Stolen From Superman-The Sequel To Waiting for Superman

Chapter 17- Holding Me Together

A/N: Well I'd say you guys spammed the comments pretty well! Thanks for the support, and keep it going!

*Le time skip boring shopping stuff*

By the time we're done, we probably have way more stuff than we need. I make a point of setting up Percy's room myself, with lifting assistance from Jordan. I may be feeling better, but I'm not quite furniture lifting ready. I stand in the doorway and stare at it for a moment when we're done. The walls are still white, just like the rest of Jordan's house. But posters and bright colors adorn the rest of the room, adding a certain character to it. "Percy, come look!" He comes running in from the living room. He hasn't seen it yet. I smile as he runs in, and his face lights up. "Woah!" he says, jumping on the bed and grinning widely. "This is awesome!" Jordan got him a TV too, despite my protests. It's a small one, but still. I hold up my hand and Jordan high fives it, grinning. I laugh, and we leave Percy to enjoy it for a while.

We still have to set up my bed. "Ok, push yours over to the left and mine can go up against the window." I say. Jordan sighs, continuing to move it around until it looks good. I feel kind of bad, making him move stuff all day long. But I can't do it. Unfortunate, really. It is a bit funny though.

I can still hear Percy watching TV around 9pm. I sigh "He needs to go to bed." Jordan nods "Even I'm thinking that sleep sounds good." I smirk. "You know your 9 year old should go to bed when the gamer gets tired...We have awesome guidelines." He laughs "Yeah. We really do." I sit for a moment "Ok I'll go do it." He smiles "Go on then." I glare at him and stand up, walking to Percy's room. Maybe I should put controls on the TV. I walk in without warning him. He sits on the bed, cross legged, eyes locked on whatever cartoon that is. I lean on the doorframe "Its bedtime Perc." I say softly. He looks at me, seeming to acknowledge my existence. "Why? I don't want to go to sleep." I frown "It's late. You need to go to bed." He shakes his head. "You can't make me." My eyes flare "Excuse me? I am responsible for you now. You will respect me just as much as Mom!" I say, irritated with his attitude. I knew the TV was a bad idea. He goes silent for a moment "I wish Mom was here instead of you." He says quietly, but bitterly. Like he's afraid to say it, but his anger wins over. It's like a punch to the gut. I swallow hard "Go to bed Percy." I walk over and hit the power on the TV, flicking the light off on my way out. I resist slamming the door, and just shut it quickly. I lean my head back on the wood panel, taking a deep breath. Maybe I shouldn't be a parent. I shut my eyes for a moment, trying to calm myself. But it isn't working. "What's wrong Ali?" Jordan asks softly, stepping into the hallway. I take a shaky breath "I can't do anything right." I whisper. He glances down, and then beckons toward the living room. I know he's right to move me away from Percy's room before I start to have an emotional breakdown. I didn't think about that. Probably because I'm putting myself first. And that's wrong of a parent to do. We reach the living room, and he suddenly stops, turning and wrapping his arms around me. I close my eyes and return the embrace, aware that I'm shaking. I'm spiraling again. And when I spiral, I go downwards, and very fast. I try to keep the tears from starting, but I know it's not really any use. "You are doing a great job." He whispers, rocking slightly. I shake my head, blinking back tears. "No, I'm really not. He doesn't want me here. He doesn't respect me." I say, unable to stop the tears from spilling over onto my cheeks. He squeezes me slightly "I know he feels like that right now. He lost his parent's too. It's hard for him, I'm sure. He's only 9. Just keep that in mind. I close my eyes, leaning on his chest. "I know. This is what I'm talking about. I don't even consider what he's feeling. I only care about myself." Jordan leans his chin on my head. "And that's ok. You're 18. You can't be expected to be perfect." "But I want to be." I whisper. He pulls back and looks at me. "And you are." I look down "Don't lie to me." I say. He raises an eyebrow "What made you think I was lying?" I sigh, leaning into him again. Maybe he thinks that I'm perfect, but me? Not as much. "How are we going to do this?" I say softly, somewhat desperate for a solution. He thinks for a moment "Together." It's not much, but it's better than anything I could have thought of.

I go to bed with a heavy heart, as I've done many times before. Why did this have to happen? Why did they have to die? I don't see how I'm supposed to raise a child, and go to college, and handle a relationship at 18 years old. How could anyone? I take a shaky breath, curling into a ball. I just want the pain to go away. A year ago, my arms would be pretty cut up by now. But I know that wouldn't fly here. I can't submit Percy to that, and I know Jordan wouldn't like it either. So I can only deal with it. I stare out the window, at all of the city lights. So much out there. So much that I probably won't ever see, because I'm stuck with a child to raise. I know it's my responsibility, and I can't very well just leave him. But sometimes, I wish I could. This isn't my fault. It tears me apart, because I love him, and I want to take care of him. But I know that I'm probably not doing the greatest job, and he might be better off with someone else. So the only thing to do is keep going. I don't even notice that I'm sobbing quietly. I can see a faint reflection of myself in the glass. I hear Jordan get out of his bed, and quietly walk across the room. I don't respond as he lies down next to me, wrapping his arms around me. He rest a hand over one of mine, tracing a pattern on the back of my hand. I take a deep breath, calming down a bit, and appreciating his closeness. He knows when I'm hurting, and knows how to fix it. I don't know how he makes me better so quickly. I turn slightly so I can see him, eyes shut with a slight smile on his face. I guess he needed the support as well. I close my eyes as well, leaning my head on his chest and snuggling a little closer to his warmth. I feel him wipe the tears off my cheeks and press his lips to my forehead gently. I smile a bit, starting to drift off. His touch leaves warmth on my skin, and lulls me into sleep. I fall away much easier this way. With him holding me together again.

A/N: Hey guys! Ok little announcement for the next few days:

I'm going to be on spring break, so please understand that updates might be few and far between over the weekend and through Wednesday. I am going on a school trip and then to visit my aunt (the second of which will not have internet access.)

So my plan is to have a chapter saved on here that I will type today, and to post that over the weekend to have something up. But there probably wont be another update until Thursday. Sorry about that, I'll try to make them extra long to make up for it!

What are your guys plans for spring break? Drop a comment and slap dat vote button if you enjoyed!

-Argo