Waiting for the Sunrise

chapter nine

Rebecca-
December 23rd:

I was excited to be out of the hospital, excited to see Will, excited to see my friends. I was not excited to get a small glimpse of life just to come back here in a week. Mrs. Mercer picked me up, greeting me with a smile.

"Hi, honey." She wrapped me into a hug.

"Hi, Mrs. Mercer." She gave me a 'don't call me that' look followed by a smile.

"Chase is just so excited to see you." I thought of Chase Mercer's silly smile. Then Will's.

"I'm excited to see him too. I've missed all of you." I got into her car and she pulled out of the parking lot.

"How's Will doing?" She seemed hesitant to answer. We had talked on the phone a few times, but not much.

"He's alright. He misses you. I think he needs you." I looked at her confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Will's been having a bit of a rough patch. Nothing too major, a bit more parties than usual. Seeing that you're okay will help." My heart sank. I had anticipated Will doing amazing without me. "How are you feeling about him?"

"I think I've forgiven him the best I can. He was hurt and made a mistake. I can't punish him forever." She gave me another smile.

We went the rest of the 1.5 hour drive making small talk, her asking about the hospital. I was excited to get home, get my life back, even if it was just for a little while.

The rest of the Mercer's were waiting at the door when it opened. Except for Will. I smiled widely at them, wrapping myself in a group hug. They greeted me warmly, talking to me in excitement, I searched the living room for Will, Mrs. Mercer caught me.

"He should be home any minute." I nodded, slightly disappointed. They sat me down at the kitchen table, chatting with me and asking me everything possible about the hospital. I missed them, I missed being here, but I couldn't help but wonder where Will was. Around 30 minutes later, Will opened the door. He gave me a smile and I turned instantly.

"Hey, Beck." I stood to give him a hug. He seemed less excited than I imagined, until I realized he was high. He waved at his family and headed upstairs, I followed. He went ahead of me.

"Will." He didn't stop and kept walking into his room. He sat on his bed and looked up at me.

"Hi." He deadpanned. 

"What's your problem?" I asked. "I was so excited to come home and see you." He made eye contact with me from his seat.

"You didn't talk to me for weeks, then you just leave for two months without even saying goodbye. I don't care how mad you were, you know how much I care about you. That's fucked. All I wanted was to help you."

"So getting high afterschool is the solution for that?"

"Chill out. It's the day before break, not like I have anything important going on today."

"Besides me coming home you mean?" I asked, and a tinge of guilt showed on his face. He took a breath.

"I didn't know how to handle you coming back, I didn't know what you would be like. I had no clue what to expect and I didn't know how I was feeling about everything. Please just give me a break. I'm glad you're here, and that you're okay." He stood up and gave me a hug, but he smelled like pot, which ruined the moment a bit.

"I'm sorry that I didn't say goodbye. I wasn't in a good place, you know that. I'm trying, Will, and its working. I'm doing really well right now. I just want the next few days to be okay." He gave me a smile.