Forget Me (Adore You Pt. 2)

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

When the week came to an end, I felt as if my emotions were spilling out of a spigot, and I broke off the handle to turn it off. According to Chris, Robbie had left again on Wednesday; he had only come back at the beginning of the week for attendance and graduation purposes. Rules stated that students could not be out for more than 10 consecutive days.

His empty seat next to mine somehow made me miss him more.

The entire week had been non-stop activities. Between homework, practicing for dance with Lana, the events committee, and track practice, I was burnt out by Friday. Chris had invited me to his house to get pizza and hang out with him and Maria, but I was so tired I declined the offer.

I showered and curled up in bed to read the last of the books Robbie had lent me. There was a pile of homework on my desk I needed to work through, but it could wait.

Robbie leaving actually gave me a chance to drop off the books this weekend. If I finished, of course.

Though, when I thought about it, the thought of being in their house made me nervous. I read the same line in the book ten times before declaring my anxiety the winner. I resigned to finishing the book the following day.

I shifted in bed. The bedsheets bothered me, and my hair was sticking to my neck. I closed my eyes to try to will sleep to come. Click click click, I could hear the pulls on my fan smacking against each other. Here's the thing no one tells you about New York. Apartments don't have ACs.

We're in the 21st century; how do you not have central cooling?!

My dad was going to add a window unit to my room but changed his mind. The electricity was as insanely expensive, and we could not afford the potential costs. So, he got me a fan instead. I read once that fans work by making you sweat and then cooling off the water on your skin. I pulled on my tank top, feeling a drop of sweat run down my collarbone as I waited for that to happen.

I remember the news playing on the TV as my father got ready in the morning, saying that tonight and tomorrow would be some of the hottest days of the year. It was unusual for early September, but I guess that's global warming for you.

I paced my room, fanning myself with my hand and feeling illogically upset with the struggling fan.

The journal Liam gave me caught my eye again. I opened it up and lay down on the cool floor tile. It was similar to his other journals in that he wrote about his day. Most journal entries were pretty similar.

 A day in the life of Robert Bennet Sr.: He had a love hate relationship with his job, he loved his kids, he adored his wife. He spent his weekends taking long hikes in the forest behind their house and his nights looking out of a telescope with his son. Then, regardless of Maria's age, he tucked his daughter in bed, stayed with her to talk bout her day, and went to bed with his wife.

It felt a strange weight in my chest reading things like this. Besides it being incredibly intimate, I don't remember the last time my dad and I had a conversation. I don't think my father ever tucked me into bed or participated in any activity with me.

Halfway through the journal, things started getting...weird. I sat up to better understand what was happening. Some of the sentences were nonsensical. Then, there were some made up of just letters strung together but not really creating any words. 

I wondered if this was Lou Gehrig's taking over his ability to write. I had assumed it wasn't that advanced before his death. He could still drive a car. Maria made it seem as if him being present for her marriage with Liam would have been a possibility. Maybe it came in waves?