The Messy Months [EDITING]

November - 3

"That movie was awesome!" A little boy said, zigzagging through the legs of what Marcy assumed were his parents. She watched him with a smile, hoping she didn't look as creepy as she felt for listening in.

It was only natural to do so when people stopped near you, right?

"Settle down, Tommy," his mother kindly reprimanded. "We need to get your sister situated." The couple was working on fitting their feisty daughter into a stroller, and Tommy wasn't making it easy on them. He clung to their legs and made weird dino noises. Marcy guessed he had been the one in the theatre to shout at the screen, saying something about the main character. Marcy hadn't quite caught it, she had been very into the movie herself.

Coming to the theatre relaxed her because it was so much easier to avoid her problems and focus on a character's life instead.

Little Tommy began migrating away from his family, wandering around to hide behind a trash can and pop out at anyone that passed. Marcy watched the couple manage to strap in their child, exchanging minimal conversation under their breath.

The father nodded, walking over to playfully snatch up his kid and hold him against his chest. It warmed Marcy's heart, and she tried her best to look at the family positively. But she still wished she'd had a sibling, or at least a family willing to go out with her. Even when she was a child it had never been like that. She never really spent true quality time with her parents, never really being to pick up on anything other than her mother's wonderful personality.

When the family left, Marcy decided she needed to go too. It was getting late and she wasn't exactly looking forward to the forty minute walk she'd have to take to get back to Bailey's place.

She was halfway home when it started raining. But Marcy was convinced it was actually a monsoon. Water poured from the sky, drenching her in droplets the size of buckets. The funny thing was it cleared up as soon as she could see Bailey's apartment. The sun was shining cheekily by the time she got to the door. The only evidence it had rained was from the wet pavement, and Marcy's soggy clothes.

"Whoa! What happened to you?" Bailey asked as soon as Marcy stepped inside the door. She was wiping down her few dishes with a rag. "Did you decide to go skinny dipping with your clothes on?"

Marcy snorted, looking down at herself. "The sky decided to make my walk miserable."

"That was a mighty long walk," Bailey said, setting the last bowl into the cupboard and drying her hands on the towel. "Did you really walk all the way to the theatre to see a rerun?"

"Yeah," Marcy said, slipping her shoes off.

"Wow, you're dedicated."

Marcy snorted, peeling her socks off and walking toward the bathroom. "What can I say? I enjoy a good film."

The next several days were slow. Trym hardly showed up for class but when he did, Marcy managed to slip in and out without bumping into him. She was glad he hadn't tried to contact her. It didn't make the ache go away, but it did help her remind herself that he was a dog who didn't deserve anything from her.

The evening Marcy saw Trym for the second time that week, she decided to take a nap. She'd been studying nonstop and didn't get much sleep the night before, so she zonked out pretty quickly.

"Marcy?" Bailey murmured tentatively, leaning over her friend. Marcy stirred, wanting to give off the vibe that she didn't want to be bothered. "Marcy, I need help."

Marcy sat up, feeling groggy and disheveled. Her head hurt and her eyes were blurry, so when she looked up at Bailey, she thought she was seeing things. "Hm? What's wrong?"