Stitches of Survival

Almost Grown

This chapter is dedicated to  @forever_hope101 for two reasons: 1. their awesome profile picture and 2. the great comment on the last chapter (great minds think alike when it comes to procrastinating on homework XD)

Chapter Three: Almost Grown

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My leg was bouncing as I sat on my couch, my hands having a tight grip on the beer bottle in my hand. My eyes were trained solely on the front door of my apartment, waiting for someone to knock. I had been a nervous wreck ever since I had gotten home, more thankful than ever that Ashley had put Joel to bed before I got home, not wanting him to see me like this. Though it had taken some convincing, I had managed to get Ashley to head home for the night, promising that I'd call her if I needed to talk to anyone, a lie. I needed to talk, but not to her, not about this. 

I couldn't seem to get the thought of Mark and Derek's sister out of my head, the image of them kissing seemingly burned into my memory. All I wanted to do was forget what I had seen, but I couldn't.

Knock. Knock.

I jumped to my feet at the found of someone knocking on the door. My eyes flew to Joel's closed bedroom door, waiting a second to make sure he didn't come out, having been woken by the knocking. I didn't hear anything from his room as I put my beer down on the coffee table. I ran a hand through my hair, pulling my sweater tight around me as I made my way to the door. Taking a deep breath, I opened it, finding a familiar face standing in front of me. He had a hand raised, as though he'd been about to knock again.

"Hi," I greeted him, my voice soft. He lowered his hand, his dark eyes scanning over my shorter figure, almost as though I had a second head. "Do you want to come in?"

"Uh, yeah." He cleared his throat before making his way inside. I closed the door behind him, watching as he glanced around the apartment, seeming to be taking in his surroundings. 

"Do you want a beer?" I offered. I just stood awkwardly by the door, unsure of what I was really supposed to do. Even though I had been the one to call him over, it still felt weird to see him standing here in the same apartment we had once lived in together, like a happy little family.

"No, I'm fine." Lucas focused his attention back on me. "So, uh, what is this about? You didn't say much on the phone, well, not much that I could make out."

"I just..." I sighed, shaking my head. I walked around him, taking a seat on the couch once more, resting my head in my hands. "I don't know what I'm doing, not anymore. Everything just seems to be going to shit and I don't know what to do."

"I need a little more than that." He took a seat next to me on the couch. I rough laugh escaped me at his words, remembering that he'd said the exact same thing to me the night we met at Joe's. 

"Ever since things ended between us... its just been crazy." I tried to figure out where to start. "Between Mark, my father's family, and the shooting, I just feel like everything's falling apart around me. I just, I know I need to talk to someone, but I feel like if I do talk to someone they're just going to tell me to get over it, move on with my life. But it's not that simple."

"Bethany, calm down." He told me.

"Maybe I'm just not meant to be happy." I shook my head. "Maybe there are some people that are meant to fall in love and have a perfect life and there are those who are supposed to die alone, be old spinsters."

"Hey," his voice was sharp, making me look back at him. "Don't. Don't do this to yourself, okay? Things may not have worked out between us, Beth, but you do deserve to be happy. Maybe that's not with Mark, but there is someone out there for you, okay? You just have to be patient, wait to find that person."