#Chapter 17(Jennifer’s Pov)
Today, school ended normal for me. It’s as if my original life has finally returned to me. Lisa, Drew and I hang out after school just like we used to. Seeing this moment makes me feel as if I’m just like a normal teenager who just has to worry about exams, school work and prepare for my college next year.
“Hey!” Lisa exclaimed.
Her sudden outburst broke the trance I’ve been in. I looked at her and saw her fighting with Drew. Gosh my friends are such a kid. I shook my head, at their bickering. My lips were lifted into bitter smile before a gentle smile as I recalled back to how I first met them.
I was walking to school earlier than usual that day. I tugged onto my long-sleeved shirt, hiding my bruises. I felt that I had to go out of the house to avoid waking the people in my house up and continue doing what they were doing to me last night. I shuddered as I remembered last night.
Last night, mum had invited a bunch of filthy men and some drug-addict looking women. They had made so much noise and made a mess in the house. Me, being only 15 had to keep my mouth shut and get to bed.
But on that day, I was so unfortunate. One of mum’s friends came into my room. I was terrified and pulled the cover of my bed up, hiding in it. She was high and drunk out of her mind. She pulled me by my legs out of bed. I lay completely still; thinking maybe she would just leave me alone or maybe mum would come in and bring her out.
But I was wrong, so wrong. She snickered and I could still remember the words she said to me that night, “Look at this scared kitten, just pleading for me to beat her up!”
With that statement she started laughing hysterically, kicking me and punching me in the stomach. She treated me like I’m some punching bag. I shouted for my mum to come in but she didn’t hear at all. I tried fighting her back but I was too weak and outnumbered as soon as another women and men came in. I thought they might stop her but apparently not. I was beaten black and blue. I was lucky that I was alive.
I stumbled into a lanky boy and I was brought back to reality. He turned and looked at me through his black spectacles with his eyebrows furrowed. I muttered a quiet sorry and walked past him. He stood in front of me pulling onto my sleeves, to stop me. The sleeves were lifted enough to let my bruises shown and I gasped.
I felt him taking a sharp intake of breath. I quickly pulled down my sleeves and ran away. I thought I had escaped from him but turn out he was in my science advanced class. He sat next to me. He didn’t ask about my bruises. He was somehow protecting me and stayed by my side. He might have thought I’m being bullied by the students there.
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I had a science project group on the next day. He, me and Lisa was assigned to be one group. We had to hang out a lot and thus we spend a lot of time knowing each other and get closer. From that day we became friends, more like best friends.
“Jennifer! Could you please tell that dickhead that Taylor Lautner is wayyy hotter than him!” Lisa complained.
I laughed. Drew just shrugged and folded his arm.
“Excusez-moi, je suis bien plus chaud! (Excuse me, I’m way hotter!)” He retorted fluently in French.
“Okay whatever guys! I’m the hottest here! Happy?” I exclaimed, stopping their bickering at once.
They rolled their eyes and I smirked. I took out my phone, to check for the time. It was nearly 5 in the afternoon. My eyes widened at how fast time has passed. I turned to them and told them that I had to get home. Both of them pouted before giving me a hug and went back to their separate way home.
I was practically smiling as I walked home. My footsteps were faster towards home. I can’t wait to have a lovely dinner with mum. Seeing her now, had lifted all sorts of hatred towards her. I felt that I could forgive her. I was so excited to see her. I’ve never felt this happy before coming back to my home. But unfortunately, my happiness came to an end.
My footsteps felt heavier and my heart started pounding loudly as I saw the scene in front of me.
No the hell way! This must be dream!
Right in front of my house, stationed several police cars and ambulances. Barricade tape was around my house. I was just in time to see the paramedics rolling a stretcher out from the house to the ambulances. I rushed towards them to stop them.
“Young lady! You’re not supposed to be here!” one of the men said.
I open my mouth to say something but couldn’t. I wanted to badly lift up the cloth covering the person but I couldn’t. I was too scared to face the truth. My hands and legs felt paralyzed. As if knowing my fear, the wind blew off the cloth slightly, revealing the person beneath. I gasped and began sobbing. This couldn’t be real!! She can’t be dead! She was fine this morning!!
“MOM!!! WHY?!!” I yelled with tears came rushing down my cheeks like waterfall.
My whole body felt numb and it fell to the ground just like that. The paramedics just looked at me with pity in their eyes. I held her hands in a death gripped, never wanting to let her go. She couldn’t just live me alone like this. When I thought she had finally changed, she had to just leave me! Why is the world so cruel!! I never had the chance to properly bond with her!!
I felt myself being held tenderly by a police officer. He had to drag me all the way to the nearest bench and sat me down. He sighed and patted my back, trying to comfort me. My mum had been evil to me since I was 12 but then I thought after what happened last week; she had changed for the better. I was saddened by her sudden death.
“I’m sorry child for your loss. Your neighbour heard a loud crashing thud and called us. We went here and found your mother… dead, overdose of drugs.” He said, whispering towards the end.
I whimpered when I heard the word ‘drugs’. She has been sober since the past week. What had happen to let her take drugs back? I shook my head sadly. I thought that for the first time she had chosen the correct path, trying to be a good mother to me but now it’s not. I felt anger engulfed me as thought about my life with her. She was such a bad mother! How can she do this to me?! Doesn’t she love me at all? What was this morning then? Merely pretence?
