a/n- is this chapter extremely unrealistic? absolutely. do i still love it? maybe.
I believe I'm running on impulsivity tonight.
And as I grab a bathing suit, I try my best to convince myself that I'm not crazy. For a moment, I believe myself.
I grab Owen's hoodie and a pair of shorts and throw them on over my bathing suit. Tears are still constantly running down my face, I've given up on trying to get them to stop.
I grab a towel out of my bathroom closet, and softly open the door, trying not to wake Owen up. Ironic, because as soon as I open the door, I see his silhouette on the other side. Guess I managed to wake him up after all.
"Jenny?" It's still dark in my room, and I can't make out any facial expressions that he might be making right now. Usually I'm very good at picking up on people's emotions, but it's very hard to read his tone right now.
"Hi," I say shakily, tears still steadily flowing.
"What's the towel for? Are you okay?" Now I can read his tone better. He seems concerned but curious.
I take a moment to debate what to do next. I know where I'm going, but I'm now considering taking Owen along with me. My emotions are a whirlwind right now, and I can't sort any of them out. It's like I have fifty people talking to me at once, and I can't process what any of them are saying. Except no one is talking to me. There's only Owen and me and the silence that encapsulates us.
Maybe I am crazy.
"Can I take you somewhere?" I ask hesitantly.
"Um... where?"
"It's a secret," I whisper. I am fully aware of how utterly stupid I sound right now, but quite frankly, I don't care.
"Yeah, I'll go. Just, seriously, you're scaring me. Are you okay?" he asks, and I can hear the genuineness in his voice. And it makes my tears start all over again.
"I will be. Come on," I say, taking his hand. I unlock my window and lift it up, climbing out of it and hitting the soft ground below. Owen comes right after me.
"Jenny, what are we doing?" Owen asks, and I say nothing, I just close the window back and grab his hand once again. He hesitates for a moment before fully grasping it, but once he does, I pull him towards the woods by the house.
"Um... it's two AM and we're going in the woods? Jenny, I'm starting to really worry. Please tell me what you're doing. And have you been crying?" he says softly, finally looking down to get a good view of my face.
"Still am," I admit, and we enter the woods.
I know I need to explain where we're going, because I know how bad Owen's anxiety can get, and I don't want to be the reason it acts up again. I take one more deep breath before I start talking.
"Please don't worry, Owen. I know it's two in the morning, but trust me, please," I say, Owen still not looking too convinced. Against my better judgment, I decide to tell him the whole story.
"Back when I got in a bunch of fights with my parents, I used to come to Aunt Lauren's house and stay the night sometimes. When things got really heated, you know. And I found this place when I was around ten. I had gotten into a really bad argument with my mom, and I came here. Except Aunt Lauren wasn't home yet. So naturally, I went exploring."
"And what did you find?"
"You'll see. It takes a few minutes to get there. I think it used to belong to the people down the street, the ones who had a crap ton of money for no good reason. Anyway, they're both dead now, and this place was virtually forgotten about. But I used to come here a lot, especially when I got older. Helped me de-stress a little bit because it reminded me that even in this small town full of crappy people, you can still find the good. You just have to look hard enough."
