Forever Living Hell (Darker Days Series #2)

Chapter 13: Second Home

I sat on the bed in Jamison's room, looking at all the stuff he had. The room hadn't been touched since is death, and now there I was, burying myself in his blanket.

"How are you doing?" Mr.Thorn asked as he appeared in the doorway.

I looked up at him. "Horrible." I sighed.

He handed me a cup of hot cocoa and sat down next to me on the bed. "Your mother was a wonderful person.

I nodded. Yeah she was, and that's why it should have been me and not her. "I shouldn't have left. I overreacted."

He shook his head. "You were just reacting to your feelings, I understand. It's my fault as well, you know."

I nodded. Of course it was his fault. None of this would have happened if he had kept his distance from my mom.

"You know what she was doing when she went to use the bathroom?" He asked.

"Do I wanna know?"

"You should."

"Then tell me." I squeezed my eyes shut, preparing myself for something bad.

"She was trying to make herself throw up. She has bulimia."

Wow... And I really never knew. "What?"

He nodded.

"Wow." I sighed, totally dumbfounded. I had no idea my mother was bulimic and I lived with her my whole life. What kind of daughter was I?

"Well it's already three in the morning, so if you'd like to get some sleep, go right ahead. It's Saturday, so feel free to sleep in." He patted my back, stood up, and then went to leave the room.

"Call me if you need anything, alright?" He glanced back at me.

I nodded and then he disappeared down the hall. I curled up on the bed and eventually fell asleep.

When I woke up, it was already noon. I got out of Jamison's bed and wandered out into the hall before finding my way to the stairs and going to see who was home.

The house was empty, so I figured Jamison's parents were at work. I'm not sure where his sister was. I slipped on a pair of shoes and decided to take a walk to the park.

When I arrived at the park, I saw Ezekiel sitting on the ground. Not the swing, not the playground, not the sandbox, just the ground. I tilted my head curiously and walked up behind him.

"You come here often?" I asked.

He smiled, and without even looking back at me, he replied, "ah, hello Frannie." Then he turned around. "And to answer your question, yes I do. Do you?"

I nodded and sat down. I felt emotionless all of a sudden and I don't know why.

"So how'd things go last night?" He asked, breaking the brief silent between us.

"Horrible."

He shot me a concerned glance. "What do you mean?"

I didn't waste my time coming up with an excuse, because even though the truth sucked, I had to face it. "My mom killed herself."

Ezekiel looked at me with a pained expression on his face in utter silence before he just pulled me into a hug without warning, and didn't say anything.

Overtaken by surprise, I froze for a moment. Eventually, I hugged him back and we just sat there. He wouldn't let go.

"I lost my dad to suicide, so I know how you feel." He eventually whispered to me and sighed.

"Oh." I couldn't believe it, it was such a coincidence. "How long ago?"

"A couple months back."

"I'm sorry for your loss." I replied, not knowing what else to say.

"Don't be, he's in a better place now."

" I suppose that is true." I nodded and let him go from the hug.

He let go as well and reassuringly patted my knee. "Things will get better and the pain will fade. You will soon realize that your mother is in a better place as well. One day, when it's your time, you can join her. Just like I'll join my dad."

I smiled a bit. "I hope so."

"Hey, if you need any support, you can always come here to talk to me. Or better yet, I'll show you where I live so you can stop by whenever you'd like. Even if I'm not home, my mom will be around and she's just as welcoming and willing to talk as I am." Ezekiel looked at me and smiled a bit.

His smile seemed to be contagious, because just then, I felt my mood lighten and a small smile crossed my face as I stood up. "Show me the way."

He chuckled and sprung to his feet before linking my arm in his. "This way, my lady!" He began walking away from the park, dragging me alongside him.

He made me happy. He brought light into the world, and he colored the pages of the black and white comics that were my life. As I followed him to his house, he sang songs from the Wizard Of OZ.

"We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of oz!" He sung as he eventually persuaded me to skip along with him.

I felt light inside as I put a little hop in my step and the two of us arrived at his house after skipping nearly the whole way there.

His house was a very large colonial house with a small balcony above the front door. The house was made of a reddish brick, and had brown trim. The windows were decorated with an exterior window sill that held various pots of flowers on them.

"Welcome to my humble abode." He smiled as he gestured to his house. "My mom is currently out shopping, but now you know where I live, and you're free to stop by any time."

Just as I was about to say something, his mother pulled into the driveway and got out of the car before walking around to the trunk and smiling at us. "Who is your friend?" She asked, with a friendly smile on her face.

"Mom, this is my friend Frannie. Frannie, this is my mom." Ezekiel introduced us.

"Nice to meet you, Frannie. You can call me Michelle or Mrs.Kieran, if you prefer."

"Nice to meet you as well, Michelle." I replied, putting a smile on my face.

"Oh, I like her!" She giggled as she closed the trunk, carrying bags of groceries in her arm.

Ezekiel smiled. "Oh! Here, let me help you." He ran over to his mother and took a few bags from her arms before walking up to the front door and opened it.

"Come on in." He glanced back at me as he walked inside.

I was honestly surprised by their politeness and welcoming personalities. I followed Ezekiel inside and Michelle followed behind us.

"So you're the girl my boy has been talking about." Michelle said.

I was slightly surprised, not expecting him to ever say anything about me since we had just met. "Really?"

"Mom!" He gave Michelle a harsh glare as his cheeks turned pink.

"What?" She chuckled.

"So you've talked about me, huh?" I smiled and folded my arms, curious to hear his response.

"All good things, I promise." He nodded and started putting groceries away.

"Oh no, honey, I got this. Go show Frannie around. And Frannie? Feel free to consider this your second home." Michelle smiled at me.

I blushed a bit, feeling more welcomed than I ever have as Ezekiel ran over to me and grabbed my hand.

"Backyard is first on the list, you'll like it." He smiled and lead me to the back door.

I had a feeling I was going to like this family.