Naomi Collins used to be adventurous. She used to be able to live life in the moment. She used to be, well.. happy.
She went to college at one of the top universities in the country, where she wanted to be her best self. She left junior year realiz...
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I sat at the kitchen island, trying not to bang my head against the marble. Repeatedly. My stomach is in knots. I thought getting away from Alex would be the hard part. Now, I'm starting to realize the unknown is going to be the death of me.
What was unknown do you ask? Well, let me tell you.
When will Alex find me? And yes, I say 'when' because I know it's only a matter of time until he finds out where I am and either finishes what he started or drags me back to that house.
What do I do now? How can someone go on living after being torn down by the person you thought you loved? How will I keep living?
My phone ringing brought me out of my thoughts. I welcome the distraction. A smile spreads across my face when I see Ms. Elsie's name across the screen. Right before I had left Alex, I had called Ms. Elsie and Arthur to explain to them I was going to transfer and live with Cameron. They were confused but supported my decision. I obviously did not tell them the truth as to why I was leaving my whole life behind, otherwise Arthur would show up at Alex's doorstep, shotgun in hand.
And I did leave my whole life behind. Alex almost killed me that night. And a part of me thinks he succeeded. He killed the old Naomi Collins. The Naomi that didn't worry about anything but when the next sale at Bloomingdales was, or the Naomi that put her feelings and wants aside for the man she loved.
If I'm being honest with myself, I mourned the old Naomi but I did not miss her. Not one bit. Here lies Naomi Collins, she loved too hard.
"Ms Elsie!" I say answering the phone call.
"Sweetheart, I wanted to call and see how you managed getting to your brother's house. Arthur is here too." I hear a small 'hello' from the distance. I smile, missing the two most influential people in my life.
"It was tiring but I made it." Barely. "I miss you both. I'll come visit soon. Maybe get one of Arthur's famous s'mores."
"We would love that, Lass. You know you can come home anytime." My heart burst at that. Home. Because the mansion our parents owned was never our home. But the endless days and nights spent at Ms. Elsie and Arthur's house made it our home as well. They had a beautiful property overlooking a small lake. They owned a perfectly sized ranch house that was painted a faded blue one summer when Ms. Elsie 'felt spontaneous'. On their deck sat four white adirondack chairs. Perfect for watching the sunset over the water. When we were little, Ms. Elsie and I would sit on that deck for hours talking about anything and everything.
"Who's on the phone, mom and dad?" Cameron said, walking into the kitchen, then he burst out laughing. "I'm kidding, they suck." I threw a dish towel at Cameron, trying not to laugh myself.
"Is that Cammie?" Ms. Elsie asked, overhearing my brother.
"Ms. Elsie! How is my favorite gal?" Cameron leaned over my shoulder speaking into the phone.
