Chapter 9: A Day with Carly
The next morning, I woke up to a text from Marie. "Hey, I'm busy all day today. Talk to you tonight?" she asked.
I felt a pang of disappointment, knowing I'd be stuck with Kylie, Steve, and Carly for the day. But I tried to make the best of it. "Okay, have a good day. I'll talk to you later," I replied.
After breakfast, Kylie suggested we head to the park. Steve and Carly agreed, and we set off. As we walked, Carly stuck close to my side, chatting about nothing in particular. I tried to politely engage with her, but she was being overly clingy.
At the park, we played some games and hung out. Carly continued to find ways to touch my arm or brush against me, making me uncomfortable. I tried to subtly distance myself, but she just seemed to get more aggressive.
After a few hours, Steve suggested we check out some abandoned apartments on the outskirts of town. Kylie was hesitant, but Carly was excited. "Let's do it!" she said, grabbing my arm.
I pulled away, feeling annoyed. "Let's just go, okay?" I said, trying to keep my cool.
The apartments were surprisingly well-preserved, considering they'd been abandoned for years. We explored the empty halls, laughing and joking. Carly continued to stick close to me, making comments about how much she loved spending time with me.
As we were leaving, Carly reached out and snatched the necklace Marie had given me off my neck. "Oh, I love this necklace!" she exclaimed, holding it up.
I felt a surge of anger. "Give that back, Carly," I said, trying to keep my voice even.
But Carly just smiled, dangling the necklace out of reach. "Oh, come on," she said. "Can't I just borrow it for a little while?"
I took a step closer to her, my anger rising. "That's not yours," I said. "Give it back now."
Carly's smile faltered for a moment, but then she regained her composure. "Fine," she said, handing the necklace back to me. "But you're so uptight."
I took the necklace, feeling relieved to have it back. "Just respect my boundaries, okay?" I said, trying to keep my cool.
The rest of the day was tense, with Carly's behavior continuing to be overbearing. I was relieved when it was time to head home.
As the night wore on, everyone went to bed, exhausted from the day's activities. But a few hours later, I was woken up by a loud cry. I sat up and saw Carly standing in the doorway of my room, her eyes wide with fear.
"What's wrong?" I asked, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
Carly shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "I had a nightmare," she said, her voice trembling.
I got out of bed and walked over to her. "It's okay," I said, trying to comfort her. "You're safe now."
Carly nodded, and I could see the fear slowly fading from her eyes. I put a hand on her shoulder, trying to reassure her. "Do you want to talk about it?" I asked.
Carly shook her head, and I nodded. "Okay, just breathe deeply," I said. "You're safe."
After a few minutes, Carly's tears stopped, and she seemed to calm down. "Thanks," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
I nodded, feeling a sense of compassion for her. "Anytime," I said. "Now go back to bed, okay?"
Carly nodded, and I watched as she went back to her room. I lay back down in bed, feeling a sense of relief that she was okay. But as I drifted off to sleep, I couldn't help but think about Marie and how much I appreciated her understanding nature.