Break (Falling Apart #1)

Chapter Two

~~~~~Chapter Two~~~~~

 

I went back to my room and dug through my closet until I found my two suitcases. I dumped the contents unceremoniously onto my bedroom floor, then threw the cases onto the bed. I opened all the drawers of my dresser, then pulled out all of my jeans, throwing them onto my bed.

 

I picked then up a pair at a time, looking at the cuffs. If they weren’t worn out, I threw them to the floor. I was determined to re-invent myself so that I would have different sorts of friends. I wanted people to see me differently.

 

The jeans that were scuffed were thrown into another pile on my bed. I went to the bathroom to grab a razor, then used it to tear the knees. I slipped each pair on, liking how they fit. If I liked them, I folded them up as small as I could and packed them tightly into a suitcase.

 

I looked through all of my shirts, keeping only the tight and low-cut shirts, throwing the larger ones onto the floor with my jeans. I packed my shirts up with my jeans, filling up the first suitcase.

 

From another drawer, I looked through all of my underclothes, keeping only my favorite sets and throwing them into the second suitcase haphazardly.

 

As soon as my second suitcase was half-full, I sorted through my pajamas. I tried to find my summer nightclothes, but I only found three sets. Figuring this wouldn’t be anywhere enough, I closed the suitcase and zipped it.

 

I went to my closet and pulled out my multiple purses. I dug through them all, finding money in half of them. I threw the money onto my pillow, then sat down to count it out: five hundred dollars in all, plus some odd cents.

 

I sighed, then put my suitcases on the floor beside my bed. Falling back onto my pillows, I closed my eyes, throwing my arm over the top half of my face. So far, today has been a nightmare. I looked over at the clock and groaned. It was only 5:45.

 

I gathered a tank top and shorts, and went to the bathroom. After I started the bath water, I went out to get my towel. Outside the bathroom door, Mom leaned against the wall. “What the hell happened, Thea?” she asked. “You were so happy.”

 

“Yeah, listen to yourself,” I said. “Were. I didn’t make the decision to go to Break. Colton did. He broke up with me, because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. So, I’m not going to stay here and play twenty questions.” I opened the closet to get my towel, then went back to the bathroom.

 

I undressed and sank into the water, turning the tap off. As soon as she heard the water stop, Mom opened the door and sat down on the sink. I added more bubble bath, then crossed my arms and legs. “What do you mean, you don’t know what you want to be?”

 

“I mean, I don’t know whether I want to be a lawyer or a writer,” I explained. “Because law is something I’m very interested in, but writing is a way of venting. When I get pissed at Colton, like I am now, I write. Usually I kill someone, and it makes me feel better. But now I don’t know, because apparently I need something stable.” I sank lower in the water, bubbles tickling my chin.

 

“That doesn’t sound problematic to me,” Mom said. “I would go to school to be a lawyer, yet take creative writing classes during free periods. That’s what I did. Well, I didn’t go to law school, but that’s beside the point.”