The Wall and the Flower

Chapter 2: School is Overrated (Claire's POV)

"You don't really have to leave, you know that right, Bicky?"

Bucky laughed and shoved his hands into the front pockets of his pants. His long dark hair bounced and his shirt rippled by the movement.

"Come on, Claire Bear, you're gonna be fine." He stepped closer to me and wrapped me up in a big hug and pressed a kiss against my hair. I nuzzled my face into his broad chest and held him tighter, keeping him from letting me go. "I'm proud of you."

I clenched my eyes shut, stopping the flow of tears that threatened to spill from me eyes and tightened my grip on Bucky. After a few minutes of hugging, he sighed and tried to pry my arms off him.

"Claire, let go."

"No."

"Come on, everything will be okay. I'll be up to visit before you know it. Come on. Let go."

"Can you come up next weekend?" I asked him as I looked up into his dark blue eyes, my chin pressing against his abs. He smiled at me and nodded his head. "Pinky promise?" I held up my outstretched pinky and giggled when Bucky sighed but did the same.

Interlocking our pinkies together he said, "I promise. I'll be up here next weekend."

Satisfied with my answer, I let him go and followed him out of my dorm, watching him drive away. Once his ugly beat up blue beetle drove out of sight, a small tear rolled down my cheek. In fear of looking like a cry-baby, I quickly wiped it away and headed back to my room. It was hard having an older brother that was ten years older than you; by the time you get to experience things, they've already done it. Take college for instance: I'm excited to start my college years, but I just wish Bucky could experience it with me. He's the only one that I'm really close with. I don't have a lot of friends, never did and probably never will.

I closed the door to my room and sighed at all the stuff that didn't get unpacked. Again I wished that Bucky was here, mostly to help me, but I knew that he had to get back to the city for work. Which sucked.

I started to unpack my clothes, putting in the effort to fold them neatly and place them in my dresser or hang them up in my closet. It didn't take me that long since I didn't have a lot of clothes, and when I finished I set up my TV which I placed on my desk. I usually did my homework on my bed anyway, so I wasn't upset over the loss of space. I groaned in frustration as the different cables got tangled through transportation and became a big messy jumble.

Finally, after many minutes of wrestling with the cables, I started to hook up my TV, which also wasn't that hard. In fact, it didn't take too long to set up the rest of my room. Once I finished the "essentials", I took all my food and dumped it (save a small chip bag) into an empty plastic bin and slid it under my bed. Sighing, I sat on my bed and started eating my snack and looked around my room. My roommate's side of the room was all clean and set up, though she clearly wasn't here.

I didn't know what to do with myself. I didn't know anyone and the events that were being thrown on campus seemed like lame ways for the school to play friendship match-maker, which I wasn't interested in. I sighed again and laid down on my bed—more liked flopped—and grabbed my TV remote from my desk and searched through the various movies and TV shows on Netflix.

○○○

I stayed in my room all day, only leaving when I got a call from the food delivery guy telling me my food was here. I rolled my eyes at him when he winked at me and tried to slide me his phone number saying, "We should totally get together at some point and hook up." He didn't even have the audacity to pretend to take me on a date. I wish I could say the whole experience was worth it, but...the food wasn't even that good.

My roommate still wasn't back yet, and for some reason, some part of me was a little annoyed. I didn't know why, but I didn't fight it. My phone buzzed, taking me out of my head and my chicken salad. Turning on the screen, my face brightened when I saw the text from Bucky. He must be off work.

Hey. I just got done. How's college life?

So far, it sucks. Please tell me it gets better?

It does. Just takes a little bit to adjust.

I scoffed at him. "Time to adjust." I was plenty adjusted to moving around to a new place where you didn't know anyone and was expected to go on as if your life was normal.

You know how adjusted I am.

I didn't mean to sound so harsh, but I couldn't help the little bit of anger that came through. Foster care will do that to you. Bucky didn't respond right away, and for a minute, I thought maybe I crossed a line and upset him and my heart descended into my stomach.

Yeah, I know Claire Bear. But whether you choose to accept it or not, this is different. Just give it some time, you'll see. Watch, the day will come when you'd rather spend all your time with your friends than with me. I'll have to beg for some attention like some needy boyfriend. Or a dog.

Bold of you to assume I'll have friends. And for the sake of my sanity, please never ever EVER compare yourself to a boyfriend. Especially when referring to me.

LOL! YOUR SUCH AN ASS!

You're*

SHUT THE FUCK UP!

What's the matter Bicky? Are you getting angry? I think you should see someone about this anger issue you have. Ignoring it isn't healthy. Take it from me, the poster child for anger issues.

Claire, you don't have anger issues.

Shouldn't I be the one denying it and you're the one trying to convince me? This doesn't feel right.

I did have anger issues. One time in 8th grade I beat up a boy for picking on a girl who was kind of my friend. I was suspended for a week and the girl was so scared of me she didn't want to be my friend anymore. Yeah, I don't have the best track record with making friends.

So did you meet your roommate yet?

Not yet. She's been out all day. Bicky what if she's one of those weird social butterfly type people? What if she tries to make me do things? I'm not about that social life, Bicky. I might actually implode.

Oh Claire, you'll be fine. Don't overreact.

I turned the screen of my phone off and threw it to the other end of my bed. Shifting my position, I moved my feet up, pulling my knees closer to my chest and wrapped my arms around them, holding them in place. I huffed and rested my head against my knees and stared at the door to my room. I wished my roommate would just get here so I didn't have to spend this time sitting in silence. I grabbed my headphones and plugged them into my phone, turning the volume all the way up to drown out my thoughts, and pulled out a bottle of purple nail polish and began to paint my nails.

About an hour passed before I heard the low punching of the combination lock on the other side of the door. I peered up from the tops of my eyes, pausing a bit from painting my nails, as the door swung open, revealing an average tall girl with brown hair—scratch that, it was more red than brown; maybe a mixture of both—wearing a medium length black skirt with black knee socks and boots. Her hair was tied in a ponytail and all of her fingers were covered in multiple rings. Her light skin contrasted heavily with the black eyeshadow she was wearing.

She walked into the room, but paused in the center, her face contorting in disgust before she walked over to the window and opened it. She didn't say anything to me and I didn't say anything to her, but she walked from the window and stood in the middle of the room, staring at me. I could sense her eyes trailing over me, landing on my scar, and I shifted my hair to cover it. But I guess she didn't take the hint and continued to stare at me. I growled a little under my breath.

"Can I help you something?"

I felt a little bad; I didn't mean to sound so harsh to her, but...I'm self-conscious about my scar and don't like people staring at it or drawing attention to it. Before I could apologize, she laid down on her bed and rolled over to face the opposite wall and didn't move for the rest of the night.