RUNAWAY
CHAPTER FOURTEEN...!
❝ MOVE IN DAY , SEASON
FIVE
MONTHS HAD PASSED ever since Jennie's breakdown. Long, tiring months. However, despite how extended they felt, they were a very big turning point in Jennie's life.
She started going back to therapy, restarting her sessions with Dr. Bianca Wells. She also had gotten herself to start confiding more in her father. It was a long process, sure, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't proud of the progress she's made. Soon enough, they made a deal to sit down with each other every other day, and talk about what's been going on in their lives.
And now, after everything, Jennie could safely say that she was getting better. That she had gotten better.
And it felt- amazing.
It was the night before she was supposed to leave for New York to get settled into her Columbia University dorm, when she found herself walking up to Spencer Reid's apartment door. There, she knocked on it, waiting for him to answer.
He opened it a few moments later, slightly furrowing his eyebrows at the sight, "Jennie?"
"Hey." She gave him a soft smile.
"What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I just uh-" Jennie began, "I just wanted to see you before I leave for college tomorrow."
"I thought you were going to visit the team in the morning to say goodbye?" Spencer recalled, still unsure on why the girl was there. It's not that he didn't want her to be there, it was just odd.
"Well yeah, but, uh- I wanted to see you. Like, at our own time." She stammered slightly on her words, looking down at her hands, before back up at the man, "It's just, I have a lot of apologies to give to people. And I think many of them belong to you."
"Jennie-" Spencer began, "You've already apologized. Numerous times."
"I know," She cut him off, "But, I think- now that I've been consistently going to therapy, and getting the help I need- I think this apology is the one that should count."
"I don't think there's anything you need to apologize for." The man shrugged, trying to reassured her, "You were hurt. You were grieving."
"I-I know, but-"
"Jennie."
"It's just-"
"Jennie." He finally cut her off, "Even on your worst days, I've seen you incredibly strong. So, you had a tantrum- big deal. You've gone through a lot. It's healthy to get angry once in a while."
Jennie let out a small laugh at the man's words, shaking her head, not expecting him to be this understanding.
"I know you feel bad, but- you're the last person at fault here, Jennie."
"Well, if thats the case, then-" Jennie sighed, after a short pause? looking up at the man, "Consider this me thanking you. For- being you. And being the reason I got help."
The man smiled at the girl, nodding his head, "Just returning the favor."
She smiled back. She then paused for a second, before continuing.
"You know- tomorrow, there's probably going to be a lot of hugs goodbye. And- I know, you hate germs, and I don't want you to feel obligated to join in. I was actually researching some really sanitary ways to-"
The girl was cut off when she was pulled into a tight hug by Spencer Reid.
"Woah-" She laughed out, as they pulled away, "I stand corrected."
He joined in on the laughing, pushing his hair out of his face, before pausing for a moment, "Thanks for coming, Jennie."
She smiled brightly towards the man, "I'll see you tomorrow."
With that, she gave him a wave, before beginning to walk away. However, before she could get too far, she turned back around before Spencer could close the door.
"Spencer?"
"Hm?"
Her mind traveled back to the afternoon with a predominant portion of her regrets.
"You know what? You're a terrible friend." Jennie told him, causing him to turn to her, "To think I ever thought of you as my brother."
She smiled softly at him once again.
"You're the best big brother I could ever ask for."
-
THE NEXT DAY, Jennie stopped by the BAU to say one last goodbye to the team. It was filled with many hugs goodbye, while Penelope cried as she reminisced about old memories.
Afterwards, Aaron had dropped off Jennie at the airport. It took a minute, until the girl had to call him out for stalling so long, before she could finally say her goodbyes to the man.
She arrived in New York within a little over an hour, before checking into a hotel for the night. The next morning, she had grabbed her suitcase and bag, and made her way to her dorm. Once she arrived, she set her things down, before making her way to the storage unit to collect the boxes of things for her room.
Stacking one on top of the other, she struggled slightly to go back to the dorm, her balance not being in her favor. Once reaching the door to her new room, she noticed her roommate had arrived. However, she couldn't pay much attention to them, struggling to get the boxes to fit through the doorframe.
Finally squeezing through the door, she set the boxes down on the floor, huffing. She then turned to her roommate, who had watched the scenario in amusement.
"Hey, you must be Blair." Jennie gave her a smile, "I'm Jennie."
"Hey." The girl gave Jennie a soft smile, before nodding towards her, "Cute top."
Jennie perked up, not expecting the compliment, "Thanks. Yours too."
After that, Jennie turned back, unzipping her backpack, pulling out a paper she had folded up. As she unfolded it, Blair furrowed her eyebrows, seeing Jennie focus on it.
"What's that?"
"Oh," Jennie showed her roommate, "It's a checklist of this I need to get done before classes start on Monday. There's about an hour until orientation, so I think if integrate some of these tasks together, and get them done within four to ten minute intervals, I can achieve most of them before-"
"Do you wanna go shopping?" Blair cut the girl off, loosing track of her words a long beforehand, "I need new shoes."
"Oh- yeah sure." Jennie cleared her throat, before nodding, "Where do you want to go?"
Blair shrugged, taking her purse, "We'll find a place."
With that, Blair left the room. Jennie watched her leave, eyeing the door for a moment, before looking back down at her list.
She had paused for a moment, before snapping out of her daze when Blair re-entered the room.
"Come on. Chop, chop." Blair told her, peaking her head through the doorway, "I have an army to build, a school to take over, and girls to blackmail. You're holding me up."
Jennie laughed, nodding her head in understanding, "I'm coming."
Blair left the room again, leaving it to just Jennie again. The teen looked down at her list, pausing for another moment, before finally crumpling it up, and throwing it into the trash can. She then grabbed her bag, and began to head towards the door to follow Blair.
Before she left, however, she took one last look at the dorm. Her dorm. At Columbia University.
She couldn't help but smile softly. Everything she had been training for all her life was beginning to pay off. This was a start. Her start to following her dad's footsteps to becoming a promising Agent to the BAU. To start helping people. To do good.
It was all finally happening.
-
AUTHORS NOTE |
this chapter was slightly rushed. had exams today. -1/10, would not recommend 😾👎
word count.
1308.