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(Blake’s Pov)
I was stuck in the hospital for two days. I’ve been waiting since Sunday and now Monday but Jennifer didn’t show up at all. I noticed that every time I mentioned Jennifer, the boys would just looked around or just change the topic. I’m worried if something had happen to her. I stared out of the window. I was too immersed in my thoughts that I didn’t hear Tyler and Jeremy came in.
“Blake? Are you awake?” Tyler asked.
I broke my glance away from the window to him. I faced him and saw worry in his eyes. Jeremy just looked blankly at me, studying me.
“Hrm? What’s wrong?” I asked
“Ah? What do you mean bro? hahaha” he said uneasily.
His foot was fidgeting uncomfortably. I could see that he was forcing himself to smile. He was looking at Jeremy for help but Jeremy just shrugged. I stared at Tyler, waiting for him to break any moment. I counted down. 3…2…1 He let out a sighed and slumped him shoulders down.
“We’re sorry… ermm..J-Jennifer…” he trailed, looking up the ceiling.
My breath hitched and my eyes widened. Oh my Jennifer! Is something wrong with her? I furrowed my eyebrows, looking at him.
“Jennifer? What happened to her? Did something happen to her? Is it Jacob’s gang?!Damn it! Why aren’t you telling me anything?!!” I growled.
I clutched onto my hair and pulled on the bed sheet, trying to keep calm.
“Nothing happened to her…It’s just th-that she…” he trailed once again.
“Goddamn it! Could you just spit it out!” I roared.
He punched Jeremy on his shoulders and pushed him towards me. Jeremy glared at Tyler before looking at me with his bored face.
“She ran away yesterday.” He said nonchalantly.
“W-what?” I asked my mouth agape.
Both of them just nodded. Tyler had worry etched on his face while Jeremy, well blankly looking at me.
“What do you mean she ran away? As in ran away from Jacob’s gang? Or ran away from us?” I asked.
“She ran away the minute you were in the medical room.” Jeremy said without hesitation.
Tyler slapped on the back of his head and gave me a weak smile. Jeremy groaned and rubbed the spot where Tyler hit him.
“What Jeremy means is that Jennifer ran away because she was scared?” he said questioningly.
I rubbed my face and clenched my jaw. I gritted my teeth before growling the only logical words that I could think of.
“Then, FUCKING FIND HER!”
Tyler gave out a pained expression while Jeremy just sighed. Both of them stayed rooted there not moving at all.
“What are guys doing?!” I exclaimed.
“Look Blake, you have to calm the fuck down! Do you think we haven’t tried to find her? We’ve have been finding her all day today! We managed to find her old house but it was empty! The house was seal off by the barricade tape!” Jeremy scolded.
It was rare to see Jeremy angry. I flinched and look down. I shouldn’t have let my feelings controlled this situation. Feelings? What do I mean by feelings? I ignored the question, letting my thinking lingered on the last sentence.
The house was seal off by the barricade tape?
Seeing my confusion, Tyler went to explain further.
“We went around the neighbour, finding her house. We spent last night figuring how to track her without police tracking us. And this evening, we went to her house, finding it empty with those tapes blocking the entrance of the door. Something might have happen to her. We couldn’t just ask the neighbours because it would get too suspicious!” Tyler elaborated.
I blinked, trying to take in that information. What Tyler had said is true. Ah damn it! How are we supposed to find her?
“Then tomorrow, find her at school… who knows if she’s there?” I asked quietly.
I felt guilty snapping and yelling at them. It’s not their fault that Jennifer ran away. It must have been my fault. And it’s not fair that they had spent the whole day finding and here I am sitting in the hospital, doing nothing. I sighed and lean my back to the bed.
“We’re planning to, tomorrow anyway.” Tyler shrugged.
“Oh Blake, we have one more problem…” Tyler said, with downcast eyes.
“What is it?” I asked, feeling my heart could explode any moment.
“It’s Patricia…She’s in the hospital, badly beaten up.” Tyler said his jaw clenching.
My ears perked up as I heard that bitch name. Since when has Tyler been concerned and interested in her matters?
“Correct me if I’m wrong…Did you just mentioned that bitch name?” I asked, feeling my anger rising up.
“Blake, Jacob had beaten her up! Isn’t it obvious that something is wrong? What if she didn’t really betray us? What if ….” he trailed fisting his hands.
Is he nuts? Is he actually starting to care for her again? That bitch that broke his heart, send him in more miserable after that incident? That incident…My heart wrenched as I thought about her. She was my first love and she died just like that. Tyler was even miserable but Patricia came and pulls him up only to later push him back down to the ground.
“Are you kidding me right now?!” I yelled.
“She did help me after her happened!!” Tyler retorted.
“But she broke you apart, killing you even more after her happened!” I shouted.
“She would still be alive if not for you! You made her come that day! It’s your entire fucking fault!!” Tyler yelled, as he went forward.
“THAT’S ENOUGH! BOTH OF YOU!!” Jeremy shouted.
Tyler backed down and I kept quiet. I felt my nails digging into my palm as I fisted it intensely. I thought we had cleared this before. She didn’t die because of me… or maybe she did… I sighed before I leaned back to my bed. I pull my covers up, covering my face.
“I want to sleep. Just go home.” I said weakly.
I felt the light went off before the door close. My anger from earlier had not vanished fully. Instead it amplified and now turned to sorrow. I felt my tears rolled down my cheeks. I wiped it off forcefully. I close my eyes, having both Jennifer and her in my mind.
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Oh no! Now what do you think the 'her' incident is about? And where had Jennifer gone too? Oh, anyone remember Patricia?
I will be updating the next chapter tomorrow most probably. So people read, vote and comment!! Byee:)
~Mystery205