Eighteen year-old Zach Curtis has lost everything: his girlfriend, his job and his scholarship. Nothing in the world matters anymore, until he receives a rude awakening from a stranger.
Petite and awkward, Terra Quinn is living the life with her bes...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
– Zach –
Terra made a promise to keep it a secret.
Luke and Abby returned from their apparent getaway soon after, where Terra and I constructed a spontaneous lie as a cover-up for what really happened. Thankfully, they bought it, and they don't seem to be suspecting a thing.
It isn't as if I was afraid of anyone else finding out, either. Things like that don't cross my mind anymore. Explaining such a complex situation without warning is equivalent to dropping a bomb, and I'd honestly rather save myself from the hassle. Perhaps I may find it within myself to talk about it someday like it doesn't matter anymore. As of now, I'm fine with just Terra knowing. She'd probably be the only one I'd choose if I had to.
The first couple of days subsequent to the incident was difficult. I'm not even going to pretend I can handle it without breaking a cold sweat or curling my fingers from anxiety. Shutting my eyes was the last thing I wanted to do despite feeling unceasingly exhausted. Seeing nothing but an infinite piece of blank space is discomforting, but it's all in my head. I know that.
In spite of the recurring struggles, I've made it pass the week okay. I've been better, but I've been a lot worse, too. For the first time, I might actually have the courage to believe that things might get better again, although it sounds a little too good to be true, but I've experienced enough of that to know sometimes life can bring pleasant surprises as well.
I'm basically experiencing one of those right now.
Before I have the time to reflect, Terra had become a part of my daily routine more than I could imagine. She dropped by everyday ever since to make sure I was okay, though in return, I wanted to make sure she was too. As I was busy recollecting my myriad of murky thoughts, she stuck around to ensure that the fridge is stocked and the laundry is taken care of, voluntarily.
It's strange to have someone care about me beyond the surface. Terra wouldn't take no for an answer when I insisted I could take care of myself. She probably knows that I can, but that wasn't reason enough for her to not do what she wants to do. In exchange, she simply wants me to tag along to the grocery store every now and then because she'd appreciate a 'human ladder'.
I can barely call that a fair trade, but to Terra, Oreo is all it takes to settle the score, and I've never been really good at debating with her. Just her.
It was an hour before midnight when I walked Terra back to her apartment. To be exact, I was the one walking, she simply skipped for more than half of the journey, her wavy brown hair bouncing with every hop.
"Thank you." She grins genuinely the minute she steps foot into her room, gesturing for me to place the bags onto the kitchen counter. "Are you heading back?"
"Yea–" I say, but get interrupted.
"Nope." Abby chimes in, inviting herself into the conversation. "The night's still young, you're gonna stick around, right? It isn't as if you have anything better to do."
