Status: hiatus
Soul Searching
Creepy
Anastacia stops as soon as she turns around after locking the front door.
Tate smiles, “how was school?”
She nods slowly, “fine. How long have you been here?”
He shrugs, diverting his gaze for a moment. “Um, maybe fifteen minutes.”
“Alright.”
“Moira’s making you a snack.”
Anastacia shakes her head, “I’m not hungry.”
“You didn’t eat breakfast this morning.”
She shrugs, “I ate lunch.”
“I don’t believe that.”
Pursing her lips, Anastacia tilts her head to the side. “Who told you that I didn’t eat breakfast?”
“Moira.”
Brushing past Tate, Anastacia quickly ascends the staircase and stops on the landing. When she turns around, she steps back and looks up at Tate.
“I’ll go get the snack, bring it up to your room.”
Anastacia nods, turning around and beginning to climb the second half of the stairs.
Closing the textbook in her lap, Anastacia looks up to see her bedroom door close. “I’m still not hungry, Tate.”
Not saying anything, Tate lowers himself onto the bed next to Anastacia. He sets the large plate of fruit on his lap, smiling at her.
“I have too much homework to do,” the young woman shrugs. “I don’t have time to eat.”
Tate rolls his neck, looking down at the young woman sitting next to him. “You really need to prioritize, Stace.”
Smiling, she places the History textbook on her nightstand. “I don’t have time to prioritize, Tate.”
“It sounds more to me like you don’t have time to live,” he says quietly, “you just... exist.”
She nods, “that’s deep, Tate. Really.”
“It’s true,” he smirks, popping a grape into his mouth. “The only thing you worry about is school and cheerleading. There are bigger things in life than that. There are bigger things in life than high school. High school is just one chunk of your life and you’re letting it consume you.”
“What else am I supposed to do?” Anastacia inquires as she takes a strawberry off of the plate. “I’m a teenager. That’s my job.”
He shakes his head, causing his hair to fall over his forehead. “You’re a teenager and your job is to raise hell and rebel. You’re supposed to fuck up and enjoy every second of it.”
Anastacia shakes her head, “no. That’s not… allowed.”
“And who told you that?”
“You haven’t met my mom, Tate. Failure is not acceptable with her.”
“Who gives a rat’s ass what’s acceptable for her? And fucking up doesn’t… it doesn’t equate to failure, Stacie.”
Anastacia smiles, “your parents must be so laid back.”
“…Something like that,” he shrugs.
“Must be nice,” she takes a slice of kiwi. “To not have unrealistic expectation shoved down your throat every day.”
He shrugs, “I guess you can say that my mom gave up on that a long time ago.”
“How’d you go about getting her to do that?” Anastacia pulls her knees to her chest, taking a slice of apple.
Tate smirks, taking a slice of apple for himself. “I stopped trying to meet her expectations. She had no choice, after a while, but to give up.”
“So, I have to force her to have no choice other than give up?”
He shrugs, “I think you’ll be much happier that way.”
Taking a slice of banana, Anastacia shrugs. “So, what’s your first suggestion on how to start living my life?”
“We finish this fruit and I’ll show you around the house?”
Anastacia nods, “sounds good.”
“I’m not sure I wanna go down there,” Anastacia crosses her arms. “It’s too dark.”
Tate stops at the bottom of the staircase. “It’s fine. Nothing down here is gonna get you, I promise.”
Anastacia blinks, tucking her hair behind her ears. Slowly, she descends the steps and stops when her sandals meet the concrete floor. “This place is so creepy.”
“What’s so creepy about it?”
She counts on her fingers, “it’s dark, it’s damp, it kinda smells. How are you not creeped out?”
“You shouldn’t be so scared,” Tate smirks, looking down at Anastacia. “The things you’re scared of may smell fear.”
Anastacia smacks Tate’s right arm, “that’s not funny.”
He chuckles, stepping closer to Anastacia.
Feeling her back hit the wooden railing, Anastacia looks up through her eyelashes at Tate. “That wasn’t funny, Tate.”
“There’s nothing to be scared of, Stace,” he smirks.
She shifts, “you don’t get the feeling that there’s something down here?”
“Not really,” he shakes his head. “Like I said, there’s nothing that’s gonna hurt you.”
Anastacia’s eyes widen slowly, “so, you’re saying that there’s something down here?”
“Like I said, nothing that’s gonna hurt you.”
She sighs, “how can you be so sure?”
“I’m not gonna let anything get you, okay?” Tate smiles, and reaches down, taking Anastacia’s hand. “Trust me.”
