Ruining Us

RU: Chapter 24

It's short, it's probably not very good, but it's the most I can cough out at the moment. I'm not actually too upset with it - it's okay, considering it took me three months to write so little - but yeah.

Important shit happens so I'll post it now.

In case you forgot, Spencer has to go home because his dad tried to kill himself, realising that after his wife dies, he will be alone. This starts just afterwards.

Chapter 24

{~Jess POV~}

I hated it so much. Seeing Spencer in so much pain was like having a bullet ripped through me – not that I knew what that felt like, but I was pretty sure it was akin to what I just felt. Now, as upset as I was that he was leaving, I was somewhat glad he was going to make his father happy again. Anything to make him happier.

Steph met my eyes across the room and I sighed as she came to sit beside me and put her arm around me.

“It’s okay, Jess, he’ll be back before you know it,” she murmured comfortingly, and I nodded, forcing myself not to cry.

I felt kind of stupid, crying over the fact that my boyfriend was leaving for a while. It wasn’t like I’d never see him again. Hell I’d see him in a few weeks at October half term. And I could text him, email him, skype him, phone him, and he’d be back before the new year.

Stupid, I told myself. Just stupid.

But I couldn’t get to sleep that night. I lay tossing and turning, trying every technique in the book, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen now. Darius gave me the heebie jeebies and without Spencer here, I felt exposed, vulnerable.

He’s not even gone yet, I muttered to myself. He had gone back to his room to tell Jared and to pack, and then early tomorrow he’d tell the school everything and Eddie and his dad would back him up. Sighing grimly, I tossed and turned but it took me a long time to get to sleep, and when I finally did, it was fitful.

The next morning, I was up at about half past six, so I decided to text Spencer, who I knew would be up. We stayed away from the topic of his dad, and him leaving, and went back to our usual weird conversations. Once Steph was up, the two of us went down to breakfast, where everyone else was, and Spencer was just saying goodbye to everyone else.

As we reached them, I gave Spencer a huge hug, breathing in his scent, memorizing the warm contours of his body as he hugged me back, and then he kissed my forehead.

“I’ll see you at half term,” he smiled, kissing my lips briefly, but I saw past the smile, at the lost worry.

“Yeah,” I murmured, and then he was gone, walking out of the hall, giving us all a brief wave.

There was silence for a moment, and then people were distracting me with jokes, cracks at Vanessa’s outfit, breakfast, random conversations to keep me talking. I was grateful. I felt kind of pathetic for being so sad about him leaving, but it was the first time since we’d got together around a month ago.

But I was confident we’d make it through this first, possibly, hurdle in our relationship. We just had to stay strong.

**

Days passed.

It was weird. If Spencer had taken even a day off before, I would have partied, grateful that the pervert had taken a break for a while. Now, I was just sad. A little hollow. It reminded me of when Zack had left, but not as bad, as I knew he’d be coming back in a few weeks.