Six

Jacobs POV,

“I’d like to honor my son tonight for winning this Friday’s game and also getting into Harvard University.” My father lifted his glass in the air and we all cheered. My family put on a huge dinner party to congratulate me for getting accepted to early admission to Harvard. My face was going to fall off with the fake smile I had on most of the night. All I wanted to do was get out of there. The house shined bright with twinkle lights all placed all over the house. There were endless wine and people there that I didn’t care too much for. Including my friends and Kennedy’s family as well.

“Were very proud of you Jacob.” Kennedy’s father said to me as he patted me on the back. I just smiled and said thank you. They were truly happy that their daughter was dating the golden boy and hoped the two of us would marry someday. Not going to happen. Kennedy hung onto me for dear life most of the night. She would more than likely get into Harvard herself. It had been another week and still, there was no sign of Sadie. I was starting to become worried. I had thought that maybe her family had chosen to move away again, but I check her place almost every night. Her parents are always home in the evenings, but I never see Sadie. I miss her, I miss her comfort and her beautiful face.

I slipped out of the house when I thought I wouldn’t be missed. I jumped into my car and took off towards Sadie’s place. I parked down the street and walked towards her home. My heart stopped when I saw her sitting on her front porch steps. I started to move towards her, but then I saw her mother sitting on the porch behind her. I stopped and just watched. She was sitting still and not doing many movements. She also looked like a statue sitting there. Her face was pointing towards the ground and her mother was talking to her. Every once in a while she would nod. After a few minutes, her mother got up and went inside the house.

I walked closer to her and tried to get her attention. I came even closer to her and she looked up at me. I didn’t even recognize her. Her face looked thinner and her eyes were bloodshot. You could tell right off the bat that she was on something. Her fragile face smiled at me, but I wasn’t even sure if she knew who I was. “Jacob.” She said in a soft voice. My heart broke. I wanted to take her away from this. I wanted to pack my car and run away with her but now was not the time. I walked over to her and kissed her cheek. She smiled at me and I took off.

Monday morning, I was hoping Sadie was back to her normal self. I got to school early and did my best to avoid my friends. I was doing a great job and that’s when I saw her come walking inside the building. “Sadie.” I hollered out. She lifted her face and smiled at me. She looked better somehow. I ran over to her. “Sadie?”

“Yes.”

“Are you okay?”

“I will be once all this medicine is out of my system.”

“What happened to you?” I asked her.

“We can’t talk here. I have people watching me. Please understand, I can’t go through more hospital stays. You need to stay away from me.” She said and then she hurried down the hall away from me. So her family threw her into the hospital. I was angry, I was hurt. I wanted to hurt someone. I wanted to yell out. I wanted to pull her into my arms and never let anyone hurt her again. The rest of the day Sadie wouldn’t even look at me and she made it a point to avoid me all day long. It was around midnight when I took a seat on the park bench. I closed my eyes and her face was all I could see. I tried my best all day to think of a way to see her. To get her out of the situation she was in. When I opened my eyes she was standing right in front of me.

“Sadie?” I said and I went to her. I went to my knees and wrapped my arms around her waist. I felt her hands in my hair. “I’m so sorry Sadie, I’m sorry for what they did to you,” I said. I looked up at her and she had tears in her eyes. I stood up and pulled her into my arms. “Please, baby don’t cry. I’m here.” I said as I held her. She cried softly in my arms. We took a seat back on the bench. “Tell me what they did to you?” I asked her.

“Just what they normally do. I messed up so I got to spend time in the mental ward. They keep me drugged up and when I say I’m sorry. I get to go home with a bunch of new rules. Like I’m not allowed around you.” She said as she wiped her eyes.

“Sadie, they can’t keep us away from each other forever,” I said to her and kissed the top of her head. She looked up at me. I couldn’t help it, I placed my hands on the side of her face and kissed her lips. She returned the kiss and we lost ourselves in each other. “We can be each other’s secret,” I said to her and she nodded her head at me. “You have to understand, I must keep up the appearances. I have to play my part. Please don’t be upset when you see Kennedy near me. She means nothing to me, but she does to my family.” I said hoping she would understand.

