Countdown (on hold)

Three years, two weeks, four days, forty seven minutes before

I woke up by a box being thrown at me. My eyes fluttered open just in time to see Theo trying not to laugh and running out of my room. I bolted out of my bed, and thankfully, I didn’t pull the blanket down with me. Theo was struggling to open the door while looking out for me. When he looked back at the doorknob, I quickly and quietly made my way over to him. His face to the door and his back to me, I jumped onto Theo’s back, causing him to scream. His attempt to shake me off was hilarious and unsuccessful.

            “Shay get off!” Theo demanded. He tried leaning back, to get me to fall off, but I held onto his shirt collar, which made the both of us fall down.

            I was on the floor before Theo, and I wished I was the one landing on someone, not being the one someone was falling onto. The tile was cold and hard and unwelcoming looking, unlike the soft beige carpet in the family room, and I was lucky my head didn’t hit them. As soon as Theo’s back was on my face, I tried to push him off with no luck. “Get off of me you beast!” I tried my hardest not to laugh as I was trying to push Theo off of me. He jumped off of my back and stuck of his hands out to help me up. I grasped onto his hand and pull him down with me. We both laughed when Theo toppled into my lap. As one of my requirements for being able to be friends with Caleb around my parents was that I spend more time with Theo, I let him talk.

            “You know, I’m actually considering going to another city for a week or two once school lets out. I’ve already been to the city wide gathering, and I’m not old enough yet to go to the country wide one, so Mom and Dad suggested I go stay with Aunt May for a week.” I nodded, knowing what he was talking about. Once a year, the city holds a weekend long gathering for kids between 15 and 17 years of age who haven’t met their ‘soul mates’ yet. If you still haven’t found your ‘soul mate’ by 17, you can go to the country wide youth gathering, also held once a year. Other times parents will send their child to a relative who lives in one of the other two cities for a week to see if their soul mate might be in that town. It’s highly odd for a child to not have met their soul mate by the time they are 25, and you haven’t, you’re considered a disgrace to the family. You aren’t shunned or banned from the city, the government just expects you to try harder and they keep a closer watch on you. I couldn’t imagine being 25 and I haven’t met my soul mate yet. But then again, I wasn’t exactly planning on marrying my government appointed soul mate.

            “Are you even listening to me anymore?”

            “Huh?” I looked over at Theo and he looked hurt. Whatever he was spilling out to me must have been important to him if he was tearing up.

            “I was talking about how I felt about a lot of things. You’re still my best friend even if I’m not yours anymore.” Theo walked away looking hurt. He slammed my door shut before I could say anything.  

            I felt terrible. I was ignoring Theo, even though I was thinking about something he said, I was still ignoring what he was saying after. And whatever he was saying when I wasn’t listening, was important because Theo never usually got mad at me if I zoned off when he was talking. He still called me his best friend even though he knew he wasn’t mine anymore. Which was only slightly true; he just wasn’t my only best friend now, Caleb was too.

            “Theo, let me in, you know that’s not true.” I pounded on his door. He didn’t answer and I kept pounding. Mom and Dad weren’t home, they were both out doing things around the city, so I wasn’t going to get in trouble for being too loud. Theo finally opened the door.

            “Did you come here to tell me that I’m not allowed to be you’re friend now? That only Caleb is allowed to be able to call you his friend?” He kept yelling at me, getting louder every time.

            “Stop it! You’re wrong about everything! I came to talk to you because you were wrong; you’re still my best friend. You ruin everything, Theo!” I ran down the stairs, not listening to Theo calling me. I pushed the back door open and ran straight to Carrot’s stall in the barn. Once I was in her stall with her, I freely cried on her neck. I didn’t say anything, I just cried and gently pet Carrot’s neck. I didn’t want to talk to anyone, I didn’t want anyone to come over to me and ask me “What’s wrong?”, I didn’t want anyone; I just wanted to ride my horse and be alone in the outdoors and just think.    

*Author's Note*

I know this part is short and it is a filler, I'm sorry. I just had the first two or three chapters written for this for awhile and so I just rushed it togther. Sorry :( Anywayyyy thank you all for the reads and votes! I love you all lovelys <3