Seven Minutes

Chapter 2

TW // Mentions of abortion and suicide. This chapter is mostly a filler so if you feel like you need to skip it, you won't miss anything crucial xoxo

"Where are we going," you ask as you look over at Emily in the driver's seat.

"Don't worry, I think you will like it. It's pretty cool." She winks at you before turning her gaze back towards the road.

"How do you know I will like it? We just had our first conversation 15 minutes ago," you say, causing her to roll her eyes.

"Ok, you have a point. Let me clarify. I like it and I think it is cool, and I am hoping that you will as well."

You drive for a few more minutes before you pull up to a park. You look at the swing set and playground, and your head fills with confusion.

"Uh, Emily. I hate to sound rude but I'm not sure this is what I would consider cool," you say with a disgusted look on your face. She laughs as she turns off the car and moves to get out.

"This is not the cool part. Follow me."

The two of you walk toward the playground, but instead of stopping at it like you thought she would, Emily keeps walking. She leads you to a path that is slightly hidden and once you pass through a couple of bushes and trees, you gasp at what you see in front of you.

Emily has led you to a round clearing with light posts along the perimeter. In the center, there is a large tree filled with small pink buds. It is beautiful. You look over to Emily and she is looking at you with a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye.

"Pretty cool right?" She asks as she smirks at you.

"Yeah, actually this is really cool." She walks over to one of the benches by the tree and sits down, patting the seat next to her for you to sit down.

"See, you can trust me." You move and sit down next to her.

"How did you find this place?" You ask in awe.

"I don't remember actually, I just stumbled upon it one day and have been coming here whenever I need some peace of mind," she says with a shrug. You lean back and let out a breath of air.

"Feeling better?" Emily asks as she gently nudges your arm. You open your eyes and look over at her. Looking at her face, and how relaxed and comfortable she looks your heart skips a beat, and your words freeze on your tongue.

"I will take the staring and awkward silence as a no." You blush and quickly move your gaze away from Emily's face.

"I'm fine, I'm just having trouble getting control of my feelings." Emily pauses and gives you an interesting look.

"How about we continue our conversation?" she asks you and you nod in response. "You never did answer my question."

"What question?" you ask.

"Why are you so quiet?" You take a deep breath and shrug.

"I guess I just never feel like I have anything important to say. My mom died when I was young and after that, my dad shut down. Didn't talk or smile much. I got used to a silent household and now it just feels unnatural to talk too much." Emily slides closer to you and grabs her hand with yours.

"I am sorry, I know what it is like to deal with a distant parent. My mom travels a lot, and I used to get dragged along with her. People think it is so cool traveling the world, but not when half of the time you are alone."

"I'm sorry," you whisper.

"It's ok. But when you are young and alone, you do almost anything to try and fit in," she says with a shake of her head.

"You did something?" you ask carefully. "Something that you regret?" You notice a few tears start to work their way into her eyes but she doesn't let them fall.

"I got pregnant when I was fifteen. My friend helped me have an abortion and my mom wasn't any wiser. Sometimes I wish she had paid a little more attention so I wouldn't have had to go through that alone."

You sit there watching her for a second, not sure of the right words to say. So instead of saying anything you wrap your arms around her and pull her into a hug. The two of you stay like that for a moment, before you hear Emily sniff and give a pained laugh.

"I must be drunk, I don't know why I told you all of that. I haven't even told Jayge and Pen about that part of my past." The two of you pull away from the hug and you look her in the face.

"Studies show that most people feel more comfortable sharing personal information with strangers than they are with friends and family." She smiles like you hoped that she would and you smile too.

"Well, I hope you aren't a stranger for much longer."

Emily is sitting so close to you that her thigh is pressed against yours. It feels like the whole world has stopped and it is just the two of you. She starts to lean toward you until her lips are hovering over yours, but you panic and pull away and clear your throat.

"Uh, yeah, I...I should probably go home now." You stutter out as you get up from the bench."You know uh homework and stuff." Emily seems to break out of some spell and she also gets off of the bench.

"Yeah right definitely," she says. "Come on I will drop you off."