze her even a bit.
Those people were demons in comparison.
Her only joy that came out of that ugly slap moment, was that she didn't think twice before retaliating a similar action to her dear stepmother, regret turning to satisfaction upon seeing Amanda's horrified face, her five fingers to her cheek, Fiona looking equally petrified at the side.

There had been some good times at least.

Breathe. In and out.

There had to be something she could do. Perhaps he could be reasoned with still.

A rap on her wooden door shook her from her makeshift relaxing exercise. Jackie abruptly jumped into a sitting position, reality following the same pace to switch from her world of worries.