Another Life, JenniferNewman [short story to read .TXT] 📗

either one.
“Well I don’t care if you didn’t drink anything today that does not qualify for you fainting. You didn’t even get much sleep last night. Remember you still haven’t told me what your dream was about. If something’s wrong Rose I want to know. I need to know! Since you haven’t had much sleep AND you fainted I am not letting you out this house. My last words.” Well how did I guess? She could have just said no and speared me the rant. Okay that was mean she was worried and it was my fault I really wasn’t telling her what was wrong. Did she really want to know? I don’t think so.
“Mum I just told you I'm fine really. The fresh air will do me good! And I kind of all ready told Parker I could come. He’ll be here in like ten minutes.” Was my response wow could I come up with something more crap?
“I told you no. No eat before it gets cold.” Thanks Mum. I closed my eyes and reopened them looking down at my full plate of bacon and sausages. Well back to task one then: Eat.
I picked up my fork and shoveled mouthful after mouthful of food into my open mouth.
I looked over at my Mum when I had finished trying to prove something but she just rolled her eyes. Okay then…..
I sighed and picked up my mug of still steaming hot coffee and started to drink.
Five minutes later I was helping Mum clean up the empty plates and mugs and dump them in the dishwasher. I still hadn’t found a way to convince her to let, me go out I mean how can she keep her seventeen year old daughter locked up like this. That wouldn’t work neither would. Please I swear I'm fine just let me go out pretty please. Well that would work in helping Mum believe that I was even younger than seventeen and defiantly make me stay in. argh. Was I ever going to find out in a detailed enough way for me to really start to understand what the hell was going on in my life? All I really knew was that a ghost (Parker’s brother) was trying to kill me since my dad had killed him. I still can’t believe my dad would do that. I can’t believe that he would take his own life let along someone else’s as well.
I blinked realizing I was once again close to tears. This happen nearly every time I thought of my Dad and now it was even worse since I had found out that he might have killed himself and someone else as well Waitago with the downing my mood.
I leaned on the shelf for support once again feeling like I might faint. Well that would really help to talk mum into letting me out.
I let go of the shelf when I heard the door bell ring loud and turned my head in the direction only to hear Mum answering the door and saying something like ‘I'm sorry Rose can’t come out today’ oh god please tell me she was not!
Oh and god please don’t let her tell him I fainted or about the dream…..
I reached the door quickly and managed to see Parker looking down at my Mum and asking what was wrong. He already looked worried when he court a glance of me and looked up before looking back down at waiting for an answer.
“I found her this morning-“ I interrupted her then,
“Nothing. Really” that sounded convincing right?
“No please do carry on Mrs. Smith.” I closed my eyes and sighed great.
“Like I was saying I found her this morning she was having a really bad nightmare which she still hasn’t told me about.” She paused to look at me which made me believe I had no choice but to tell her later. “Then when she goes down stairs to get the phone I find her lying on the floor passed out. I am sorry but I'm not letting her out the house until I know for sure that she’s going to be okay.” Wow thanks mum could you make me sound like a five year old anymore. Why don’t you just top it off while you’re at it? And of course Parker took this all the wrong way and looked at me in a way that made me feel bad for not telling him. I couldn’t keep his gaze so I looked down.
Well at least he didn’t know about the strangling episode which lucky my Mum had not been witness to.
I was still looking down when I heard Parker say,
“Of course you would want to keep her in doors. I understand totally. I just wish she had told me this on the phone. ” well there was a big enough hint.
I looked up then and met his gaze after all I really was being horrid and self centered but the more I saw my mum and Parker worry the more I felt guilty. If only I wasn’t keeping so much stuff away from my mum she would understand. I hated hurting her.
As for Parker who I was still just managing to look at in the eyes well he was different. I hadn’t known his for long. Well like free weeks. But I still hated the look he was giving me now. Well I was in for it later. Well when I was allowed out of the house that is.
“I hope you don’t mind Mrs. Smith but I would really like to talk to your daughter about something urgent. If you don’t mine my coming in that is?” when I saw mum nod and turn in my direction and leave the corridor back to the kitchen I thought. Or maybe I was done fro now…..
