My Girl

“She’s never looked this miserable.” I heard a voice come from above me. Opening my eyes slightly, I saw Parkers figure standing over my bed.

“I wish she would just listen to him.” A females voice said from next to him. Opening my eyes wider, I saw Steph standing next to Parker.

“I’m awake. Not deaf.” I grumbled, throwing my covers off of my body. Parker and Steph watched me as I attempted to stand up from my bed for the sixth time that morning. I got halfway up but fell back onto the mattress, retreating back to the warmth of my comforter.

“Elise, Nick really wants to talk to you.” Steph whispered, sitting down next to me on my bed. I poked my eyes out from the blanket and shook my head.

“Isn’t he supposed to be gone now?” I questioned, turning over to Steph so I wouldn’t be looking at her.

“Tonight.” My stomach flipped. I had spent an entire week up here. My mom had only came in here a few times, leaving food at the table next to my bed and trying to ask me what had happened. Not like she didn’t know. I bet Parker and his big mouth had told her. He saved her life-he would tell her my latest drama. As for Parker, Arielle, and Steph- they had literally camped outside of my door.

I wasn’t sure about Joe or Nick. If they did, I was either too busy sleeping, or they had stayed completely silent.

I had smelled Nick in here, once. It had waken me up instantly, but when I shot up from my bed, the only thing in my room that wasn’t there before I fell asleep was the sweater I had given Nick back the night he told me he was leaving.

It taunted me now, it’s obnoxious red color looking out of place in my pale blue room. When I was alone in my room, I would stare at it, smelling him faintly, and remember the few times Nick had been up here.

The time he had sung in my ear until I fell asleep the night I found about my mom, the time he had begged me to tell him how I felt, the time he had broken my heart.

“He’s outside.” Steph broke my eyes away from the sweatshirt. I pulled my covers down further and closed the shades to my window that either Parker or Steph had opened when they were up here.

“I don’t want to see him. I told him everything I had to say.” I mumbled, finally sitting up in my bed.

I glanced Steph over. She was dressed. Her hair was washed. She had a content look on her face.

“Why aren’t you upset about Joe leaving?” I asked. From what I had heard of Steph and Parker’s small talk as they sat in my room, Steph and Joe were still hanging out.

I either heard-or I imagined it- that Joe had asked Steph to be his girlfriend. I was in a weird state though, I could be hearing anything.

“Well…” She ran a hand through her hair and glanced down at me. “I’m actually going with them.”

I kicked the covers away from me, startling her. She looked up at my apologetically. “What do you mean, going with them?”

“I think my time here is done.” She glanced around my room, but I knew she meant in this town. “There is nothing for me to do here. So I thought that it would be better for me to start off new somewhere…different.”

“You mean, with Joe?” I asked matter-of-factly. She shrugged her shoulders.

“I don’t know where that will go.” She said, standing up from my bed. Parker was outside of my hallway, glancing at the picture frames that bordered the entire second floor. “I just know that I’m getting a flight out there with them, I’m going to try to find a place of my own. Who knows where it will go?”

“I wish I could do that.” I glared at my bedroom walls, the pale blue prison gates. “I don’t have any talent. My mom would never go for it.”

“I don’t know about not having talent.” Steph argued, nodding toward my keyboard. “Nick says you can play.”

“What, are you best friends with him now?” I asked. Steph looked at me confusedly and shook her head.

“No.” She grabbed her raincoat and purse. “He’s just up here a lot.”

I looked at her. “What?”

“He never comes inside.” She rolled her eyes. “Nick just stays outside your door and talks to people. Random people. He was talking to your mom last night.”

“Your kidding.” I laughed shortly. I couldn’t imagine Nick and my mom talking. Let alone in the middle of our hallway.

“I’m not.” She protested my dark room by reopening the shades I shut. She glanced down at me and sighed. “Elise, can you at least get dressed and showered today? You may not like the Jonas’ anymore, but I want to see you before I leave tonight. And not when your in your pajamas.” I stared down at my clothes and rolled my eyes, but nodded my head.

“Fine.” I stood up, feeling Steph’s eyes on me. “But only for you.”

“Good.” Steph walked out of my room and glanced behind her before she walked downstairs. “See you tonight.”

I nodded my head and waited until she was out of my house to go back into my room.

I swiftly shut my bedroom door, walking past my open window.

Nick sat on the hood of his new car, glancing down at his phone and then back up at my window. Although his eyes were covered with his black ray bans, I could tell he saw me. And surprisingly, I didn’t move. I stood, challenging his stare, and crossed my arms over my chest.

Throwing the shades in front of the window, I walked over to my bed and fell back, pulling my covers over my head and falling back asleep.