Falling Apart

Chapter 85

"So Jenna, do you think your stomach is getting bigger, at least a little bit?" Katherine asks me from the front seat. This car ride has been long enough without interrogating questions.

No one knows about the abortion still. I don't know how I could tell anyone, or if I even will. I guess I'd have to; sooner or later Katherine and David would notice that there's no baby on the way. "Not yet." I tell her and continue to stare out the window, box in lap, counting down the hours until we get to South Carolina.

Eventually we get there, through a couple of naps and mindless banter from the front of the car. As soon as I begin to wonder where we'll be staying, David pulls us into the downtown parking garage and I don't need to ask where we're going. After walking a few hundred feet, we find ourselves at the foot of the college that Katherine and I went to only months ago. It feels so much longer since we've been on this campus, and it doesn't exactly bring back the best of memories.

Images of me going on dates with Ian flash in my mind, reminding me of how normal he seemed in the beginning. Our little relationship didn't last long before I found out who he really was. After seeing Katherine sprawled out on his bed, blood soaked into the sheets between her legs, I saw him for what he really was. But even then, the curiosity never stopped biting at me, and it was too late when I realized there was no redemption for him.

"What do you think?" David asks, bags slopped on every part of him he can carry.

"I forgot how warm it is here." Katherine smiles before turning around to me. "What about you, Jenna?" Her smile and bright eyes almost make this trip bearable. "Do you think you'll go back to college, too?"

"I don't know about that." I answer and look up at the large buildings all around us. The familiar brick scent and loud chatter of people all around are some things that I never was able to get used to, and even now it's hard to be around after everything I've gone through.

After being locked away in that institution, it was hard to come back from that solitary confinement. I was so used to the quiet, so quiet that I could literally hear my own thoughts. Coming out of that was hell, even thought I couldn't stand being in that mental hospital anymore. I had to become used to being around normal people again, and I had to find a way to seem as if I was normal, not someone that had just burnt down and escaped an insane asylum.

"Well," Katherine starts, looking all around her, "I've already called the Dean of students and he re-enrolled me for the second semester. It's better than waiting for fall to come around, and this way I can begin planning my career again as soon as possible."

David wraps an arm around her while a pile of bags flops to the ground. I manage to carry Alice and my box in one arm, and with the other I shade my eyes from the burning sun. Soon enough, we're all sitting in an office, waiting for Katherine to get all of her books and belongings back. The principal of the college comes out from his office to shake her hand, even greeting Alice with a cheek squeeze. It isn't surprising that this many people love Katherine; she's always been perfect.

Throwing away the bad thoughts, we find our way to her new dorm. David seems to have a worried look on his face, maybe concerned by what happened the last time Katherine was in one of these dorms. I watch as David gives her hand a light squeeze before unlocking the door.

Katherine's POV

"Wow." I mutter as we shuffle into the room. This dorm is in complete contrast to the one I stayed in months ago, with various windows and sleek, hardwood floors. I run over to the bathroom and sure enough, a sparkling white countertop awaits me. "Are you sure this is the same college that I left?" I joke, running my eyes across the remainder of the room.