Between the Lines✔ [COMPLETED]

[30] A Glimpse of 'Normal'

Malory

Before Kyle's crazy mess of a life collided with mine, I considered myself a normal human being. I had a tight schedule; work, extracurriculars, school, friends to keep up with, and a terrible home life to stabilize on my own. 

After Kyle's crazy mess of a life collided with mine, I became so out of it that now the most normal things feel weird to me. The worst part is –Adrien is probably the most normal part of my life... and Katy. Ron and Olivia have become corrupted by what they now know about Kyle and Ace and the secret criminal organisation –whatever it's called.

It's Monday night. I sit at home with my feet crossed over each other on the coffee table –a bad habit I'd taken up after my dad died. I'm binging on ice cream while the ten-pm news is about to start. I'm expecting to see bad news as always –the media only rarely ever presents anything good anyway. 

"In the headlines tonight," the reporter says, "Italian Political Representative Vivienne Carmona found dead-"

-The TV cuts off immediately. I cut off the TV immediately. 

I already know why she's dead. I already know who she is. I already know how she died.

So much for having a normal night. I fling the remote at the love seat next to the couch I'm sitting on. I sigh. I head to my room with my ice cream.

Maybe I should just finish homework –or revise instead. Finals are so close.

Up in my room, it's clear to see that I haven't been cleaning up after my stuff properly. It's not the worst of cases, but there's a small load of clothes in the corner that I haven't washed yet, and the top of my drawer is a mess –all the cosmetics and the brushes and whatever are all just dumped over it. My shoulders drop. I'm not even in the mood to clean it.

I drop unto my bed and stare at my ceiling... thinking... thinking... thinking.

You should do it, Malory... 

You should clean up the room.

You should do things that make you feel normal again. 

You should do them to distract yourself from thinking about everything else that's going on...

"Everything else," I say to myself, scoffing.

Yes. Everything else. It all comes flooding back now.

It wasn't my place to get involved in Kyle's life –in anyone's life. Look where it's gotten me. 

I was never this bold. Maybe I've gotten a little too bold over the years. 

What ever happened to the fragile girl I used to be? The innocent, diligent student, Malory? I may have been weak, and home life wasn't that great, but it wasn't as bad is it is now.

My mom is probably still going out with that criminal and I can't call her to do anything about it. I'm hanging out with a criminal and I can't do anything about it. Ron and Olivia are hanging out with criminals and they're trying their best not to do anything about it. 

"You know what?" I say out loud, sitting up and looking at my messy drawer, "Might as well." It's one of the only things I can fix at this point.

___

I'm the only one sitting at the cafeteria today. Kyle didn't come to school. Ron is avoiding us completely. Olivia is hanging out with Gaya and Morgan. 

"Why are you all by yourself?" Adrien asks from behind me, genuinely confused. He sits.

"I don't know. I guess today's just an off day for everybody," I tell him.