Pretending to be fine turns out to be much harder than expected. I haven't been to school in almost three weeks. I put it off at first as a stomach bug, but that lie backfired when I still refused to leave bed after a week. I've gotten up to shower maybe four times in the past twenty days. I know I probably look like a mess, still in the sweats and messy bun from Wednesday, my last shower. It's Sunday night now.
I huff and roll over in my bed. My phone buzzes with what is inevitably another text from James. He's been keeping tabs on me but I've answered my phone maybe twice since the party. I don't bother seeing what the text is, I'll let them build up and answer him maybe Thursday.
There are footsteps outside my room and I quickly roll toward the wall to pretend I'm sleeping. Someone taps lightly on my door and I groan involuntarily.
"Lucy...?" It's Pete. He had tried to talk to me the first week I fell into this state, but since then I've only heard him discussing things like homeschooling and therapy. Patrick only tells him I need more time, but I'm sure by now we all know that I need a little more than just time. "Luce, you awake? I thought I heard you in there."
I mumble something that even I can't understand. I feel the bed dip beside me and instantly my chest tightens. I take slow breath. It's only Pete, I tell myself. He's not going to hurt you. This still doesn't stop the silent tears that leak onto my cheeks because that's what I thought last time.
"How're you doing, kiddo?" He waits a beat to see if by some miracle I'll answer him. I don't. "So I don't know if you've heard us, but Patrick and I have enrolled you in an online school. I'll have a laptop in here tomorrow so you can start on your work. Sound good?" I still don't answer, though my tears have stopped. He sighs, and I almost want to say something to ease his mind, but I'm too far into my state to open my mouth. "Dinner will be ready in a couple minutes, you know it would mean the world to Patrick and I if you joined. We won't push you though. We love you Luce, we just wish we knew how to help." He leans over and presses a kiss to my messy hair and something inside me triggers and I'm crying again, of course he doesn't know that because I'm quiet about it. Still, the gesture means more to me than he could know.
He gets up and I hear my door open. Before it closes, I force my lips open to say two raspy words. "Thank you." I can hear the joy in his voice when he answers.
"No problem, kiddo." I feel the first smile in three weeks crawl onto my face and I suddenly think that I could do this. No, not school, or James, or telling Pete and Patrick what happened. No, I think I could get up and go eat dinner. I think I could start on my schoolwork tomorrow afternoon and take a shower more than once this week.
I take a deep breath and sit up swiftly in my bed. For the first time I wonder what time it is. Seven-forty-two. Wow, we usually have dinner at six-forty-five. I decide it's better late than never, so I pick out a clean set of clothes, still pajamas and a T-shirt, but kind of a step up. With this sudden motivation take over me I walk to the bathroom and shower quickly, scrubbing the sweat and tears I've accumulated over the past couple of days. I drag my brush through my hair and let it hang loose to dry as I dress in my pajamas.
When I walk downstairs I try not to dwell too much on how surprised Pete and Patrick look. I just allow them to hug me and smile and make conversation over dinner that I only pick at. They seem content with what I manage to eat, and the minimal phrases I voice. Not even questioning it when I go right back to my room.
I curl up beneath my covers and busy myself with answering a couple texts, then falling alsleep with the hopes that I could finally put this behind me.
There is legit like two or three more parts before this is over and I feel so bad because this part is so much shorter than my other ones SoRrY
<3
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I Promise || Adopted by Peterick
Fanfiction*Completed Lucy Ann Crowley was left on the highway at age seven. Her mother said she'd be right back. She said she promises. After daddy left mama promised she'd never leave. But one day she did. Eight years later she's fifteen and still without pa...
