It was Monday, the week Carli was expected to come. Abigail was lying on her stomach, various papers and textbooks strewn across her bed. She bit the end of her pencil, eyebrows furrowed, trying to make sense of the awkwardly-worded novel study questions that loomed in front of her. After a while, having made no progress whatsoever, she admitted defeat and shifted slightly, extracting a thick science textbook from among the mess of books. She groaned inwardly at the thought of spending her night studying for her test the next day. And when the nagging voice in her head reminded her of the music presentation she hadn't practiced for yet and the health assignment due on the day of the dance that she had only half-finished, she felt a strong impulse to throw her textbook at the wall.
The time leading up to Carli's visit seemed to drag on for an eternity (and the teachers, with their massive workloads weren't helping). It also didn't help that (once again) Abigail had no one to talk to. During the entire past week, she had been trying to make-up with Jake, but no such luck. It wasn't just that he didn't walk to talk to her, but it seemed that he was actually going out of his way to avoid her. Maybe it was fate trying to send a message, maybe they weren't meant to be friends...no, she couldn't, wouldn't believe it. She needed Jake in her life, he was her rock; solid, dependable. Ha, look how well that's worked out so far. If it wasn't for Carli, Abigail thought that she might've resorted back to means of pain and stress relief, her 'darkest hour', as she called it. She uneasily rubbed her forearm, where four scars remained, slightly faded, but inevitable. Carli was her light at the end of the tunnel now, and it was the thought of her visit, and solely that, which helped her through the past week and the das following. And although Abigail had a mere three days left to wait, Thursday couldn't come soon enough.
~§~
Thursday dawned dark and gloomy, the air was stuffy and humid and smelled of rain, but it didn't do anything to dampen Abigail's spirits. This was probably the best thing that had happened to her since she had moved, second only, to meeting Jake. Nothing, no one, could ruin this day. In fact, she had been anticipating this so much, it had completely slipped her mind that today also happened to be her birthday. She was only reminded of it when her mom called her down for breakfast, and a stack of pancakes, smothered in maple syrup, and complete with a lit candle met her eyes.
"Happy birthday, honey!" Her mother exclaimed as Abigail walked into the dining room. She walked over towards her and gave her a warm hug and kissed the top of head. "Love you."
"Love you too, mom."
And without so much more as a 'see you', her mother promptly returned to her home office, leaving Abigail to eat her birthday breakfast alone. She felt a slight twinge of resentment as she watched her mother leave, but she was smiling nonetheless as she sat down at the table and began to eat.
~§~
School passed that day in the usual fashion. Nobody in the halls wished Abigail a happy birthday, nor was her locker decorated when she arrived, but she had expected no less.
The teachers, for some reason, insisted on continuing to pile work on them, so Abigail couldn't feel properly excited about seeing Carli until the final bell had rung. When it did, she quite literally ran out the door (after hastily throwing a slew of folders into her bag).
When she exited the school, she was pleasantly surprised to find her mom's car in the parking lot, she didn't know her mom could spare the time, she was always busy with work and all. And she was right, for it was a very tall, muscular man, whose hair was slightly thinning that sat in the driver's seat. Abigail recognized him almost immediately, and she smiled broadly at him. He gave a friendly wave in acknowledgment and pointed to his ear to indicate that he was on the phone. Her smile widened still, when she noticed the girl sitting next to him in the passenger's seat. She looked almost the same as she had remembered, her hair was a little longer, she herself, a little taller, but it was unmistakably her Carli. When she noticed Abigail walking towards the car, she waved enthusiastically, wearing a smile identical to hers.
YOU ARE READING
(You are Never) ALONE
Teen Fiction"Sometimes, when you're trying to find yourself, it takes more than just yourself to do it." It's a story about love, about hardships, about hope, but most of all about finding yourself especially when you never thought it was possible. Because ever...
