July 16th, Saturday

They packed their stuff, and of course mine was already packed. Then we left.

When we got there, it was nice and humble.

You pull into the apartment complex, and we were in building 4. Then we go up the stairs, to our apartment and when you walk in, it's already furnished. There are many windows that show bright light. A small kitchen, a dining room right beside it, and to the right of that, a living room. Then there's a hallway and there are 2 rooms in the back, and one in the middle of the hallway. I get the one in the middle, and let them have the ones in the back. The ones in the back were bigger.

Noah orders a pizza while we unpack. We eat and once I'm done, I take a nap. Or I try, at least.

I can't stop thinking of Marcus. I just need to hear his voice.

So I pick up the phone and try to call him.

MARCUS' POV

My phone rings. It's Brianna. I want to answer it but I am still so mad and sad.

So I let it ring.

That ring would haunt my head for weeks.

BRIANNA's POV

August 25th, Wednesday

Today was the first day of college. None of us had heard from Marcus. It was getting to me more and more.

I cry every night, missing him.

I should've learned the first time. No one can commit to this. No one wants to commit to a psycho.

It's too much to take. I get that. But I still miss him. I can't stop crying, and I try to muffle the sobs and hiccups to avoid waking them up. I sometimes use my fingernails to scratch my arms, but nothing more.

I'm even more distant then I used to be. I'm nicer than I used to be. Unless I'm off my meds.

I'm not depressed, though. I'm not depressed, I'm just empty.

I have no emotion. My tank is on E.

I'm not sad, I'm not mad. I'm numb.

But I would rather be numb for the rest of my life then to feel the pain that I'm trying so hard to ignore.

I didn't have any classes with Kayla. I only had one with Noah. I had my first class with at 7am, and that's the class me and him had together.

I wake up and brush out my hair. I put on long red thin brown zip- up jacket over a tank top. I put on black leggings, and black ankle-high boots. I grab my backpack and wait for Noah. We were going to get coffee this morning. We leave the apartment and get in his car. We drive to the cafe. I get a basic iced black coffee, and he gets a hazelnut coffee.

We sit in the cafe for a little bit.

"First day of school, how do you feel?" He says, smirking.

"Tired." I say, emotionlessly.

He stops smirking.

"Hey, this is college! And we are in Vegas! You can't walk around all depressed!"

"You do it." I accuse.

"No, I'm not depressed. I just don't associate with many people."

"Introvert." I say, getting up and heading out to his car.

He runs in front of me and looks at me, smiling.

"Piercings." I warn, still showing no emotion.

"Well, it's progress."

He drives closer to campus before parking, and we walk to class. We walk silently.

We get to class and sit. He sits next to me. The professor walks in. It was Marketing class.

It's a pretty boring class. I zone out. He hands us the syllabus before we are dismissed.

"What other classes do you have today?"

"I have English Literature at 12:30, and that's it for today."

"Okay, lunch when you get out?" He asks.

"Sure. It's only 9, are you going back to the apartment?"

"Yeah that was my last class today."

We go back together and Kayla had cooked breakfast. Eggs, bacon, and cheesy grits.

Me and Noah sit down.

"I do not remember the last time someone made food for me." I say.

That was a lie. I do remember. Marcus' mom made me home cooked meals all the time and let me eat them at her dinner table with her and Marcus. The last meal she made me was ribeye steak with green beans, and mashed potatoes. It was good and the juicy steak was tender and seasoned perfectly covered in peppers and onions.

I slowly eat what Kayla has prepared for me.

I then go to my room and sleep until 12. Then I get up and pull my hair up into a bun.

Then I leave for my class. I get there early. I sit in second to last row towards the back, and I go on my laptop until class starts. The professor walks in and I close my laptop.

Feeling awkward, I look around. When I look to my left, I see the one person I hoped I wouldn't see, sitting at the end of the row, staring at me.

Marcus.

I stare at him for a few seconds before looking down, then away. My breath gets caught in my throat and for a second, I feel like I'm going to be sick.

I put my focus on the professor and the professor only. He goes over the syllabus, and then our first project.

We had to read the book "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" By Maya Angelou and then we have to write a book report on "why does the caged bird sing?" according to the book and how we came to that conclusion.

Then we have to present it to the class.

That was the only part I had a problem with, the presentation.

Public speaking and speaking in general sucks enough and now I have to do it in front of the guy who used to love me.

Or maybe he never loved me. Maybe he pitied me. Maybe he felt so bad for the poor little girl, so he became friends with her.

I don't think that's the case, but my anxiety does. Anxiety is my shadow, no matter how much I run from it, it's right behind me. Only it's opposite because it shows in my darkest moments, and consumes my mind.

Eventually the bell rings. I leave the classroom last to avoid bumping into Marcus. I text Noah asking where he wants to get lunch.

We meet up at "Jamms Restaurant Breakfast and Lunch"

I order a "Build Your Own Burger" And it came with fries.

Noah ordered a Sophie Quesadilla. His food looked so good, mine was so regular American.

"Stop staring at my food. Wanna bite?"

He cuts a piece off and feeds it to me.

"Holy crap that's good." I say with a full mouth.

"So good you forgot to chew first?" He asks, sarcastically.

I flip him off.

He smiles a big smile.

I smile back.