chapter twenty-four - stupid and stupider

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chapter twenty-four – stupid and stupider

3 missed calls from Stupid.

Ring, Ring, Ring.

4 missed calls from Stupid.

Ding.

Stupid: Just answer the phone, Tee.

Ring, Ring-

"What do you want, Marc?" I sniffled.

"I heard about your mom and the baby." Marc sounded just as broken as I was.

"Okay." I continued to stare at my ceiling.

"I'm so sorry."

Wake up. Get dressed. Skip breakfast. Go to school.

Go home. Lock myself in my room. Cry. Eat dinner. Go to bed.

Nothing changed. Nothing is going to change.

14 days of the same thing.

14 days of knowing. Knowing that everything was my fault.

"Can you please stop sucking face?" Millie crinkled her nose at the sight of Laurel and Charlie with their tongues down their throats.

"Hey, Tee." Charlie greeted me.

"Hi." I glanced up at him and he gave me a sad smile.

The four of us started making our way down the hallway towards the cafeteria.

"So, did you hear who got partnered up with Millie today in Chemistry?" Laurel wrapped her arm around my shoulder.

"No." I didn't break my staring contest with the marble floor.

"Kevin Preston." Millie rolled her eyes. "God I hate him."

"Why?" I mumbled.

"Are you seriously asking, why?" Millie furrowed her thin eyebrows.

"He's not a bad person. He made some mistakes but he's not evil." I gulped. "He's going through a hard time right now. Don't be mean."

The four of us sat at our usual table and I couldn't help but feel open. Marc should be to my right. He should be cracking some dumb joke. He should be smiling. He should be here.

But I destroyed that.

"You should eat." Laurel pushed a tray of nasty cafeteria food in front of me.

"I'll eat later." I'm not lying. I will eat later. Whenever Dad decides to come up to my room and force me to come downstairs.

"Marc's going to be pissed when he comes back and finds you all skin and bones." I know Charlie was trying to make me laugh. But it wasn't funny.

"Marc's not going to care." The sharp edge on my voice made my friends flinch. "Don't you get it? Marc hates me and he has every right to. I mean we don't even know if Marc's alive. Last we heard he had a god damn stroke because of me. Kevin hasn't been in school and neither has Devin. Summer wont even answer my calls anymore. It's over and nothing matters anymore."

"Thea, wait." Laurel stood up to stop me but I was already leaving.

Nothing matters anymore.

****

The Preston House, 12 years ago.

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