Under her sleeves

Chapter 2//Even In Mickey Mouse PJ's

I had texted Shawn last night to tell him I would love to go to the movies sometime, but he never responded. It's not like I'm waiting for a reply, I don't expect that after one day of knowing each other. But you do get a little anxious when someone doesn't reply to a text.

It's a Saturday, so it's my "stay at home and eat ice cream" day. I bounce down the stairs, quite literally, and walk into the kitchen. There's the usual "I'll be home late" note from my mother. From where, who knows? Work? Probably not. The bar or some random guy's house? Most likely.

I grab the tub of ice cream and a spoon, and head to the living room. I round the corner, and nearly scream at the sight in front of me. Lillian and Shawn are talking casually on my couch, not even paying attention to the beer bottles scattered around the room. I cough awkwardly and they both look up. I immediately regret my decision to wear the mickey mouse pj pants.

"Um, hi. What are you guys doing here?" I question, looking at the both of them.

"I know Saturday is your "stay at home and eat ice cream" day so I figured me and Shawn would come and watch a movie with you so you weren't alone."

I look at Shawn and he's staring down at his fingers, a slight blush creeping onto his cheeks. I nod, and turn on the TV. Sitting down in the space between Shawn and Lillian, I notice Shawn tense up and the blush becomes more intense. Hm.

*****************************************************************************************************

L had fallen asleep with her head against the arm rest, and she was snoring softly. I place a blanket over her, and turn off the TV. When I turn around, Shawn is staring at me. I raise an eyebrow and he still continues to stare.

"What?" I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Nothing. Just even in mickey mouse PJ's," he says, gesturing my pj pants," you still look beautiful."

I say nothing, and look down at my arms. The white seams, although staring to fade, are still ugly. There was a reason for why there are white seams, and what Shawn just said goes against that reason completely. I glare at him, and shake my head.

"I'm not beautiful. For reasons I can't explain. Not yet. Maybe not ever. But don't tell me I'm beautiful ever again. Please. It brings back memories that I want to forget."

He looks at me for a second, and slowly shakes his head. I sigh, and run a hand through my hair. I didn't notice that Shawn got up and was now standing in front of me. I look up at him in confusion, and scrunch my eyebrows together. He's looking at me again. I don't think he ever stopped.

"Ella, I know we only met yesterday. But I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to say you're beautiful to the entire world. I would be breaking a promise I made to myself if I hadn't said you are beautiful just then," Shawn says, staring at me the whole time.

I fake a smile, and whisper thank you. He smiles, not even knowing I'm faking it. If he ever found out what I did to myself...I'm not going to let that happen. Shawn won't find out. No matter what happens, he won't find out.

*****************************************************************************************************

I grab my car keys and close the front door behind me, ignoring the alcohol influenced screams behind me. My mom came home from the bar early this morning and came into my room to start yelling at me. I simply ignore her and drive until she has to leave for work.

Pulling into Lillian's driveway, I reach into the back seat for my phone. I unlock the screen and call her.

"Hey!" She chirps on the other side of the phone.

"Hey. Are you home?"

"No, I'm actually running some errands."

"Oh. Okay. Bye."

I hang up the phone, not even bothering if I sounded rude. I throw my phone into the passenger seat and throw the car into reverse, backing out of the driveway.Rolling all the windows down and blaring Falling In Reverse, I drive along the highway. I have nowhere to go, wind blowing through the car, and music is blaring. And that's how I like it.

I drive for about an hour before going back home. It's 10:30 so my drunk mother should be gone by now. I pull into the driveway and her car is gone. Perfect. I climb out of the car and open the front door. Walking into the kitchen, I notice how much I enjoy the silence of my home. No kids running around screaming, no dog barking, no people chattering.

Falling back onto the couch, I sigh in content and close my eyes. Thinking back to what happened this morning, silent tears run down my face. My mother had called me the usual things. Fat. Ugly. Worthless. It just added on to the bullying at school. I wrap myself in a blanket and fall into a dreamless slumber.

A/N: Omg this chapter is impossibly short. Only 862 words. I hate writers block. I'll try to make the next chapter longer.