Descendent of a Survivor (BENDrownedXReader)

Chapter Sixteen-Carolina and Denis

Drawing above is Monica's appearance sorry for the bad art  

*********

It has been a few days since school started. My first year in high school. 

There're more students from other schools; only more people who would find me odd, I assumed. Two students from Jake Middle, a school on the other side of town, took an interest in me. They just walked up to me, introducing themselves and asking why I was far from the others. BEN left while I was at school, only leaving that book. I'll have to turn it back in. 

It's after school, I'm walking home. Carolina and Denis are walking with me, asking me questions about what I like to do. I answer every single one. I've never felt comfortable with another person who wasn't Mom, BEN, or Monica. It's also weird that they're not asking anything about Mom; that's usually all that fellow students would ask me about.

Denis and Carolina are taller than me by about one foot (I'm 5"4). Denis is blonde while Carolina is red headed. He has vibrant blue eyes while Carolina has a dark green that can be mistaken for gray. Carolina is considered beautiful to most students and Denis is considered average. 

We reach my house, and they ask to enter. I let them, since Monica isn't here. They look around, Denis mainly staring at the drawings I colored in and Carolina looking at the wine bottles next to the couch. 

"Does your parents drink?" Carolina asks, looking over at me. 

"I only have one parent. Yeah, she drinks," I answer. "Don't worry about it, though. She doesn't do anything harmful, luckily." 

She looks at me, scanning me, until she shrugs and looks at something else. 

"How about we just hang around in my room," I suggest, practically grabbing their hands and dragging the two up the stairs and to my room. 

They just sit on my bed while I sit on the swivel chair. Denis looks at the book, and I just pick it up and put it on my desk. Carolina looks at me decisively, the look in her eyes not leaving this time. Denis just looks around my room and tries to start a conversation. Carolina's just quiet, shutting down the idea of talking. She's just looking at me as if I'm a psychopath now. I'm just staring back, trying to figure out why she's acting this way. She looks at her phone, says she has to go, and takes Denis with her. 

I don't do anything; I just stay on the swivel chair and watch them leave. There's a sting where my heart is, but it doesn't last. That's the longest time I've had human friends. I always drive people away, but I haven't really cared until now. I told myself to not be so quiet around people this year, be someone that could respond to someone trying to be nice, but everyone is repelled by me. My first human friends, gone within five days. 

I try to distract myself by reading one of Mom's books, but my eyes keep wandering to the book BEN left. There's something in there, Mom's note. It's on a different page now. Not Robbie's. I turn to the page and look at the note. There's writing on the back. 

I will be back soon.
                                  -BEN

The feeling numbs as I read it. I can feel a smile on my face, but I try to stop my tears. Happiness is all I feel even when Monica comes home. She has more bruises than the last time I saw her, and it's been a while since she was this drunk. All she says is that it's nothing in a dizzy voice. She walks up to her room, more of stumble, and passes out on her bed for the first time in two years. She doesn't seem to be disturbed by the dust around her and coating the walls and furniture. 

I walk to my bedroom, get some pajamas, go to the bathroom, and start the water. I don't even care that I haven't eaten. I'll eat tomorrow. I undress, go under the water, and get out after five minutes. I put on the pajamas-which is more of a white tank top with pajama pants-and walk back to my room with the bundle of dirty clothes. I throw the clothes into the laundry basket and fall onto my bed. I don't bother to put the blankets on top of me, I just go to sleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. 

********

Word Count: 763