SEPARATED: CONCLUSION TO UN-RELATED by Kimberly Schwartzmiller Page B

control pills and she took them. I guess I’m a little hormonal now. It’s kind of screwed up my…cycle.” There, that sounded pretty good, I thought.
    “She’s rotten! You can get more.”
    “I know, I already did. I hid them in my closet, under the rug. I just…I miss you, and Christmas is a long ways away.”
    “Are you sure that’s all it is?”
    “Yeah, I’m fine.”
    I wanted so badly to tell him about Joe and ask him if what Nancy said was true, but I knew he’d get on the next plane…and he’d end up in jail, because of me.
    We talked for a while about school, and this and that. For once, I was relieved to hang up the phone with him for fear I’d burst into tears and tell him what Joe did and what Nancy said.
     
    I tried, night after night to sleep, but every time I closed my eyes I would picture Joe hovering over me, and the sour smell of whiskey on his breath. Or, I’d wake up in a cold sweat after dreaming of Nancy doing horrific things to Kellan as a teenager. The images haunted me and I knew that they had to have been haunting Kellan for years. I wanted to hold him, comfort him; make up for all the people who had wronged him all his life. But how could I tell him I knew without spilling everything? I knew I just had to stay the course and get through my final year with the Filbert’s, and then we could both just start over…together.
                 
    The next few weeks got a little easier. Kellan still constantly asked if I was okay. I never faltered and finally our conversations were back to normal. 
    I had managed to avoid Nancy and Joe for over two weeks, which suited me just fine. It made forgetting, or repressing things a bit easier. The two times I did run into Joe, he hung his head and refused to look at me. I knew he felt terrible, but I couldn’t find it in my heart to forgive him. I spent the majority of my time at home locked in my room counting the months, weeks, days and hours until I could see Kellan again.
     
    I was over-tired, and I knew it. I hadn’t slept much in weeks and I was exhausted.
    “Abby, are you feeling okay?” Mrs. Bradford, my government teacher asked me.
    “I’m okay.”
    “You’re pale white, are you sure you’re okay?”
    “I’m just a little tired. I haven’t been sleeping well.”
    “Okay, let me know if you want to go home.”
    I nodded, but I never missed school. Even though I had never liked school, I liked being in that house less, so I stayed even when I wasn’t feeling well.
     
    Later that day I was walking home and I realized I really didn’t feel well. I knew I was tired, since I hadn’t slept a full night since Kellan left, and even less since Joe forced himself on me. I made it a block from the school and started getting light-headed and dizzy. I finally sat down under a tree on the side of the road, waiting for the dizziness to subside when Justin Copeland pulled up beside me in his truck.
    “Abby, are you okay?” he asked.
    I felt horrible, and for the first time ever, I found myself asking for a ride home.
    I stepped into his truck and said, “Thank you. I wouldn’t have asked, but I think I’m coming down with the flu. I feel terrible, so I really appreciate the ride.”
    “No problem. So, are you still seeing your…um, that older guy?”
    “Kellan, and yes.”
    “Too bad…for me, I mean. If you ever get tired of him, you know who to call,” he grinned.
    “Thank you, but I’ll never get tired of Kellan, he’s…oh, pull over, please,” I pleaded, feeling the over-whelming urge to vomit.
    “What’s wrong?”
    “Please stop, I’m going to be sick!”
    Justin pulled his truck over and I quickly ran to the side of the road and vomited.
    “Are you okay?” Justin asked, coming up behind me and handing me some napkins from his glove box.
    I was breathing hard, still feeling the awful waves of nausea roll over me, and a few seconds later, it passed. “Yeah, I’m okay. Sorry.”
    “For what, being