Achieving Unbroken

-Chapter 35-

Achieving Unbroken
Chapter Thirty Five

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"All we do is drive,
All we do is think about the feelings that we hide"
Drive | Halsey

—

Lilla
[Wednesday, July 28, 2018]

"Lilla, Sweetheart, when is Jason getting here?"

The sound of my mom's voice caused my eyelids to easily flutter awake, and the first noise I made was an exhausted groan.

"Mmm, 10 I think?" I sling my arm over to check my phone, which shows me that it is almost nine. "Fuck, Mom, why didn't you wake me earlier?" Rushing out of bed, I fumble around to make sure that I'm fully packed and then make my way to the kitchen for breakfast.

"And how is this my fault when you could have set an alarm? I didn't know when Jason was coming."

Pushing the lever down on the toaster, now filled with halves of a bagel, I turn to my mom.

"Right. Sorry. My fault."

With a pointed look at me, she moves into the pantry and swiftly returns with a jar of peanut butter. Smiling, I thank her, and slather the peanut butter on the now warm and toasted bagel, then placing it on a napkin.

"I'm gonna eat this while I'm getting ready. Tell me if Jason gets here early for some stupid reason!"

Miraculously avoiding dropping the bagel on the carpet, I rest the napkin on my bathroom counter. Next order of business: What to wear on the car ride. Rummaging through my closet and rows of dresser drawers results in some black cotton leggings, a soft grey long sleeve, and my beloved oversized jean jacket. I pace back to the bathroom, where I brush my teeth, wash my face, and adorn my eyes in light makeup, finally getting dressed afterwards.

My finishing touch is a quick high-ponytail and looping some extra hair ties around my wrist. As expected, I get bombarded with concerned questions from my mother as I jog down the stairs, the duffel bag bouncing in my hand with each step.

"Do you have warm clothes?"

"Yes, of course."

"Toothbrush?"

"Yes."

"Hair brush?"

"Yes."

"Enough underwear? Socks?"

"Mom," I give her a pointed look. "Half of my underwear drawer is in the bottom of this bag. That feels like enough to me."

"Me too. I just want to make sure you aren't forgetting anything. Its a three hour drive; you can't just turn around if you forget something."

"Even I'm not that high maintenance, Mom. If I forget something, I can just suffer. Simple as that." I pull my phone out of the pocket of the jacket, and click the on button. 9:51 AM. "Jason should be here soon," I say to no one in particular.