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14| New Normal (pt. 2)
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Witness 15| Whiplash
Waking up the next morning, I felt a lot of things. I was still scared and emotionally taxed from the events of the last two days, I was physically sore from the whiplash and gunshot wound, I was nervous about beginning my new life, I missed my dad and friends, and surprisingly, I was excited to see Jax again. I looked over to Hannah's lofted bed, noting she was still sleeping. I pulled my phone out from under my pillow and lit up my screen.God, my body hurt so bad. I felt like I got hit by a truck. I didn't know how easily I'd be able to get down from my bed when I could barely even move my arm. I figured it would probably loosen up throughout the day like it did yesterday, but as of now, I felt absolutely terrible. Just then, before I could send anything, my phone lit up with a text from Jax: Mason: what's your plan for today? Well good morning to you too, I thought. Skyler: I think Hannah wanted to show me around campus- she mentioned last night maybe going to a coffee shop?
Witness 16| Coffee Bean
When I entered my room again, I saw Hannah sitting up on her bed. "Good morning," I greeted. "Morning roomie!" She replied, stretching out her arms. "Was someone else in here? I thought I heard whispering." "Oh um... yeah. Mason came over for a second to bring me some ibuprofen." She nodded in understanding. "Well that was nice of him; Is it for your arm?"I just nodded, contemplating offering up information, but I chose not to unless she asked."Can I ask what happened?" She pressed.I was so grateful to have asked Jaxon what to tell her. "Old sports injury. I just had surgery to correct it but I'm feeling super sore today." I made my way over to the futon, sitting down since I couldn't get back up on my bed. "Oh gottcha. Are you still up to seeing the campus today? I can show you where your classes are and the coffee shop- nothing too crazy today since you don't feel well." "That sounds great! Would you mind if Mason and his roommate Blake tag along? He's new here too and ment
Witness 17| Moving Forward
The rest of the campus tour was okay. Hannah had done a nice job of showing us the ins and outs of this place, and I felt confident that Jax and I would be able to find our classes with ease tomorrow. Besides, we had the same class schedule so if I forgot, I was sure Jax would be able to get us there. As the tour progressed, I found myself opening up a little more to Blake and Hannah; they were both nice and outgoing, which made it easy for me to make small talk with them. Jaxon, on the other hand, remained silent. I wasn't sure what killed his mood, but he really wasn't being very social, and I found myself growing irritated by him.Hannah had said that she had an assignment she wanted to finish up, so she dipped from the tour early and headed to the library while Blake, Jax, and I walked back to our dorm. It felt kind of awkward with the three of us after Hannah left, and I really didn't like it. It was like cold, professional Jaxon was here for no reason after he was being so nic
Witness 18| First Days
The first few days went by without a hitch. Jaxon and I were actually becoming fairly good friends. I found out that he really wasn't the hard-ass that I had made him out to be in the beginning, and he actually could be pretty funny when he wanted to be.Hannah and I also were becoming closer. We hadn't yet had a weekend together, but we sat together during class and we did have the occasional movie night in our dorm. I hadn't really seen too much of Blake since the coffee shop, and I was okay with it. Don't get me wrong, I liked Blake a lot but I also didn't want any more awkward tension with Jax and I because of the whole "you can't date my roommate" conversation.I also was learning that although my situation was pretty awful, I did have a lot to be thankful for. First of all, California was gorgeous, and each day walking the beautiful campus provided me with more things to love about the school. In addition, thus far, I was actually feeling like I would enjoy my classes... with t
Witness 19| Just Breathe (pt. 1)
Heading into the third week of classes, I was actually feeling pretty good. I really enjoyed Hannah. Having her around as a friend was actually helping me much more than she would ever know. It was definitely hard keeping things from her, but for the most part, I found I was able to be myself around her. I was learning that I could still be Emery Starr, just under the name of Skyler Finley. Currently, we had just gotten coffee's and were heading to our Psychology class. I liked this class a lot. The professor was old school, and since it was my previous major, I found the topic to be super interesting. Jax obviously had the same class as me, but he also couldn't be right next to me all the time. It would definitely be suspicious considering he and I weren't even a couple. Therefore, on days like today, he just followed a few minutes behind us, tracking my location in case of emergencies. "Oh my God," Hannah said, pointing at our professor. He was currently wheeling out a large proje
Witness 20| Just Breathe (pt. 2)
I kept my face tucked in close, enjoying the comfort his hug was providing me. I could feel his muscles tighten as he held me, and all I wanted to do was stay in the warmth of his embrace. We may not have been best friends… but he certainly made me feel safe and protected. Unfortunately, this was reality, and I understood that Jax was my bodyguard; he had made it clear on several occasions, that professionally, we could never be anything more than distant friends. In any case, we still had a class to attend, so I forced myself to let go. I loosened my grip on his neck and pulled back as I spoke. "Thank you; I really needed that. We should probably get back to class though." "Yeah. We probably should,” he agreed, letting his arms fall from my waist. “You sure you want to go back in?" I nodded, "Yeah... I feel much better now."He nodded back and offered me a hand so that I could jump down off the wall. "Ready?"I placed my hand in his and hopped down, being extra careful to not st
Witness 21| Popcorn and Gummy Worms
Hours later and after what felt like one of the longest days since my life turned upside down, it was time for our movie night. Hannah and I had the futon folded out into a bed, with every single pillow and blanket we owned bundled around us. In front of us were bags of assorted chips, chocolates, and of course, the promised popcorn and sour gummy worms. I liked this- and I definitely needed it. I hadn't had a night like this since I lived with Mel, and I missed her. I missed her so much. I liked Hannah though. She was bubbly and nice, and she really was a good friend to me when she's around. Normally, she's working or hanging out with her boyfriend Draedyn, but given what happened in class today she wanted to stay with me. Hannah poured us both a glass of Rosé, which only added to the cozy atmosphere set with the dim lighting from the string lights and glow of the TV. We couldn't decide on a movie, so eventually we just put on "New Girl," — one of our favorite shows— so that we co
Witness 22| Night Owl (pt. 1)
"Are Mason and Blake coming with us?" Hannah asked, sifting through her closet in search of the perfect outfit.I set my straightener down, running my hands through my light blonde hair. "I don't know about Blake, but Mason isn't. He said he has a big paper due that he has to work on. Nerdy, I know," I lied. I felt a pang in my chest. I was ditching my bodyguard, and I knew it wasn't smart, but it still wasn't going to stop me. This party wasn't going to be dangerous. I'd prove it to him. "What do you think of this one?" Hannah asked, pulling out a black cocktail dress. It was simple and form-fitting, and when she put it on to show me, I knew it was perfect. I stood up once I finished with my hair, sifting through my new wardrobe. I hadn't realized it before, but the WPP didn't provide me with anything that resembled party attire. In fact, the only dresses I had were sundresses... flowy ones at that. I huffed. "You look amazing. I just don't think I have anything that's close to t
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