There's a Place For Us (Complete)

Part 17

I. An Exquisitely Tragic Love Affair

(Part 17)

Saturday morning, Isabella woke up shivering. She burrowed under her covers even more, but once she was up, she was up. There was no falling back asleep.

She reached over to the floor beside her bed, and found a sweater that had been thrown on the floor. Picking it up, she slithered into the sweater and then stepped out of her warm retreat. She stepped over to her calendar that hung on the wall.

December 15th.

She crossed out the date. Isabella once again felt a shiver run down her back. Looking out the window, she noticed an ugly frosting on the grass. 'Snow,' she thought bitterly. She hated snow. It was cold and wet, and she didn't see the fun in it. The only time she had had fun in the snow was a lifetime ago. She lived a different life now, with different people, and very different situations.

Adam woke up feeling rejuvenated. He walked downstairs for breakfast with a step in his pace. Once in the kitchen, he saw the snow that had fallen the night before.

"Hey, dad...," Adam said hesitantly to his father, who sat across the table from him. "Can I... borrow the car?" His dad straightened his back. Adam's mom stopped flipping the pancakes and looked over. "Adam's been behaving much less recklessly, Rick," she informed. Rick's eyes seared into Adam's. "Where will you be going?" he inquired. "To see a friend," Adam replied. "Drew?!" his parents asked simultaneously. "No, not Drew." He could see the relief flood through their bodies.

They hated Drew; thought he was a bad influence, and his parents intimidated them, even Adam's dad. That's why they always came over for Christmas Eve dinner. They practically invited themselves over, and Adam's parents were too afraid to say no.

"What time will you be home?" his dad asked, awakening him from his fog. "Um, I don't know..." His dad rolled his eyes. "Before dark," Adam added quickly, before his dad could say no. "Fine," Adam's father replied bitterly. Adam jumped up and grabbed the keys.

Around 12:00, there was a knock on Isabella's door. She walked over, wondering who it was. "Hey!" Adam greeted with a smile on his face. "Hi," she replied shyly. "Do you celebrate Christmas?" he asked. Isabella shrugged her shoulders.

She did, but she didn't really believe in all of that 'the Lord will save thee' crap. If he was going to save her, he would have done it by now. He would never have allowed all that had happened to her, happen. "Ok good! I have a surprise for you!" Adam said happily. "But you have to stay in the house," he told her. "And don't come out until I tell you!"

Isabella smiled a little and closed the door, allowing Adam to do whatever surprise he had planned. She put a pot of water on the stove and went into her room to put something more presentable on. She realized after she had closed the frontdoor, that she was still wearing what she had worn to bed.

Once she was dressed, she started on the huge amount of homework she had. After a few minutes, she heard the whistle that meant the water was nice and hot.

"Adam..." she called out the window. "Don't look! Don't look!" he said hurriedly. She smiled again, the real smile that he was still getting accustomed to seeing. He came to the window. "Do you want some tea?" she asked.

Tea... No one had ever offered him tea. They offered coffee or hot chocolate... Anything but tea. It was different. 'Like her,' he thought. 'Different, but in a way, wonderful'. Adam finally nodded his head. "Sure."

A little while later, she handed him a cup through the window. "Thanks," he said. Isabella nodded her head and they sipped their tea together, leaning through the open window. They spent a good hour there, even after the tea had been drunk. Eventually, Isabella told him she had to get back to her homework, and Adam agreed, telling her he had to finish his surprise.

"Well, well, well..." Drew snickered. Adam rolled his eyes and continued hanging up the Christmas lights. "Look at that... A freak, on top of a freak house, which a freak lives in..." Drew continued his nasty ramble. Adam ignored him. He was done with Drew's predictable speeches. He wasn't going to get involved with Drew any longer. "Are you done..." Adam asked, after being tortured for quite some time. "Nope," Drew drawled simply. Adam rolled his eyes.

He was never done. He never would be done, ever. This is what he would be doing for the rest of his life. Adam was sure of it. Drew would always be a drunken, messed- up jerk. Drew's words became monotone in Adam's ears and finally, it was blocked out all together. He heard a car door slam shut behind him, but Adam didn't bother to look to see who it was. Probably just someone who lived around here, returning home after a day of Christmas shopping. But then there was a voice that spoke in their direction.

It was husky, and from the sound of it, Adam couldn't be certain if it was a man or a woman. "I would stop if I were you..." it said coldly. So cold, it sent a chill into the already frigid air, and sent a shiver down both Adam and Drew's back.

Drew stopped. Adam turned around and saw a girl. Well, is was a female in the midst of a girl and a woman. Her eyebrows were molded downward in a time frozen scowl. Her arms and legs were muscular, but not in an attractive way. She was stocky and her hair was pulled back in a frizzy ponytail. She walked up the driveway without another word, and entered the house without knocking. Drew ran off once she walked in the house. He was terrified of the mysterious woman, and he was already on her bad side.

"Are you done already?" Isabella called excitedly from deep inside the house, as she heard the front door close shut. The person didn't answer. "Adam?" she said meekly, and started to get up from the table she was working at. In the doorway of the small kitchen, Meredith stood.

"I assume you heard..." she said coldly. After a brief gasp of shock, Isabella nodded her head. "You're a little late," she replied in the same cold manner. "It's your fault, you know..." Isabella squinted her eyes in disbelief. "My fault!" she exclaimed. Meredith nodded her head, thinking she knew all. "I begged him not to go!"

Meredith just rolled her eyes at that. "You pushed him away," she told her forcefully. "I did not!" Isabella yelled at her. Meredith just held up her hands. "No need to get all panicked with me... I'm just stating the truth," she said forcefully. Isabella opened her mouth in objection. Meredith started to walk back towards the door, preparing for her welcomed departure. "He hated you," Isabella told her.

A sudden urge had come about her to tell Meredith the real truth. She saw as Meredith froze in place. "He used to tell me...all of the time. How you were so nasty to everyone. He could never understand why you were like that."

Meredith finally turned around to face her. "Notice how you're talking in the past tense." She paused and stared directly at Isabella. "That's because of you. And you can hold that guilt inside you forever. Actually, that would make me happy." Then she looked out the window at Adam. "You're such a slut," she muttered, than walked out the door.

Isabella wondered if Meredith even knew what a slut was, because she was the exact opposite of it. Isabella raced outside after Meredith and grabbed her shoulder, and roughly turned her around. "You may have been his sister, but he didn't love you," Isabella whispered harshly. Meredith smiled wickedly, similar to the smile Isabella had grown used to as a child. "And you think he loved you?" She laughed sarcastically and pinched Isabella's cheek nastily. "Think again..." With that, she shook her shoulder free of Isabella's grasp and got into her car. Isabella stared after her, angry.

Adam walked over, thinking he had just seen a friendly encounter between friends. "She seems like a nice friend..." he said, standing behind Isabella. Without turning around, she shook her head.

"She is not my friend."