The Day You Fell Apart

The last day of school sort of seems like it’s the beginning of something else. Even though you have to come back in the fall, the summer holds so many opportunities. Everyone is always talking about what they’re going to do over the summer, and how much fun it’s going to be for them.

It’s kind of sad that I have absolutely no ‘wonderful’ plans for this summer.

My summer will probably consist on trying to get my life back together by having Dee drag me all around town to all of these different places. I’ll probably end up getting annoyed with everything and return back to the girl that I have been for the past year. Or maybe, just maybe, I’ll be able to find myself again.

“4 more hours until we’re out for the summer!” Dee exclaimed as we walked to our 3rd period classes. I looked up at her and smiled while she just grinned and linked her arm with mine. “It’s kind of sad that it’s cloudy outside on the last day of school.” She muttered.

I looked up at the sky and bit my lip. “It looks like it’s going to rain,” I replied. “Wasn’t it like 100 degrees just a few days ago?” I asked.

“Weather is weird,” Dee replied. She then gave me a quick hug before departing to her classroom. I did the same by turning to my left and entering my English class.

I sat down at my seat and sighed heavily. It felt kind of good to know that this was the last day that I’d be sitting in this classroom. That this was the last day that I’d have to be annoyed by students that I can’t stand at this school. And it will be the last day that I’d have to endure sympathy stares by my fellow classmate, Lindsey Clayborn.

Most people have realized that shooting me sympathy looks and saying ‘I’m sorry’ to me wouldn’t really result in anything, so they just stopped doing it, which made me extremely grateful. I don’t want to be treated different by everyone else because my boyfriend, and the love of my life, died. I want to be treated like a person, like how I used to be treated. Most people got the hint and stopped treating me differently, but still, Lindsey just won’t give up.

Lindsey turned in her seat and smiled at me while I just nodded my head at her politely.

“I know that it’s a little past the year anniversary,” Lindsey stated and pulled out a small trinket from her backpack. “But I just want you to remember that we’re all here for you.”

She placed a bracelet on my desk and I just narrowed my eyes at her.

“What?” I asked. Lindsey just sighed and patted my arm slightly.

“It’s okay to be upset, Jillianne. It’s okay to cry,” She replied.

I wanted to get up right then and there and physically punch her in the face.

“I don’t want to sound rude or anything, Lindsey. Actually, I don’t really care if I sound rude or not. You don’t know me and you didn’t know Evan. All you did was hear about what happened. So don’t sit here and pretend that you relate to me when the only thing that we can relate about each other is the fact that we sit by one another in English class,” I retorted. “I know that you’re trying to be nice, but you’re actually making everything ten times worse. So please, please, take this bracelet back and accept my full gratitude for your nice but unwanted sympathy.”

Lindsey eyes widened in shock while I just turned back in my seat and looked straight forward. I know that was harsh. But it had to be done. I was so sick of her treating me like I was some child. When she doesn’t even know me.

Suddenly the door opened in my classroom and a boy about my age came in and handed my teacher, Ms. Deluca a note. He then walked out as quickly as he walked in.

Ms. Deluca looked at it and made eye contact with me.

“Ms. Montgomery. You’re needed in the office. Someone’s here to pick you up.” She stated.

I looked at her confusingly but quickly got my things together and walked towards the front of my classroom. I grabbed the note and gave her a quick smile before leaving the classroom and making my way to the office.

Who would be here to pick me up on the last day of school? I mean, come on, it’s the last day of school. If it were my parents, that means something big was going down, because my parents don’t like me missing school for no reason.

I opened the double doors that led to the office and was immediately greeted by a face that instantly made me stop dead in my tracks.

“Why hello, Jillianne,” Jonah stated with a small smile on his face.

“What are you doing here?” I whispered.

“I’m here to pick you up,” He replied nonchalantly. His voice was smooth and calm, which was completely opposite from how I was feeling.

“First of all: why? Second, no one other than my family members can pick me up from school and third, didn’t I ask you not to ever speak to me again?” I replied and began to walk away. Jonah grabbed my wrist and turned me around.

“You’re going to ask me a million questions and not even let me answer them?” He asked. I just rolled my eyes and looked up at his tall figure. He was probably about 8 inches taller than me.

“I’m not ditching school to hang out with someone that I don’t want to hang out with,” I replied.

“Oh come on, it’s the last day of school anyways. Who even cares?” He asked.

“I do,” I replied.

Jonah just stopped and made eye contact with me, and for some reason, I couldn’t look away. It was like I was in some kind of trance. Just by making eye contact with him, it seemed that he could tell me to do anything and I would immediately reply with a ‘when and where?’.

“Jillianne. Car,” Jonah stated. I grunted and then nodded defeatedly as the corner of his mouth tilted upwards. He walked away from me and out of the office doors as I followed behind him like a mindless puppy. Right when I was about to leave, I turned towards the woman who was sitting at the front desk and gave her a questioning look. Shouldn’t she be stopping me right now? I am kind of leaving school right in front of her.