“I understand Jacob, but how are we ever going to be together? How are we going to pull this off?” She asked me. At that moment I wasn’t sure, but I would think of something. I looked over at her.

“Can you stop time?” I asked her. She just smiled and shook her head.

“No, but that would be cool. I can move things with my mind, I mostly have that under control. Until I get upset. When I’m upset, people get hurt.” She said and looked away from me.

“Hey, don’t ever be ashamed of who you are when you are with me,” I told her and kissed her head.

“I can also read thoughts and see things happening as they are happening. I can’t see the future. I don’t have control of those things. It only happens when it wants to. I close my eyes and try to search it out, but it doesn’t always come to me. I can always move stuff, but it gets out of control when I’m sad or angry.” I couldn’t help but be in awe of this girl. “But Jacob, that’s all that’s wrong with me. I’m not crazy, I’m not sick and my family makes me believe that I am. They are the only ones who know of the things I can do and they treat it like I’m sick. I don’t know if I scare them or they are ashamed of me, but it has been this way since I was a little girl. I have been in over ten different mental health wards. I have seen more than a dozen therapists. Even friends that I have made over the years, and there has been a lot. Never seen what I can do.”

“Why don’t you show the doctors what you can do? Then they would know that you were not crazy.” I said to her. She just laughed and looked away.

“When I was ten. We lived in a small town outside of Chicago. I had decided I was tired of what was going on in my life and I showed my doctor what I could do. Her name was doctor Joyce and she was always so kind to me and I thought she was my friend. I began to trust her, and I don’t trust anyone. It didn’t go well for me at all. At first, she thought I was playing tricks on her. Even when I showed her and she saw it with her own eyes. She pushed me away and wanted to dope me up with whatever medicine she could that would stop what I could do. I was treated with shock therapy. She did it so much that I went into a coma for over a month. The doctors didn’t think I would come back normal, but my brain can’t be hurt. After that, I never shared my secrets with anyone.” My heart hurt just listening to her story. “We have to move a lot because of me. I’m sure I will end up having to leave you too.” I looked over at her.

“No one will take you from me, Sadie,” I said sounding upset.

“You don’t understand Jacob, It will be because of me. Remember I told you when I get mad or sad. I can’t control the things that I do. I have hurt people. I have burnt down people’s homes before.” She said and I just looked at her. “It was my fault that people got hurt. But I was never there and I never touched a thing. No one could prove it was me.” She said and looked to the ground. ” I never wanted to hurt anyone and I couldn’t help it. I have tried to get it under control when I’m upset, but I just can’t. The night you were at my house. After you left I started to get upset. I threw my own father against the wall and broke his ribs. I never want to hurt you, but I can’t promise you that I won’t.” She stopped talking and looked away from me. I placed my arm around her because I knew that she was starting to get upset. She laid her head against me and I felt her calm down.

“You see beautiful, I will keep you stable. I will keep you calm.” I told her and I kissed her lips once again. It was dark in the park and the only light that shined was the moon. Sadie stood up and looked at me. She smiled and then she turned around. She closed her eyes and all of a sudden. Butterflies came down to us from the trees. They flew all around us and even landed on me. It was a beautiful sight. I knew Sadie was doing this and I just couldn’t see how they thought that what she could do was scary or threatening in any way. She came and set back down next to me and smiled.

“I’m not all bad.” She said.

“I don’t think you’re bad at all. I think you are just trying to keep yourself safe.” I told her. “I think you are beautiful and special and I’m all yours. You have my heart, Sadie.” I told her and she threw her arms around me and kissed me.

“You have my heart, Jacob.” She said in my ear. I knew what we had to do was going to be hard, but as soon as we were eighteen, we were going to run.

“Will you stay with me, Sadie? You are who I need and this is not going to be easy, but it’s you I want, no it’s you I need. Please stay with me.” I said against her lips.

“Yes, Jacob.”