Surviving His Touch

The Morning After

It was approximately 7:30 pm when Kameron awoke. She could hear aggressive whispering from down the hallway as she sluggishly opened her eyes. Sitting up, she realized she was no longer on the couch but in the master bedroom. Curious about who had moved her and how she had not woken up during the process, Kameron ventured into the kitchen to get a glass of water. She was quite thirsty, her mouth felt dry and her lips cracked as she took a sip.

She strolled into the living room and saw her mother conversing rather intensely with Dia. One glance at Dia was enough to tell that she had been crying all night. Instead of disrupting what appeared to be an important conversation, Kameron chose to stay hidden and eavesdrop.

“I can’t take Zoey from you Dia, you need her now more than ever.” Kameron’s mother stated exasperatedly.

“I can’t have Zoey with me anymore, She’s 15 years old and I just had a dog die last night Valeri.” Dia responded, her tone laced with exhaustion.

Kameron heard her mother rise from the couch and she crouched down lower to avoid being seen. The sound of footsteps was audible and when she looked up, her mother was standing over her.

“What do you say, Kameron? Do you want to take Zoey in?” Dia asked and Kameron’s mother gave an expecting look to her.

“I’d love to Dia,” Kameron said as she started to stand. Setting her water down, she continued, “but I feel like she should be with you. I’m at fault for coco dying last night. I wasn’t paying enough attention to her.” Kameron stood to the side holding her arms, no longer wanting to be a part of this conversation.

“Kameron, honey, I told you last night. It’s not your fault that coco was hit.” Dia said pitifully towards her.

“Yeah but-” Kameron began speaking but abruptly halted when she noticed they were both glaring at her. "Sorry," she murmured, looking down at her feet. As the mood changed, Dia and Valeri moved out to the porch to conclude their discussion.

Kameron quickly went to her bag and took out her clothes for the day along with her toiletries. With everything she needed in her arms, she made her way to the guest bathroom to get ready. Kameron swiftly changed out of her sweats and into her bra and underwear. She applied deodorant and perfume before dressing in the rest of her clothes. She concluded her routine by brushing her teeth and running her fingers through her wavy red hair. Her face was dotted with freckles, but today she chose not to cover them up.

She promptly left the bathroom to find her shoes, which complemented her outfit of ripped jeans and a hoodie. Slipping on her black converse, she moved towards the back porch to sneak in a smoking break. She took out her miniature vape, which was blue razz flavored, and took a long puff. She would have preferred a cigarette, but she didn't want anyone to smell it on her. She continued until she heard others approaching, walking around the house towards the grave that was 12 feet away from her.

Quietly and swiftly, she made her way back into the house. She picked up her water glass, took a gulp from it, and then set it back down. She then turned her attention to her belongings on the couch, beginning to pack her items. It was time for her to go home anyway, as it marked the end of her dog-sitting and housekeeping shift. She was scheduled to return the next evening after school, but she doubted that Dia would want her back.

Having finished packing, Kameron settled down on the couch and reached for her phone. She noticed 27 new notifications and wondered who they might be from. She unlocked her phone and began to check her messages. There were three messages from Dia and five from her mom. Scrolling a bit further, she saw that there were 19 notifications from James' number. Intrigued about what he could possibly want, she opened his messages.

J- Hey so I think it’s best if we stop talking to each other. It’s too much for me.

5:55 am

J- Why aren’t you answering?

6:00 am

J- Are you mad or sum?

6:03 am

J- Are you seriously not going to answer? Wtf

6:15 am

J- Hey, I get that you’re mad that I ended things with you and Kayla but you’re being childish.

6:23 am

J- I don’t have to be here for you, you know? I chose to stay your friend.

6:37 am

J- Whatever, I’m just gonna tell you then.

6:45 am

J- I got back together with Halle, that’s why I ended it.

7:24 am

The messages became quite repetitive after that, but surprisingly, Kameron wasn't very upset. She was too exhausted to feel upset, so she decided to ignore his messages and check her social media accounts. She logged into her f*******: and noticed that Halle had sent her a message on Messenger. Curious about what they might want, she opened her chat.

H- I want you to stop bothering James, he doesn’t give two shits about you. No one f*****g does, that’s probably why your dad f*****g hung himself. Leave James alone or I’m coming after your ass, istg.

After reading the message, Kameron was once again in tears. She couldn't believe that James had informed Halle about her father's suicide. Even though it wasn't a wise decision, Kameron chose to text James and scold him.

K- Hey I just wanted to say f**k YOU BRO. You know how much my dad’s death bothers me and you f*****g told your partner about it?! That’s f****d up. If you wanted nothing to do with me, then you should have f*****g blocked my number and socials instead of saying we could stay friends. WHICH MIGHT I ADD WAS YOUR IDEA! You had absolutely no right telling someone I don’t even know about my dad bro. Not f*****g cool. Go to hell jackass.

Kameron sent the message and then promptly blocked both James and Halle on all social media platforms and their phone numbers. As she was wrapping up, her mother entered through the back door and asked if she was ready to leave. Kameron gathered her belongings and headed to the car without uttering a word. She sincerely wished that James and Halle would just disappear.