She titled her head downwards so she could see over her glasses and shot me a warm smile.

“A very charming brother you have there, Ms. Montgomery. It is very sweet how he is taking you out to lunch,” She remarked. My jaw dropped in return while I just nodded in bewilderment and walked out of the office.

I walked down the sequence of steps that led to the front parking lot to see Jonah sitting in an off white colored Mustang which looked rather old. I opened the passenger side door and sat inside as Jonah started his car. We drove in oddly comfortable silence which was kind of overtaken by his loud excuse for a car.

“How did you convince the woman at the front desk that I was your sister?” I asked while turning in my seat. “We don’t even look alike.”

“Well apparently the woman at the front desk thinks we do,” Jonah replied while pulling onto a dirt road.

“Dare to explain to me why you decided to pick me up at school?” I asked.

“I don’t like to be told what to do," Jonah said while we drove on the bumpy road. My breathing quickened a little bit more as I realized that he was basically leading me to the middle of nowhere. Or so it seemed. All I saw were shrubs, large trees and vacant dirt paths.

“What do you mean?” I asked. My eyes continued to stare out of the window and I immediately regretted ever getting into this car. I mean, I barely know Jonah. I’ve known him for what, a week, and I already let him get inside my head to the point where I willingly got into his car? Now he’s leading me to the middle of nowhere, where he is probably going to beat me and leave me here to die.

It could happen!

“Well, you told me never to talk to you again, and I don’t like to be told what to do. So you subconsciously encouraged me to pick you up from school today. Hence, this is your entire fault,” He replied and turned off the engine.

“That doesn’t even make any sense,” I replied and finally turned completely towards him.

“What also doesn’t make any sense is the fact that you said that you never wanted to speak to me again, yet you’re willingly sitting in my car right now at a place where no other people are around,” He replied. I just glared at him while he flashed me a mocking smile in return. “Let’s go.” He stated.

“Go where?” I asked. “From the looks of this place, it doesn’t look like there’s much to really go to.”

“Don’t judge a book by its cover, Jill,” Jonah replied while opening his car door and getting out. I grunted while getting out also and made sure that my cell phone was in my hand just in case Jonah tried anything. But for some reason I doubted he would.

Jonah led me through some trees and a huge water tower came into view. He began to climb up the ladder that led up to the top but I just stayed at the bottom and crossed my arms in front of my chest.

“You have got to be kidding me,” I muttered while looking upward. Jonah stopped and looked back down at me.

“What’s wrong now?” He asked bitterly.

“This thing is like 300 feet high!” I yelled.

“So?” Jonah asked. He then let go of one side of the ladder and was soon dangling off the side of it with one hand.

“What do you think you’re doing!?” I practically screamed.

“Climb up here and I’ll fully get back on the ladder,” He replied. I just groaned and slowly made my way up the ladder. Jonah positioned himself back up on it and stayed where he was at until I met up with him. I was just about to look down before Jonah reached out and lifted my chin upwards with the tips of his fingers. “Don’t look down.” He whispered softly. I just nodded while we both continued to climb upward.

After about 3 minutes, we reached the top where there was a small platform. Jonah sat down on it and I sat down by him. My body was still shivering, probably because of the fact that my life rested in my own hands just then. If I let go, I’d fall and most likely get critically injured. The adrenaline was still rushing through my body, and for some reason, it felt really good.

“This is probably the best view I’ve ever seen,” I remarked while looking forward. Where we were, I could practically see my whole entire town. I could see houses, trees, and some mountains in the distance. The gray clouds hovering over the mountains forming a hazed fog overlapping the tips somehow even made the view more beautiful.

“I know,” Jonah replied and let out a deep breath.

“Why did you want to take me here?” I asked with a slight smile. I had to admit, I was feeling great, sitting here, looking over the whole town. I think I was beginning to warm up a little bit towards Jonah. But then again, my emotions towards him change every single time I see him. The first time, it had been jealousy, second, confusedness and third, completely furious. But now, I was at a happy neutral. And let’s hope it will stay that way, because I like the feeling he gave me. He made me not have to think about everything, he made me feel like nothing else mattered but ‘living in the moment’.

It was a way to get away.

“Honestly?” He asked while turning to look towards me. The very cold wind was blowing through his long brown hair but he didn’t even bother pushing it away from his eyes. “You really look like you need to get away from things." He paused. "I… I heard about what happened to your boyfriend a year ago.”

“Oh goodness, not you too,” I muttered while resting my head along the railing that separated us from falling to the ground.

“I’m not going to throw you a pity party, don’t worry,” He replied and turned his head to look straight forward. “All I’m going to do is let you appreciate how awesome it is up here.” He added.

I smiled and overlooked my whole town from where I was. “Jonah?” I asked.

“What?”

“Thank you," I replied, and looked straight forward.