The Falling of Lauren Johnson

Chapter Seventeen

A/N: I was dealing with writer's block during this chapter and indecisiveness on my part, so this chapter is definitely a work in progress. I couldn't figure out how to get from point A to point B but I knew I needed to get there, so this is how I did it. When I'm not doing Julynowrimo, I'll come back and edit!

The next couple days were a blur. On Tuesday, I returned to school and kept my head down the whole day, refusing to talk to anyone who prompted me on the attack. And when I got home after school, my father didn't say a word to me, and my mother being my mother, only spoke to me twice, once to tell me dinner was ready, and the other was to tell me to get my elbows off of the table. On Wednesday, I again went to school, and instead of sitting in on boring classes, my peers who're graduating with me and I listened to our headmistress talk to us about the upcoming ceremony on Friday and the potential work assignments we might get. Once again, my father refused to talk to me, or even look at me for that matter. My mother on the other hand, surprised me, and spoke to me five times. Wow, what an improvement. On Thursday, my birthday, I received many well-wishes at school from other girls, even getting a gift from Melissa and Katelyn. Ever since they had found out I was sneaking out to meet a boy, they peppered me with questions, none of which I obliged, so I wasn't too surprised when I found they they gave me some lacy, black undergarments, something Melissa called "Lingerie", but I called it trashy. When I got home, my mother surprised me yet again with a small cake, even though it was strictly against protocol and against the diets set for us by our sector leaders. My mother must have sensed that something was amiss between my father and me, but she never once said anything.

The only thing that was truly constant beyond the cold shoulder from my father was Elliot. He would send me notes every night, leaving them underneath the panda teddy, for me to find. He would write about what he did that day, asking me how my day was, and wrote jokes to me that only I would find funny. He was a breath of fresh air compared to my father, whose words, or lack thereof, chilled me to the bone.

And as I wake up on Friday morning, my mind replays the whole week, especially the scene from Monday. How does my father know Elliot? He couldn't know him, Elliot is a clone. You know, it won't even matter after today, because at 4 o'clock, I'm graduating from this sector, getting my work assignment, and moving to the integrated sector where my father's opinions will no longer be valid. Fuck him and his self-righteous ass.

I pull myself out of bed an extra hour early, and make my way into the bathroom to get ready for the day. After showering, and drying my hair, I curl my hair quickly and brush the curls out somewhat to leave a more natural looking style. I head back into my room, and for the final time ever, I pull my school uniform out of my dresser and pull it on. The blouse sticks to my stomach as the sticky air from the outside seeps into my room.

Goodbye room, I think to myself as I look it over one final time. Last night was the last night I ever get to spend in here. With that thought, a twinge of emotion nips at the pit of my stomach, leaving me feeling uneasy. I quickly brush the feeling aside and throw all of my essentials into a bag that I can take with me to my new, assigned apartment. I throw my minuscule amount of clothes into my bag, all of my sketch and art supplies make it in as well. I ponder whether or not I should take Melissa and Katelyn's gift with me for a few seconds, before I decide to just shove it in, just in case. Just as I'm about to leave my bedroom for the last time, I quickly remember the Panda Teddy out on the window sill. I run to it, grabbing it and stuffing him into my bag, but not before I find a note resting underneath him.

I quickly unfurl the payment-style paper and read it's contents:

Sassy-Pants, today is you're graduation day if I remember correctly. Yes? Well congratulations for graduating from a school that taught you a bunch of useless knowledge. Only he would say something like that. I hope you had a wonderful birthday yesterday, and I hope you have a wonderful day today. I plan on coming to visit you tonight at your new pad, so be prepared for me. -E