Surviving Depression

Chapter 9

"So what did you wanna talk to me about?" I ask awkwardly as Chase and I stand in his room. After Jeremy let go of me, Chase grabbed my hand and dragged me to his room. Now, I'm standing awkwardly next to his bed as he stands in front of me, staring at me.

"I, uh, well- I wanted to apologize for today. It's your first day here, and I know it sucked, because of me. I feel terrible for making your first day here shitty. I just wanted to, uh, start over." Chase explains, holding both of my hands tightly.

"Ok. First of all, the whole thing in the kitchen you didn't know about, so it's fine. Second of all, the whole thing with Jeremy wasn't cool, but I guess we could start over." I say, removing my hands from his. He smiles widely at me before sticking his hand out toward me.

"Chase." He says, smiling and holding his hand out.

"Willow." I say, smiling and shaking his hand. I remove my hand from his and Chase pulls me into a hug.

"Thank you." He whispers, holding me tightly.

"Your welcome." I say, hugging him back. I pull away from him and the door opens, revealing Jeremy. He quickly walks over to me and wraps his arm around my waist. For some strange reason, Lily, my boss, comes to mind. My eyes widen as I realize I probably haven't been to work in a week.

"Shit. What time is it?" I ask Jeremy.

"Uh, about three. Why?" Jeremy asks.

"I need to get to work!" I shout, wiggling out of his hold and running back to my room. Jeremy runs in behind me and closes the door. I quickly gather my uniform and run to the bathroom, closing the door behind me. I jump in the shower, annoyed that I can't be under the hot water longer. I get my out after washing my hair and body, dry off, and throw my clothes on. I brush my hair and teeth before running out of the bathroom and grabbing my phone, stuffing it in my pocket. Jeremy grabs my hand before I can leave my room.

"Need a ride?" He asks.

"If you don't mind." I say breathlessly, dragging him out of my bedroom. He runs behind me as I go out the front door.

"We'll be back!" Jeremy shouts to his parents before closing and locking the front door. He unlocks his truck, allowing me to get in quickly. He gets in as well, starting the car and pulling out of the driveway. We put our seat belts on and I take a minute to breath after doing all of that in less than ten minutes.

"Well, that's a new record!" Jeremy says, pulling out of our neighborhood.

"For what?" I ask.

"A girl getting ready. You got ready in like 5 minutes. So, where am I going?" He asks.

"Ok. It's called Lily's Diner. It's-" he cuts me off.

"I know the exact directions. I love that place! You work there?" He asks.

"Yep! Lilian loves me." I say proudly.

"Does she know about the whole...?" He trails off.

"My mom dying, yes. The abuse, no. Well, she probably knows now. Everyone knows." I answer. Soon, we arrive at Lily's Diner. I quickly get out of the car, close the door, and run inside the diner. I frantically look around for Lilian.

"Willow?" I hear Lilian ask from behind me. I quickly turn around and a smile appears on her face. She pulls me into a hug and I return it quickly.

"I'm so glad you're alright. I heard about what happened. Are you ok?" She asks, holding me at arms length and studying me.

"I'm alright, Lilian. I survived." I say, giggling at how motherly she's acting. Jeremy joins us, standing right next to me.

"And who is this?" She asks, smirking.