Chapter 9
The next morning, I awoke to the smell of Kill all around me. I buried my nose in his pillow and inhaled deeply. It was difficult applying my makeup around the smile on my face. I wasn't sure where Kill and I were at the moment, but it was better than where we had been.
Kill was sitting in his customary spot on the couch, and I didn’t hesitate to take the coffee mug he offered me.
“Morning. Are you hungry?” he asked, getting up to warm a peanut-butter muffin in the microwave.
I’d just munched on a handful of Tums, so I hoped my stomach was coated enough to handle a muffin. Even if it wasn’t, there was no way I was going to decline, given the look on Kill's face.
“Thank you,” I said, taking the muffin and sitting next to him.
He snatched a piece and stuffed it into his mouth. I wished I didn’t have to go to school. I would’ve been content sitting next to Kill the rest of the day, picking at the food he set between us.
“Do you want to go for a run when you get back from class?” Kill asked, breaking a big chunk off the top.
“Yeah, that sounds good,” I answered wanting to say so much more, but unsure where to start.
The past three weeks had been emotionally exhausting, and even though I’d survived, it had taken a toll on my mind and body. I was still on the fence about whether my soul would make a full recovery.
“What time will you be home?” he asked, pushing the rest of the muffin in front of me.
“I should be home in four hours. I need to get going so I can find a parking spot.”
“See you later, Slick. Don’t worry about dinner; we'll take care of it tonight, and I'll try to get D to let you out of practice later.”
“I don’t mind practicing. I'm able to forget everything else while I'm singing.” I didn’t go into detail as to what I was trying to forget. Pain flitted across his face, letting me know he understood where I was coming from.
“See you later, Killer.” I hefted my bag over my shoulder and walked out to my car. Kill didn't let me get far before falling into step with me.
I scanned my windshield and was relieved when I saw it was paper free. When we’d reached my car, Kill held me close. I melded into him, soaking up his heat. It felt like I was thawing out from the weeks of being frozen out of his life.
“I know we need to talk. I promise we will later, but I need you to know how much I missed you.”
I nodded in agreement at everything he said, blinking my eyes rapidly to quell the tears. We reluctantly broke away from each other. Kill kissed my forehead before opening my door. Our eyes locked, the glass the only thing separating us before he hit the top of my car three times, and I drove away.
Excitement rose up when I found a parking spot close to campus, and started my trek to my first class. I loved school. I belonged in a classroom setting. Fear edged around me when I thought of how close I was to the end of my college career.
School had been such a huge part of my life for so long and finding out who I was without it scared me. I shook my head, breaking my thoughts' paralyzing hold on me. Forcing myself to take one step, and then another, until I made it to my class, I reminded myself I was a survivor. And I would continue to be one.
My first class went by at a snail’s pace. The professor droned on, going through the syllabus and what was expected. My classes were very specific to my major since I was so close to finishing, and I looked forward to the classwork but dreaded the first couple days getting into the swing of things.
My next class consisted mostly of biology lab work. Once again, the professor monotonously drilled through the syllabus, and my head kept slipping off my hand every time I nodded off. I only had three classes this semester and one next semester before I could graduate. I could’ve taken another class and finished at the end of this semester, but the class I wanted to take was only available during the spring semester.
Two of my classes were on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and the other on Tuesday and Thursday. I hated I would have to come every day, but it fit my work schedule, and I couldn’t be picky if I wanted to graduate.
On my way back to my car, I felt a renewed sense of happiness. I was almost free of Jason’s influence, and I had my new family surrounding me.
I pulled out my phone and saw a text message waiting for me from Kill:
Have a good day.
I can't wait to hear
how it went.
I was so engrossed in reading my text, I almost missed the ominous paper waiting for me on my windshield. My stomach knotted, and before I reached for it I dove into my bag for a handful of Tums.
I searched the parking lot to see if he still lurked about. There were so many people shuffling around, that had he been there, he could’ve found multiple ways to blend in. I took a deep breath and opened the note wanting to get it over with.