Status: First story! Hope you enjoy :)

Sanctuary

"You're So Worth All of This Torture"

She braced herself against the marble countertop, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her dark hair was straightened to perfection, and her grey sweater was tied tightly around her shoulders. Her eyes were lightly lined in charcoal, subtle but still noticeable. Her mother’s favorite look. The last thing she wanted to do was cater to her mother’s wishes, but she needed her mother to see that she was actually interested in making peace.

She was standing in the bathroom at her parents’ favorite restaurant, halfway between Brighton’s campus and her hometown. It had been quite a long drive, but she was hoping this dinner would be worth it. So far, her mother had avoided bringing up any sensitive subjects, a miracle considering what had happened at each dinner since a few years ago. The conversation had been harmless so far, but Taryn knew that worse was coming. She had excused herself minutes ago to mentally prepare herself.

She took a breath, centering herself before pulling on the heavy bathroom door and returning to the dining room.

Taking her seat back at the table, she focused on her mom’s anticipatory glance. She looked eager to say something, and Taryn was suddenly curious.

“Taryn, your father and I have been talking a lot lately, and I’ve decided that I have something to say,” her mom said. Her voice was deeply strained, but Taryn could tell she was trying. “I think…Taryn, I think you should stay home. You know, after you come home for the break.”

“Wait, what?” Taryn said, her mind suddenly grinding to a halt. She looked over at her brother, whose discomfort was apparent in the way he kept rolling his napkin in his lap.

“I’m sorry, sweetie. But…I just don’t think you’re acting appropriately enough to be away at school, and quite frankly, your attitude towards me is getting worse.” Taryn looked at her father, who did nothing but look at her mother quizzically. She fought every urge to roll her eyes. God, her mother honestly just pulled stuff out of her ass sometimes.

“I’m sorry, sweetie. But all I’ve been getting is attitude from you,” her mother continued, stirring her vegetables around her plate. “And I don’t like it. I don’t care how old you are, you are still my daughter and you still owe me respect.”

“I can’t believe this,” Taryn gasped, leaning in closer as her voice grew to a loud whisper.

“Son, let’s go,” her father said suddenly, looking across the table at James. “Let’s give them some privacy.”

Her brother jumped up as if someone were waving wads of cash in his face. “Sure.” The two hurried away from the table, exiting the restaurant and strolling along the sidewalk outside.

“What in the world is that look for, Taryn?” her mother demanded, straightening her blazer.

“You think it’s just an attitude?” Taryn hissed, fighting a sudden well-up of tears. “I was seriously depressed for months and all you did was tell me to get over it. Where the hell were you?”

Her mother froze, taken off guard. Taryn leaned back, studying her mother’s face. Hm. It was like she truly didn’t know.

“I needed you,” Taryn said quietly. “My entire world was collapsing, and my own mother thought I was exaggerating. How am I supposed to feel towards you?”

Her mother lifted her hand to her mouth, covering it as she leaned in towards Taryn. For once, she was at a loss for words.

“Not that it matters to you, but Brighton is the best thing that has ever happened to me. And I’ll be damned if I let you take it away from me.” She stood up, tossing her napkin onto her plate and quickly strutting towards the front of the restaurant. A little dramatic, admittedly, but she had proved her point. She rejoined her father and brother outside, not bothering to elaborate on anything. She looked back through the glass windows, watching as her mother sat in the same spot she had been left, her mouth still covered by her hand. Her face was pale white. Taryn took a deep breath, taking solace in the fact that she just might have gotten through this time.

***

“Thank you, Miss DeMarco. Have a wonderful winter break,” her professor said, extending her hand and waiting for Taryn to shake it. She grabbed her outstretched hand, shaking it firmly as she flashed a smile. With her other hand, she laid her final exam on top of the others lying on the desk.

That was it. She was officially finished her first semester at Brighton.

She headed out the door, contemplating what to do with her newfound freedom. Her father was coming the next morning to pick her up, so she officially had….15 hours to do whatever she pleased.

“Hey,” someone whisper-shouted as she shut the door behind her. She jumped, her hand flying to her mouth to keep from shouting.

“Shane!” she exclaimed, hitting his shoulder as they began walking together. She pulled her bomber jacket tighter around her shoulders.

“That was too easy,” he said, holding the door open for her as they headed outside. She shivered, bracing herself against the cold wind. The weather on campus had officially taken a turn for the worse, dropping twenty degrees and forcing all students to succumb to days of hoodies, sweatpants, heavy coats, and scarves. “How do you think you did?”

“It was…surprisingly easy,” Taryn said, shrugging. “After all the crap we head to deal with for that class, that was definitely a relief.”

“Seriously, thank God,” Shane agreed, checking his phone for any texts. “You got any big plans for break?”

“Nope…just trying to find a job, I guess. Gotta keep myself busy.” In actuality, she had no idea what was waiting for her at home. She still hoped that a miracle would grant her wish to let her stay on campus for the next four weeks of break. She dreaded the thought of sitting alone at her house, just like she did the summer before she came to Brighton. There was nothing for her at home. Nothing.

“Same,” he said, throwing his head back. “Kylie wants to go skiing at some point, so I need to save for that…and her birthday’s coming up, too.”

She braced herself against a wave of jealousy. “Well, that’ll be fun. Skiing, I mean.”

