Coping with Bieber

Chapter 15: Another Day

*A month later*

After much back and forth regarding my malnutrition, Dr. Shouls and I finally reach an agreement after I began eating two times a day. He released me about two weeks ago. 

Justin remained in the hospital but I had heard from Pattie that he was released earlier this week.

I have not heard from him since I left the hospital. Things had not been the same as to how they were before the ... incident. He knew it too. Just as my body, my mind has been going through a lot of back and forth itself. I feel it best that we take a break and go our own ways for now. 

I open my bag as I sit in my bedroom. Searching for the pack of cigarettes that I bought yesterday morning, I grow frustrated as I cannot seem to locate it inside my bag. 

I hear my doorbell ring and I pause before reacting. After not hearing the sound for so long, it took me a while before I was able to identify its origin. 

I turned on my television and grabbed my remote before pressing in the buttons of that channel that I hope would avoid me from getting up.

As the screen turns into black and white colors, I see the familiar face that is ringing on my doorbell. Elysandra.

Before the ... incident, Justin had someone set up an unidentifiable camera on the inside of my doors peephole in the case of any paparazzi came around trying to stalk me. 

I let the doorbell ring again and again before watching Elysandra grow frustrated and leave.

As she turned her back to the door, and the ringing stopped, I shut off the tv and proceeded to look through my bag. 

I could not find my pack of cigarettes so I came to the conclusion that I had finished them all sometime along the day yesterday. 

Before closing my bag, I see the my phone with its marble case lying at the bottom of my bag. I pull out on and press the home button. It does not turn on, almost as expected. I do not remember charging my phone not one during the past two months. I throw it on top of the dresser and forget about it.

I look at the digital clock on my night stand and for the first time in a while, I see the date. It is now April 9th and I did not realize how much time has passed. 

Somewhere along the way, during our stay in that treacherous hospital, we missed Justin's birthday. I sigh. 

Standing up, I slip on my shoes and throw on my jacket over the white t-shirt and gray sweat pants that became my go to everyday since my hospital release. The clothes fit me baggy, suggesting that I weighed yet again a little under my normal weight. Shrugging it off, I grab my credit card from my purse and head towards the door making a mental note of things that I needed to buy. Cigarettes. Toilet paper. Toothpaste. Some kind of food.

I grab my sunglasses from the top of my kitchen counter and then swing the door open.

Stopping in my tracks, I almost trip over Elysandra who is sitting on the floor against my door. 

"Elysandra, what the hell?!" I scream in a pissed tone of voice.

"I knew you were here." Is all she says.

"Then you should have known that I don't want to see anybody." I look away.

"I am your friend. I am supposed to be stubborn and try to comfort you anyway, so that is exactly what I am doing." She speaks as she gets up from the floor.

"Well, you can be on your way. I am going grocery shopping." I close the door behind me, lock it and begin walking away. 

"I am going with you." She follows me.

"No, you're not." I don't look back at her.

"Yes, I am." She says.

I stop. "Can you just leave me alone?" I turn around and look into her face.

She stares at me for a while before reacting. She moves closer to me and wraps me in a hug. A long hug. My body begins to weaken and my eyes begin to water until she pulls away. 

"I hope to see you in rehearsals next Monday. 12 PM." She says before walking away.

"Rehearsals?" I say lowly. "He can't be."I throw my head back and sigh.

__

After getting home from my short trip to the market, I hesitantly connect my phone to its charger, watching the screen turn on after a couple of minutes. 

I grab a cigarette and turn it on before grabbing a chocolate ice-cream bar from the freeze.  

Inhaling and exhaling the smoke, I open all of the windows in my apartment. I love cigarettes but I hate how the smell sticks to my clothes. 

I hear an endless beeping sound coming from inside my room and I walk in only to realize that it's my phone.

Surely, there are a million notifications, from every platform, showing up on the screen. 

After skimming through them, only one catches my eyes.

-New Message-

April 8; 10:54 PM

From: Justin 

We need to talk. 

-End Message-

I stare at the screen before sighing. Turning off my phone, I puff out smoke and eat my ice-cream.

End of Chapter

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