Before The Bell Rings - Spencer White

episode XXXIII

SPIDER
I was watching a movie while all of my friends were at Formal. Being expelled meant not allowed on school grounds but even if I could attend it, what difference would it make? I wasn't graduating. I was the one staying back there while everyone close to me would just go. Away from this neighborhood. I heard a loud thunder sound making the lights flickered. God, I thought. A bit scared to be alone during a thunderstorm, hoping I'd get to keep electricity. I got up from my sofa and made my way to the window. I wondered if I had close the garage door like my father had told me before leaving for the weekend. Instead, I found JJ standing at the bottom of my stairs in the light rain. Her hair was frizzy yet glowing from all of the tiny raindrops in it. And even if her makeup was smudged, she looked the prettiest. I dropped the curtain as she spotted me from outside and made my way to open the door. Thunder echoed as she flinched to the sound of it.

"What are you doing?" I shouted but she didn't gave any response or reaction. "Justine? What's going on? Are you okay?"

I approached, walking down the stairs and I could finally see her face. It wasn't rain dripping on her cheeks, but tears and they were coming down her eyes like a waterfall. I sensed my heart dropped. I hated seeing her so fragile like she could break at any moment.

"I—"

Her voice broke before any other words could come out of her mouth and my only reaction was to hold her so I did. I embraced her. I hid her head in my chest, caressing her wet hair as she cried in my arms. Who or what would make her cry like this? She was hysterical like she had forgotten how to breath. I slowly started to walk us inside my house, not letting her out of my hold. She dropped her heels on the floor, the sound echoing in my empty home that didn't seem much empty now that she was here. I gently sat her on the entrance's bench but kept a hold of her head in between my hands. She was freezing, her mauve lips shaking from the cold. I tried to keep her warm but I quickly realized her wet clothes didn't help.

"J." I sighed. "Your skin is too cold. We need to warm you up, yeah?"

She finally looked at me in the eyes but there wasn't any emotions, like she had locked all of her feelings out of her heart and threw the key away. A single tear fell down her cheek and then to her chin.

"Come on."

I took her by the shoulders and guided her to the bathroom where the bath was. I sat her on the edge and turned on the hot water. While waiting for the tub to fill, we stayed silent but so many questions kept popping. What happened? Was Ant the one who made her cry like this? Had he hurt her? If he did, he was a dead man. It broke my heart seeing her like that. I opened the cabinet and grabbed a fresh towel.

"I'll leave you to it. Call me if there's any—"

"Stay." She faintly spoke wiping the tears.

She sighed before standing up and showing me her back. She lifted her hair and I unzipped her dress. She looked beautiful in that dress, I wished I had been the one dancing with her that night. I turned my head away as she stripped from her wet clothes and got in the water. She grabbed her hair and effortlessly put it in a bun as she wrapped her arms around her knees. I sat down on the floor, laying my back on the bathtub and facing the door. I noticed the paper hiding in between pieces of her dress. I touched it hoping she had liked it. I felt her shivering behind me so I took the washcloth that was placed on the edge and dropped it into the hot water. I pressed the water to make it drip onto her neck and shoulders trying to warm her faster. I did it over and over.

"Thank you for the gift." She turned her head, a small smile slowly creeping her lips.

"It's nothing."