Status: Hiatus until further notice.
Just Let It Go
Fifteen
“Sorry I'm late,” I breathed out as I collapsed into the seat across from Paul. He pushed a cup of tea and some cookies toward me which I gratefully accepted.
We were sitting in a diner in the town center. The whole place was decorated with Christmas trees and ribbons. There were only two days left until New Years.
I placed a stack of papers on the table. Paul thumbed them curiously.
“What is this?” he asked.
“College applications,” I said through a full mouth. I was starving. Paul's face went stony.
“College? Are you going far away?” he asked me. I shrugged. I've gotten applications to loads of different colleges. My mother insisted on ones that were located near big cities like New York.
“And what profession?” Paul continued interrogating me.
“You'll laugh,” I said with a smile. “A mathematician, a teacher.” Paul laughed until I kicked him under the table.
“Why?” he asked through his laughter.
“I don't know, I like numbers, they're stable,” I replied which caused Paul to raise an eyebrow. I sighed at his lack of logic.
“You know for a fact that 2 + 2 is four, right? That's never going to change, no matter how hard you try,” I explained. Paul nodded in agreement.
“Why can't you stay in Forks to study?” he asked suddenly. I was a bit stumped by the question. I've never thought about staying here.
“I don't know, the community college isn't the best education out there,” I reasoned to which
Paul nodded again. We stayed silent for a while. I filled out some applications, Paul helped.
“Hey! You never told me why you don't like wolves,” he piped up all of a sudden. I was floored. I didn't think he remembered. I wasn't sure I wanted to tell him. I twisted my fingers as Paul tapped his, waiting for my answer.
“It's a lo-” I started but Paul cut me off.
“C'mon Sophie, get serious, your 'long story' excuse doesn't work with me.” His eyes burned into mine as he waited for a proper answer. I avoided his eyes and looked outside. The parking lot was half empty and behind it looked the dark forest.
“My uncle was killed by a wolf, he was brutally murdered by it, in fact,” I stated, still not looking at Paul. I knew he was waiting for me to explain.
“My mother trusted only Mark, my uncle, with me and she didn't argue when he volunteered to take me places she thought were dangerous,” I continued. “He was...amazing! Through him I saw the world a little differently, he didn't try to hide everything from me like my mother, he encouraged me to try new things.”
I glanced at Paul. He waited patiently.
“We went camping one day, everything was going great until one night, we heard some
strange noises,” I continued. I didn't want to look at Paul as I told him the rest. “Mark went outside and I heard him yell, when I came outside he was already soaked in blood, I watched as he struggled with that monster, he kept on yelling for me to run and that's what I did. I don't know where I ran but I just kept moving.”
I felt myself lose sense of time. I wasn't sitting with Paul anymore, I was running through the forest.
“I spent two nights in there before I finally made it to the road where I collapsed. My parents were shocked, frightened and the next six months were filled with pain and agony for all of us. I was sick physically but more so mentally. I couldn't sleep, I barely ate.”
My fingers gripped the table as I remembered everything I tried so hard to forget.
“My parents couldn't do anything, I was going crazy, insane. That's why they sent me to a health clinic in Germany,” I said and laughed bitterly. “It was an asylum where they force-fed you pills and when nothing else worked they proceeded to 'electric therapy'. I was treated three times a day, and nobody stopped them. My mother thought it was right, it would cure me. I could still remember the convulsions that shot through me after each session, the way they attached those wires, they just did it over and over again no matter how much you-”
“Stop it!,” Paul snapped loudly, bringing me out of my trance. “Don't you dare say a word anymore.”
I looked over at him, he was quivering all over and his hands were balled into fists. He closed his eyes and within minutes he looked almost calm. I was frightened by his reaction. Had I offended him in some way?
I didn't say a word, I just pulled the applications toward me and pretended to check them over. I didn't want Paul to see the tears that threatened to spill. I was shocked by the memories that came over me and Paul's reaction. I had expected support.
I had calmed myself down but neither of us spoke for another 15 minuted. All of a sudden a familiar voice caught my attention.
“Well, well, look who canceled on us today!” Angelina spoke up from behind me. I turned around and gave her a smile. She was with Carrie and Stephanie who beamed back at me.
“Mind if we join?” Angelina asked as she looked from me to Paul. Paul smiled and nodded.
The girls chatter washed over me as they talked of their plans and vacations. I got so lost in their conversation that I didn't notice the concerned way Paul was looking at me. After a while, I was feeling completely back to normal.
We decided to leave the diner.
“Want us to drop you off, Sophie? It's on our way,” Angelina offered and I nodded. We all walked outside but as I walked toward Angelina's car Paul stopped me. The girls walked on. He held me by my elbow.
“You don't want me to drive you?” he asked but I felt like he was asking me something else, something deeper.
“It's okay, the girls are going my way,” I said with a smile.
“Are you sure?” he insisted.
“Yes, thanks Paul,” I replied. He rubbed his neck and released my elbow.
“You're alright?” he asked and I smiled.
“I'm fine, don't worry,” I assured him. I was about to walk away but all of a sudden Paul pulled me close to him. I was bit startled but wrapped my arms around him in response. We stood like that for a while before he released me. He smiled and walked away, toward his car.
The girls squealed and giggled when I walked over to them. They were delighted by this show of affection but I was concerned.
His embrace was filled with something alien. It was as though he felt more pain than I did. I tried not to concern myself with it as we drove off and his car disappeared.
