Eternity

Chapter Sixteen~ Another Story to Tell

Warning: This Chapter contains violence/ physical abuse.

This chapter is also very long, so sit back and enjoy!
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The place Bella took me— and Amani— to was gorgeous. It was a park of conserved land out in the middle of nowhere, containing wide rivers with slate grey, rocky mountain-like hills and beautiful towering trees with almost luminescent green leaves. There were trails with innumerable rocks spattering across some of those paths, but I didn't mind taking them because they reminded me how unique each one is in its differing pale colors. Each one made up this huge mountain that I was standing on, each one had purpose.

There was also this one area that felt so eerily beautiful, that it could almost be taken out of a painting done by Edgar Allen Poe, if he was ever a painter.

We walked down a dirt pathway, and on either side were colossal skeleton trees. However, on our left the trees reached towards us off of a rising, rocky hill, and on our right the trees grew lower and lower as that side of the hill was falling. And between the two— our walking path connected to the right side— was a tranquil, shallow long stream of water.

I loved the quiet and piece that place brought me, and I made sure to express how grateful I was for Bella bringing me there, and for Amani accompanying me.

If only that moment could stretch on forever... But I can go there as many times as I wish, and I said as much to my two friends. They both agreed that it'd be great to come here again together— I only need to call.

So Bella and Amani left in their cars, and I left in mine with the promise of visiting this safe-haven in the future.

~~~

"Hey," Wayland greets me on the phone. I snuggle into my comfy blankets atop my bed and smile.

"Hey." I feel him smile back.

"Well, if you won't say anything else—" he jokes "—how are you holding up? I tried to find you after class, but you were already gone, and Marek mentioned something about seeing you leave with two other girls—"

"Okay, first, that's weird that he saw us. Was he spying on us or something?" I half-jokingly ask. "Secondly," I quickly resume before Wayland can interrupt me, "I'm sorry I didn't say anything, but I needed space and Bella mentioned somewhere we could go to... And, well, it was breathtaking." My breath catches as I remember what it looked like, what it felt like being there.

"Mm, I'm sure it was. But," he pauses, "Jean, you don't have to tell me whenever you want to go somewhere. Or if you need space. Well, if we were fighting or something—" he rambles on.

I interrupt, saying, "Wayland, it's okay. I understand. Thanks for, I guess, being a decent human being." I snort. "Sorry, that was a little mean of me to say. Anyways, I did call you for a reason."

I hear Wayland sharply inhale as he mockingly asks, "Really?"

I roll my eyes and respond, "Yes..." I drag on, waiting for him to play along.

He does, and he says "And might I ask you what for?" I can tell he's raising his brow haughtily.

I snort again and laugh, "Well... I was wondering if you—"

"Jean! Get off your phone, it's your turn!" Johnny shouts from downstairs. I shake my head with a smile and turn my attention back to my phone.