alaska. | hiatus.

alaska. | the second encounter.

{author's note; the chapters are going to be pretty short from now, some may be longer than others.}

the second encounter. | unedited.

       Before we left yesterday, Elise had came back all flustered and apologizing about Cade, I had a feeling she was apologizing to me because I was new and she wanted me to stick around. Then she ended the session early, which left me hanging around for basically the full hour. it sucked, having to wait and even the therapy sucked.

       I thought therapy was about coming away from a session feeling better about life choices, yourself and knowing you could “move on from the past” but I felt none of that. It wasn’t that helpful, actually it didn’t help me at all and it was pointless.

       Just like the task I was doing now. Elise had given us some stupid task and we had to push our boundaries to feel uncomfortable. I wasn’t a fan of this style of pushing ourselves to do something to make us out of our comfort zones but I never said no, and once Texas heard about it she was all for me doing it. She had went to work leaving me to roam the city, trying to find something that would make me uncomfortable yet here I was sitting on the park bench wondering what would make me feel uncomfortable.

       Each time, I got the same answer; no answer.

       I stood up, fixing my jacket as I began walking with no destination in mind. I would let my feet go wherever they wished and I, hopefully, would not stop them. Because I should do this, I should fully commit to the, very lost, hope that Elise and the group therapy would be good for me. Then again, I should do a lot of things and i usually didn’t do what I should do, aside from showering, eating and the basic should’s of life.

       It wasn’t that much of a shock when I ended up in the graveyard, my parents had their ashes scattered yet I always came here when I was feeling lost or alone. It was a beautiful, well-kept, graveyard. The headstones never had dead flowers near them, the place bloomed with flowers of different kinds all over the place and it looked like more a beautiful paradise than a place where dead people lay.

       This graveyard was full of life for a dead place.

       After walking along, I found the grave I always came to and I knew it was creepy, still no one ever visited this grave. It never had visitors, even the sexton told me that he had worked here for ten years and not once did anyone stop by this grave. I sank down onto my knees, luckily it hadn’t rained last night, and I leaned forward wiping the dust from the headstone with a soft smile.

       “Bailey Brookstone,” a voice behind me read, what was in front of me, aloud. I jumped turning my head and I peered up at him, opening my mouth. “Did you know her?” Cade raised an eyebrow as I didn’t say anything, instead I shook my head. “Then why are you sitting at her grave?”

       “I, uh…” I stumbled for words as I stumbled to my feet, crossing my arms across my chest. “Are you seriously smoking in a graveyard?” I eyed the cigarette as he lifted it to his lips, taking a long draw.

       “It’s not like they can stop me, can they?” He smirked, glancing around the graveyard. “So you like to visit dead people you don’t know? That’s messed up.”

       “It’s disrespectful to the people who take time out of their lives to make this place look good, so please put the cigarette out,” I kept my eyes on him, he shrugged flicking the cigarette towards me and I jumped back, stamping it out before I bent down and picked it up. “I meant, dispose of it the proper way.”

       He slapped my hand making me drop it. “Don’t pick up, you freak.”

       I looked up from the ground with a frown growing onto my face and it disappeared quickly as I saw the smile he flashed me. “I’m not a freak. Why are you here?”

       “Because I saw you walk in here as I was getting out of a cab.”

       “So you are stalking me?”

       “No, I was hoping to talk to you.”

       “About what? And I still think your stalking me.”

       “Whatever helps your ego, ginger.” he winked, shoving his hands into his pockets and he chuckled, he had a nice laugh. It wasn’t like the romance novel men’s laugh, it was calm, relaxed and laid-back. It was a nice sound, the strange sound was my own laugh escaping my lips and the strange feeling was a smile on my lips, not a real one yet it was like half of a real smile. “You should smile more often, it lights your eyes up.”

       “Oh,” I nodded, looking around and hating the fact i knew i was blushing over his stupid, cliche, comment. “Thanks, do you use that on all the girls?”

       “I don’t really talk to girls.”

       “Why no-- Oh, you um, y’know, bat for the other--”

       His hand shot out, covering my mouth and stopping my words. “No, I’m straight and you really suck at talking sometimes,” I nodded in agreement with his words. “I don’t talk to girls because they are the same boring girls who only care about hair and makeup…”

       “Well, not all girls but most of them.” He finished, dropping his hand from my mouth and he stepped back. “Wanna grab some coffee? I know a good place around the corner.”

       What made me different from those other girls? I wanted to ask that, so badly. “Sure, I could use a coffee and you can teach me how to talk.” I bent down again picking up the butt of the cigarette and he rolled his eyes, turning away as he began walking out of the graveyard.