Tate smiles, “how was school?”
She nods slowly, “fine. How long have you been here?”
He shrugs, diverting his gaze for a moment. “Um, maybe fifteen minutes.”
“Alright.”
“Moira’s making you a snack.”
Anastacia shakes her head, “I’m not hungry.”
“You didn’t eat breakfast this morning.”
She shrugs, “I ate lunch.”
“I don’t believe that.”
Pursing her lips, Anastacia tilts her head to the side. “Who told you that I didn’t eat breakfast?”
“Moira.”
Brushing past Tate, Anastacia quickly ascends the staircase and stops on the landing. When she turns around, she steps back and looks up at Tate.
“I’ll go get the snack, bring it up to your room.”
Anastacia nods, turning around and beginning to climb the second half of the stairs.
Closing the textbook in her lap, Anastacia looks up to see her bedroom door close. “I’m still not hungry, Tate.”
Not saying anything, Tate lowers himself onto the bed next to Anastacia. He sets the large plate of fruit on his lap, smiling at her.
“I have too much homework to do,” the young woman shrugs. “I don’t have time to eat.”
Tate rolls his neck, looking down at the young woman sitting next to him. “You really need to prioritize, Stace.”
Smiling, she places the History textbook on her nightstand. “I don’t have time to prioritize, Tate.”
“It sounds more to me like you don’t have time to live,” he says quietly, “you just... exist.”
She nods, “that’s deep, Tate. Really.”
“It’s true,” he smirks, popping a grape into his mouth. “The only thing you worry about is school and cheerleading. There are bigger things in life than that. There are bigger things in life than high school. High school is just one chunk of your life and you’re letting it consume you.”
“What else am I supposed to do?” Anastacia inquires as she takes a strawberry off of the plate. “I’m a teenager. That’s my job.”
He shakes his head, causing his hair to fall over his forehead. “You’re a teenager and your job is to raise hell and rebel. You’re supposed to fuck up and enjoy every second of it.”
Anastacia shakes her head, “no. That’s not… allowed.”
“And who told you that?”
“You haven’t met my mom, Tate. Failure is not acceptable with her.”
“Who gives a rat’s ass what’s acceptable for her? And fucking up doesn’t… it doesn’t equate to failure, Stacie.”
Anastacia smiles, “your parents must be so laid back.”
“…Something like that,” he shrugs.
“Must be nice,” she takes a slice of kiwi. “To not have unrealistic expectation shoved down your throat every day.”
He shrugs, “I guess you can say that my mom gave up on that a long time ago.”
“How’d you go about getting her to do that?” Anastacia pulls her knees to her chest, taking a slice of apple.
Tate smirks, taking a slice of apple for himself. “I stopped trying to meet her expectations. She had no choice, after a while, but to give up.”
“So, I have to force her to have no choice other than give up?”
He shrugs, “I think you’ll be much happier that way.”
Taking a slice of banana, Anastacia shrugs. “So, what’s your first suggestion on how to start living my life?”
“We finish this fruit and I’ll show you around the house?”
Anastacia nods, “sounds good.”
“I’m not sure I wanna go down there,” Anastacia crosses her arms. “It’s too dark.”
Tate stops at the bottom of the staircase. “It’s fine. Nothing down here is gonna get you, I promise.”
Anastacia blinks, tucking her hair behind her ears. Slowly, she descends the steps and stops when her sandals meet the concrete floor. “This place is so creepy.”
“What’s so creepy about it?”
She counts on her fingers, “it’s dark, it’s damp, it kinda smells. How are you not creeped out?”
“You shouldn’t be so scared,” Tate smirks, looking down at Anastacia. “The things you’re scared of may smell fear.”
Anastacia smacks Tate’s right arm, “that’s not funny.”
He chuckles, stepping closer to Anastacia.
Feeling her back hit the wooden railing, Anastacia looks up through her eyelashes at Tate. “That wasn’t funny, Tate.”
“There’s nothing to be scared of, Stace,” he smirks.
She shifts, “you don’t get the feeling that there’s something down here?”
“Not really,” he shakes his head. “Like I said, there’s nothing that’s gonna hurt you.”
Anastacia’s eyes widen slowly, “so, you’re saying that there’s something down here?”
“Like I said, nothing that’s gonna hurt you.”
She sighs, “how can you be so sure?”
“I’m not gonna let anything get you, okay?” Tate smiles, and reaches down, taking Anastacia’s hand. “Trust me.”
♠ ♠ ♠
I'd love to hear your thoughts about this chapter, or anything that's happened in the story so far.xoxo