Check Yes, Juliet

Nepenthe

"Nepenthe: Something that can make you forget grief or suffering."

"Still getting notes from the secret admirer?" Chris said, leaning against my locker.

I smiled up at him, wishing he knew. "Yeah." I looked down at it and I was going to mention that they were starting to bother me but the truth was they weren't. I loved them, they were gifts and I couldn't hurt him like that either. I treasured these little things.

Andrew barely talked to me all week, probably trying to figure out if I was worth all this trouble. I had tried to talk to him a few times, figure out where his head was at, but he would just mutter something and then excuse himself so he could leave. He had football practice, that I could understand but I knew he didn't have that much homework when I would text him at 9 at night. He was angry and annoyed; but I still stood by my decision. If he didn't like it, he would be the one leaving.

"Ready to go?" Chris asked. I nodded, I grabbed my duffel bag out of my locker. He looked surprised to see it. "What do you have in there? An elephant?"

I laughed. "No, I have posters and vinyl's and other things I want to add to the place."

He smiled. "Oh, then that's a good thing."

"Chris stop flirting with Sam and lets go!" Scott called.

My face turned red and Chris smirked as we walked towards them. Jenna hooked her arm to mine and smiled at me.

"Excited?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm glad we get to go back."

She nodded. "We stay there all weekend, your parents are cool with it right?"

I scoffed. "My parents don't care."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "I thought your parents were trying to take an interest in your life now?"

I shrugged. "We haven't really said much since. Maybe it was just a faze."

"Oh well...does Sandra know?"

I smiled. "Yeah, Sandra knows."

We headed out in Scott's car. They took turns every week since they were the only two who could drive. Scott's car was in slightly better condition but not by much. His seats weren't torn up so that was a plus. Tonight we went to subway instead of McDonalds thankfully. We ate on the way to our safe haven and made it just as the sun was beginning to set.

I looked around at the other empty floors that stood bare and cold. "Why don't we do something with these floors?" I asked.

"Wish we could, but we don't have money for that. It took us years to make over the upstairs." Ian said.

"What are you thinking?" Jenna asked, standing next to me on the stairs. I stood looking at the middle floor, the one that looked the most spacious.

"You guys wouldn't feel weird if I used my money for this would you?"

"Well...it's your parents money right?"

I nodded, finally turning to look at her. She sighed. "We know you wouldn't mean it out of sympathy for us, but that's how it would feel. We don't like charity. We want to work for what we have and if you just magically made nice things appear without working for it we would feel bad."

"That doesn't make any sense. It would be for all of us to enjoy. And my parents worked for it, doesn't that count?"

She shakes her head giving me a sad smile. "They won't live here, you would." I put my hands on my hips, looking out at the empty space. "I know it doesn't make much sense...but the rest of us aren't privileged. When things come easy it's foreign to us. Try to understand," She puts her hand on my arm. "Please."