Crash and Burn

Chapter 18

"Abby, you need to get up and help," my mother said and nudged me softly.

"Ma," I drawled, pushing my hair back from my forehead and laying my head back onto my pillow.

"I know, I know, you need time and rest or you'll be a raging, depressed, hormonal teenager," she said, picking up a water bottle from the floor.

"I'm sorry, Ma," I said quietly, and she smiled softly. I shut my eyes and felt the bed dip under her weight as she sat on the edge of my bed.

"I'm sorry, too, Abby," she whispered, pushing back my hair away from my face.

"I just... miss him. I need time to get over it," I said. Her cool hand felt nice on my burning forehead. I'd been laying in bed for the entire weekend, either mindlessly staring at the T.V. or eating away my feelings.

Thank God for MTV and Ben and Jerry's.

I hadn't cried once, not since the first day he came and I poured my feelings down the shower drain.

"I know, baby," she said, and I looked up at my mother. She was stunning, with warm chocolate eyes and a smile that lit up the room. We had the same dark, curly hair, and she always complained that mine was a "better texture".

I threw off my blanket as she stood from my bed and left the room. I stood up, cringing when my feet made contact with the cold wooden floor. I stretched and walked into my en-suite and flipped on the shower. I stripped off my clothes and stepped into the steamy stream of hot water.

Kayla.

She'd been texting me all weekend, and I'd been ignoring everything from everyone. I was being selfish and a horrible friend to her.

Chad.

Stop. Stop. Stop. Don't do this. Stop. Now.

Kyle.

I wondered how him and Kayla were doing. Last I heard, they were totally whipped for eachother. They'd been dating for what, six months now?

He doesn't remember that night.

Graduation.

I smiled.

It was in twelve days. Twelve days until freedom. I could leave here, bring my mom with me. I could get a job, and buy her a house, and get myself an apartment. Away from here.

Chad.

Don't do this. He doesn't care.

He doesn't love me.

Then why'd he come after you? Why does he keep coming to the house, every damn day?

He just wants to give me a half-assed excuse so I'm not on his guilty conscience anymore.

Yup. Just keep pushing the feelings to the bottom, and you'll never see them again.

**

"Abby!" Kayla shouted, throwing her arms around my neck in a hug.

"Hey, Kayla," I said quietly, wrapping my arms around her and resting my chin on her shoulder.

"Where were you yesterday? I texted you a jillion times," she asked, releasing me and taking a step back.

"Sleeping, eating, sleeping," I answered, and pulled out my phone when I felt it vibrate in my pocket.

From: Don't Read This. He's Only Going To Hurt You.

I had set his contact name to that in attempts to stop myself from talking to him.

I slid my thumb across the screen to open the message.