Rejected ✓

M E C A H

❁ C H A P T E R  N I N E ❁

           

Some people have a natural beauty, inside, and out. I'd say Mecah was one of those people. She had a sort of sensitivity, she knew what people meant, no matter what they said. She cared about everyone else much more than she cared about herself. Sometimes she cared too little about herself, that it was concerning.

She's been gone for six years. Six years is a long time to be gone. She left so suddenly, sometimes it feels as though we didn't say goodbye at all. In a lot of ways, we didn't.

Her birthday was always a fun occasion. If anything I liked it more than my own. We would go get ice cream, even though she was lactose intolerant. Then she'd take me on a run, even though I stumbled and she had much better things she could be doing.

But today, it seemed far to solemn.

My parents were gone, already off to work. They let me stay home, but figured it would be better to distract themselves then face what had happened. Zach went out with his friends, trying to find his own form of distraction.

Maddie and Sara were sad themselves, so they had a sleepover. They invite me every year, and every year I decline. We all had our own ways of coping, and mine was more of a solo act.

I woke up later than normal. My body felt heavy as I realized what day it was, and I couldn't pull myself out of bed for a long time. It's almost as though she's dead, even though I truly believe she's not. 

Juju seemed unaffected by my troubles, barking over and over outside my door to force me out of bed. Once I got to the door, he stopped barking, and looked at me with his big puppy eyes.

"Was that necessary?" I cooed as I bent down to pick him up. I hugged him to my chest, sighing as I tried to clear my head.

Walking downstairs, I got a quick bowl of cereal, and I thought about what I wanted to do. Normally I just sulked around all day, which I felt as though would be my plans once again.

Letting out a deep breath, I looked at my surroundings, trying to draw inspiration. Just as I was about to give up, the door to my backyard caught my eye.

Yes, fresh air. A natural healer... I think.

My backyard is medium sized, with a white picket fence inclosing it. We have a patio when you step out the door, which has a few out door chairs, a grill, and a firepit. A few stray trees shade the outmost part of the backyard, and my treehouse was located in the biggest tree.

I sat in one of the lounge chairs as I soaked in the sun, letting a sigh leave my lips. Maybe I just needed to relax.

Naturally, I'm not good at relaxing, so I opened my eyes to look around. The leaves had almost all fallen from the trees, which made the ground colored. There was a gentle breeze, which had a bite of cold, making me shiver.

Perhaps this wasn't the best idea.

Trying to shake it off, I looked around some more. I could see Connells house across the way, his back yard in view of mine. It was a wreck, product of it being left alone for so long. A satisfied hum left my mouth as I smile, closing my eyes once again and tilting back my head to the sun.

Serves him right.

I sat like that for a few long moments, before I started to look around once more. My eyes finally settled on my treehouse. My parents built it when my brother was a kid, so I've never known a time when It wasn't there.

I haven't been in it for years, though, a depressing outcome of growing up. Standing from my chair, I slowly walked to the tree, looking up.

Of course younger me tied up the rope in the treehouse, thinking climbing the tree was more fun.