I turned and walked up the stairs and into the open study where I had gone in the garden party on a sudden impulse to look something up. Well that was unneeded now right?
I slid into the swizzle chair by the desk next to the taller more comfortable one. I closed my eyes and waited to hear Parker’s tell, tell foot falls meaning that he had entered the room and sure enough there they were.
I heard him sit down on the chair next to mine before reopening my eyes.
When I looked at Parker he was staring right back at me obviously waiting for me to start. Well umm I have no clue what to say……
“Sorry…” He coughed and started to say something before changing his mind and saying,
“Do you even know what you’re apologizing for? God you look like you think I'm about to start yelling at you!” okay now he was laughing. I sighed and looked up at him and a relived way.
“That still doesn’t mean I'm not.” He said still smiling and rolling his eyes before standing up and pulling me into his arms. I nestled my head against his chest and closed my eyes shut wish everything else would just go away.
“Now please tell me the truth this time. Are you okay?”
“I would tell you if I knew myself.” I muttered still not moving my head and Parker pulled me down on his lap.
He still had his arm raped around my waist with his other hand stroking my hair. I really was confused as to why being hugged by someone I had known for I think free weeks now. I kept my eyes closed as Parker asked,
“So what was the nightmare about? If you don’t mind me asking?” well could I really explain that. I didn’t understand myself.
“Really I don’t understand it. It was just this meadow field thing.” Well that was a pretty good explanation.
I took a breath hoping that he wouldn’t ask what had happened before because I know I would tell him if he asked. Please don’t ask!
I felt my throat closing at the memory and kept my eyes firmly closed. I felt Parker stop smoothing my hair and realized I had acted to weird and he was going to ask. Damn damn damn!
“What is it? What are you not tell me? I need to know Rose!” calming breaths. Just breath. Don’t answer. I sat there still trying to think of something that would get me out of this free. Well there goes ever excuse I had thought of. Was I really able to just tell him something and stick to it? I swear I was the worst liar ever!
“I-I don’t really know. Again.”
“Nice try. What is it?” Damn.
“Okay really it’s nothing as you can see. I'm fine. Just when I woke up before the dream….. Cody was there” I took a breath and quickly said the rest in a rushed tone that I hoped he didn’t understand a word of. “I could have sworn he tried to strangle me but there are no marks I mean I'm really fine… just a sore throat really fine though I bet I dreamed that to……” I felt Parker’s arms tighten around me and I really started to wish I hadn’t said anything. He had understood after all.
“It better fucking have been a dream.” Well at least he wasn’t shouting… I mean he still sounded like he could kill but still….
I was really starting to regret having told him when I heard the phone ring down stairs. I jumped when I realized someone had left it on the table near my arm.
“Crap.” I muttered before moving my head and leaning away from Parker so that I could reach the now violently vibrating phone.
“Hello?” Well I was back to sounding posh again……
“Rose? It’s Megan what happened? The phone went dead before.” Ouch Megan well hell was I telling her I had fainted!
“Oh right sorry bout that. The signal in my house is really crap at the moment….” Signal? Crap? It’s a freaking home phone for crying out loud.
“Oh. Don’t worry anyway have you heard from Soph yet I swear she is going to kill you for not telling her about your new boyfriend.” Of course Parker would choose this moment to cough. “Oh sorry Rose I didn’t know he was there. Do you want me to call back later when you can tell all? I mean it I'm totally on Soph’s side here. By the way Kat says so is she but well in her own way….” Well that’s great I now had free of my friends asking me about Parker and I still hadn’t forgotten Arlene’s friend What’s Her Name had said back at the Garden party. She had shown pretty much straight away how much she had liked him. Which I am so going to admit was awkward since I still hadn’t known why Parker had been well pretty much everywhere. Well my friends did deserve to know at least something. So I told Megan to come round mine tonight and to tell Sophie and Kat the same. Well here goes nothing. And I was home grounded for the day anyway. Might as well get this over with sooner. When I hang up the phone I looked over to Parker who’s lap I was still sitting on. Well he must have lost the feeling in both his legs.
I slowly moved my legs to that I could stand up but Parker tightened his arms making sure I was going nowhere. I looked back round at him to see him staring once again at my wall with its green wall paper and art work my Mum had insisted I put up. The