“I hope so. It’ll be just the two of us, so we’ll finally get time away from everyone to just talk.”

“That’s good! I’m happy for you,” she said, flashing him what she hoped was a supportive smile.

“Thanks,” he said, for once his sarcasm completely gone as he studied her face. Maybe Shae was right; Kylie really was good for him. “Seriously. Thanks for being so nice about all of this.”

“Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?” she said quickly. They rounded the corner of campus, nearing Radnor’s looming structure. He didn’t answer, but they both knew what it was.

“Have you said bye to Shae and Danielle yet?” Shane asked.

“No, we’re hanging out tonight. It’s gonna suck not seeing you guys every other day next semester.” They came to rest at the front of the building, to the side of the glass entryway.

“Yeah, but we’ll all still hang out,” Shane said, shooting off a quick text. “And you know you always have an automatic invite to my house.”

She smiled, wrapping her arms around his torso as he leaned over for a hug.

“Thanks for a fun semester,” he said into her shoulder. She nodded, reaching for her ID card to swipe herself into the building. “Text me, okay? Let me know how things are going.”

“Of course,” she said with a smile, waving as he turned and began walking away. “See you soon.”

***

“To the semester,” Shae said, holding up a beer. He, Danielle, and Taryn were situated around the living room of his apartment, watching TV and celebrating their last night all together. Danielle and Taryn held up their bottles of Mike’s Hard Lemonade, clinking bottles and taking a sip.

“That final was ridiculous,” Danielle said, throwing her hair behind her shoulders. “I feel like it was for a totally different class.”

“I mean, I don’t mind,” Shae said, popping a few popcorn kernels in his mouth. “It saved my grade.”

“Well, maybe if you studied for things, your grade wouldn’t have been shit in the first place,” Danielle teased. She pulled her gray zip-up hoodie closer around her tiny frame, burrowing into the couch cushions in an attempt to get warm.

“Well I’m sorry that I’m not as smart as you and Taryn,” he fought back.

“I’m glad you accept that,” Danielle laughed.

Taryn sighed. “You guys, please adopt me or something. I don’t think I can go a whole month without seeing you guys.”

“We won’t be held in confinement,” Danielle giggled. “You can come see us whenever.”

“Yeah, but you guys live, like, right next to each other. And I’m stuck out in the boonies. With no car.”

“Your brother’s cool. He can drive you out,” Shae pointed out. “We’ll be fine. And it’s not like we can’t hang out all next semester.”

Taryn pursed her lips, annoyed that she was coming off sounding whiny and needy. She didn’t mean to be that way. She just hated the feeling she got whenever something was ending. Even though she was glad to be done with classes, she couldn’t help but feel like after the coming break, nothing would remain the same. Things changed, and for perhaps the first time, she wasn’t sure she wanted them to.

A light tap on the door sounded, and Taryn looked over as Shae jumped up and looked through the peephole.

“Guess who?” he whispered slyly to Danielle. She bit her lip, watching as the door opened.

“Yo, what’s up, guys?” a tall guy called out as he walked over the threshold. His thick blond hair fell over the tips of his eyebrows, his eyes shiny from the cold. He removed his hat and coat, walking over to where Danielle and Taryn were sitting.

“Taryn, this is Blake,” Shae said, tossing Blake’s coat onto the opposite couch and resuming his seat. Blake extended his hand, smiling warmly down at Taryn.

“Nice to meet you,” she said sweetly. Shae handed Blake a beer, and Taryn watched as Danielle stood to give Blake a hug. It lingered longer than normal. Taryn assumed this was the boy Danielle had been gushing about so often lately. She wouldn’t be surprised. He was definitely a cutie.

He took a seat on the couch, taking a sip of beer and motioning to the TV. “So what are we watching?”

“Good timing. We haven’t actually decided yet,” Shae said, reaching for the remote from his spot on the couch next to Taryn.

“There’s a Paranormal Activity marathon on the science network,” Blake offered, sliding off his shoes and leaning back on the cushion. Taryn cocked her head at the irony.

“Works for me,” Shae said. Danielle’s eyes widened, but she kept her mouth shut. Shae looked over at Taryn for approval.

“I’ve never seen any of them,” she shrugged. “Why not?”

Shae nodded, smirking as he clicked over the channel and stood up. He shut the lights off, tossing Taryn and Danielle blankets from a basket by the front door.

An hour into the first movie, and Taryn sat frozen in her seat. She knew she didn’t believe in ghost stories, but there was something so haunting about the footage displayed on the TV screen. Occasionally, she glanced over at Danielle, who had cozied up into Blake’s arms. Her cheeks burned, trying not to think of how awkward she felt with Shae sitting next to her.

Eventually, the exhaustion from the week before caught up to her. She felt her eyelids growing heavier, and although she desperately wanted to see the end of the movie, she struggled to stay awake. She leaned over, laying on her side and resting her head on a couch pillow. She fought hard to stay awake, but quickly found herself losing the battle. The last thing she saw was the silhouette of Blake kissing Danielle’s forehead in the dim glow of the TV before her eyelids shrouded everything in darkness.
♠ ♠ ♠
Chapter 31!

So this was longer than I originally intended, but I'm trying to condense chapters a little bit to keep things moving. Hope you enjoy!

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Song: 'Rare' by Man Overboard