We were sitting in a diner in the town center. The whole place was decorated with Christmas trees and ribbons. There were only two days left until New Years.
I placed a stack of papers on the table. Paul thumbed them curiously.
“What is this?” he asked.
“College applications,” I said through a full mouth. I was starving. Paul's face went stony.
“College? Are you going far away?” he asked me. I shrugged. I've gotten applications to loads of different colleges. My mother insisted on ones that were located near big cities like New York.
“And what profession?” Paul continued interrogating me.
“You'll laugh,” I said with a smile. “A mathematician, a teacher.” Paul laughed until I kicked him under the table.
“Why?” he asked through his laughter.
“I don't know, I like numbers, they're stable,” I replied which caused Paul to raise an eyebrow. I sighed at his lack of logic.
“You know for a fact that 2 + 2 is four, right? That's never going to change, no matter how hard you try,” I explained. Paul nodded in agreement.
“Why can't you stay in Forks to study?” he asked suddenly. I was a bit stumped by the question. I've never thought about staying here.
“I don't know, the community college isn't the best education out there,” I reasoned to which
Paul nodded again. We stayed silent for a while. I filled out some applications, Paul helped.
“Hey! You never told me why you don't like wolves,” he piped up all of a sudden. I was floored. I didn't think he remembered. I wasn't sure I wanted to tell him. I twisted my fingers as Paul tapped his, waiting for my answer.
“It's a lo-” I started but Paul cut me off.
“C'mon Sophie, get serious, your 'long story' excuse doesn't work with me.” His eyes burned into mine as he waited for a proper answer. I avoided his eyes and looked outside. The parking lot was half empty and behind it looked the dark forest.
“My uncle was killed by a wolf, he was brutally murdered by it, in fact,” I stated, still not looking at Paul. I knew he was waiting for me to explain.
“My mother trusted only Mark, my uncle, with me and she didn't argue when he volunteered to take me places she thought were dangerous,” I continued. “He was...amazing! Through him I saw the world a little differently, he didn't try to hide everything from me like my mother, he encouraged me to try new things.”
I glanced at Paul. He waited patiently.
“We went camping one day, everything was going great until one night, we heard some
strange noises,” I continued. I didn't want to look at Paul as I told him the rest. “Mark went outside and I heard him yell, when I came outside he was already soaked in blood, I watched as he struggled with that monster, he kept on yelling for me to run and that's what I did. I don't know where I ran but I just kept moving.”
I felt myself lose sense of time. I wasn't sitting with Paul anymore, I was running through the forest.
“I spent two nights in there before I finally made it to the road where I collapsed. My parents were shocked, frightened and the next six months were filled with pain and agony for all of us. I was sick physically but more so mentally. I couldn't sleep, I barely ate.”
My fingers gripped the table as I remembered everything I tried so hard to forget.
“My parents couldn't do anything, I was going crazy, insane. That's why they sent me to a health clinic in Germany,” I said and laughed bitterly. “It was an asylum where they force-fed you pills and when nothing else worked they proceeded to 'electric therapy'. I was treated three times a day, and nobody stopped them. My mother thought it was right, it would cure me. I could still remember the convulsions that shot through me after each session, the way they attached those wires, they just did it over and over again no matter how much you-”
“Stop it!,” Paul snapped loudly, bringing me out of my trance. “Don't you dare say a word anymore.”
I looked over at him, he was quivering all over and his hands were balled into fists. He closed his eyes and within minutes he looked almost calm. I was frightened by his reaction. Had I offended him in some way?
I didn't say a word, I just pulled the applications toward me and pretended to check them over. I didn't want Paul to see the tears that threatened to spill. I was shocked by the memories that came over me and Paul's reaction. I had expected support.
I had calmed myself down but neither of us spoke for another 15 minuted. All of a sudden a familiar voice caught my attention.
“Well, well, look who canceled on us today!” Angelina spoke up from behind me. I turned around and gave her a smile. She was with Carrie and Stephanie who beamed back at me.
“Mind if we join?” Angelina asked as she looked from me to Paul. Paul smiled and nodded.
The girls chatter washed over me as they talked of their plans and vacations. I got so lost in their conversation that I didn't notice the concerned way Paul was looking at me. After a while, I was feeling completely back to normal.
We decided to leave the diner.
“Want us to drop you off, Sophie? It's on our way,” Angelina offered and I nodded. We all walked outside but as I walked toward Angelina's car Paul stopped me. The girls walked on. He held me by my elbow.
“You don't want me to drive you?” he asked but I felt like he was asking me something else, something deeper.
“It's okay, the girls are going my way,” I said with a smile.
“Are you sure?” he insisted.
“Yes, thanks Paul,” I replied. He rubbed his neck and released my elbow.
“You're alright?” he asked and I smiled.
“I'm fine, don't worry,” I assured him. I was about to walk away but all of a sudden Paul pulled me close to him. I was bit startled but wrapped my arms around him in response. We stood like that for a while before he released me. He smiled and walked away, toward his car.
The girls squealed and giggled when I walked over to them. They were delighted by this show of affection but I was concerned.
His embrace was filled with something alien. It was as though he felt more pain than I did. I tried not to concern myself with it as we drove off and his car disappeared.
♠ ♠ ♠
Well...there you have it! Tell me honestly, how many of you guessed it from the start? xDA big thanks to mebg for messaging :]]
Outfit