day 14

carrie<3

PLEASE WHY ARE YOU SHARING A ROOM
delivered yesterday

I DONT KNOW WHEN WE GOT HERE
THE OTHER DAY TERRI JUST TOLD US. thank god we have separate beds tho

are your parents not there??

no they decided i needed some bonding
time with the irwin's! i'm literally going on this croc trip with them alone too

loving the disengagement jen and richard!! omg your birthday is in a few days pls tell me you'll be 'home' for that

same! yeah we're leaving tomorrow. i wish you were here pls come visit.

ugh i wish i could maybe fall break??

that's so far away🥲

ik but we just started school here so i can't take too much time off

i'm holding you to fall break then i gotta go ily!!

i set my phone down and finished up my lunch.

"Florence did amazing today with the emus!" i heard Bindi and Robert come in through the front door.

"really? huh." Robert responded, his voice slightly muffled from the short distance.

they stayed in the living room, out of sight, "yeah! i took her out there this morning to check on them, she's a natural." i could hear the smile in her voice.

the corner of my mouth lifted at the compliment.

"surprising." Robert snorted, my mouth fell.

"what do you mean?" i heard them sit down on the couch.

"she just, i don't know, isn't usually a natural." he sighed, "Chandler said that he once saw her get chased around the wombat enclosure for like ten minutes. it's not that hard to feed the wombats."

Chandler was watching me that whole time? and didn't help? he said he would've helped, but he didn't. he just stood there and watched.

"okay, Bunker is a nightmare to feed, plus she's new. and she did great with the crocs!" Bindi offered.

there was a pause, "Bindi she almost gotten eaten by one."

"yeah, because she was watching your back! when are you ever going to give her a break, Robert?" she let out a frustrated breath.

"when she stops trying to shove her way into our family. she's a nice girl and all, but she's not one of us." Robert said sternly.

a wave of rage rolled through me. i got up from the table -my chair making a loud scraping noise behind me- and walked into the living room. Bindi looked mortified as i walked in.

"you know, contrary to popular belief, i'm not trying to be. i'm just trying to survive in this hell hole and deal with all of your shit." i looked Robert in the eye, "i'm going for a run."

"Florence." Robert sighed, getting up from the couch.

i knew he was following me down the hall. when i got to our room i stood right behind the door way.

"what?" i asked, turning to him.

"i'm-" i shut the door, locking it.

i quickly changed into running clothes, my adrenaline spiking. once I finished lacing up my shoes I unlocked the door, making it to the hallway. Robert leaned against the wall outside our room, perking up when I came out. I could hear faint whispers from Bindi and Terri from the kitchen. I looked at Roberts face, he didn't say anything, but he didn't need to. he felt bad, I knew that, but he needed to deicide whether or not I was his friend. I was tired of being thrown around.

I sighed, turning around and heading for the front door.

"Flo, wait." Robert followed me, catching the screen door before it slammed in his face.

"don't call me that." i rolled my eyes, angrily walking towards the path we hiked on the other day.

"fine, Florence. will you just stop for one minute." he reached out, grabbing my arm, and pulled me towards him.

"fine." I smiled, looking down at my watch, "50 seconds."

"oh- oh, okay. um- listen I-I,"

"40 seconds."

"i'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that and I didn't mean it." he struggled.

"kinda sounded like you did. 25 seconds."

he rubbed his hands over his face, "will you please just not go for a run right now? you're gonna get lost."

I gave him a look, "10 seconds."

"please, Florence." he grabbed both my hands in his.

I looked at him strangely, glancing down at our hands, "times up." I ripped my hands from his, starting to back away. "that was a very compelling argument, Irwin. can't say it did a damn thing. although, maybe it gave your mom and sister a show." I pointed to the kitchen window where Bindi and Terri quickly ducked out of view.

Robert sighed, running his hands through his hair. I turned my back to him, starting my run up the trail.

i missed home, i missed dance, i missed my friends, i missed Frankie, i missed New York, i missed it all. it felt like everything was being held together by my parents hopeful expectations and the legacy of the zoo, i was starting to give up on both.

a sweat started to break on my forehead as i kept my pace up the trail. i was too mad and anxious to slow down, or take a break. air entered my lungs in labored breaths and left in burning exhales. i was just glad i didn't faint.

after an exhausting couple of miles i made it to the lake. plopping down on the ground, i let myself rest. i watched the sun bounce of the water in shinning rays and let the chilled breeze pull the loose hair of my ponytail over my face. it was perfectly calm. perfectly peaceful.

i'm not sure when i started crying, but i did. tears slowly fell down my face, leaving my eyes red. i wrapped my arms around my legs and propped my chin on my knees.

i'm not sure how long i sat there for, but long enough for the mid-daylight to turn golden. i started my way back, taking my time. when i arrived at the house the sun was officially beginning to set.

Bindi walked out the front door, meeting me on the porch.

"oh, Florence. are you okay? i'm so sorry." Bindi grabbed onto my shoulders, pulling me into a hug.

"yeah, i'm fine. just needed some air." i smiled weakly.

she took me inside where my dinner was waiting, Chandler and Robert out riding four-wheelers. i ate in silence, feeling drained.

the air was cold in the house, making me grab a blanket from my room and curl up on the couch. Bindi and Terri were watching some reality tv show. my eyes started to feel heavy as the house became dark. i let them close, falling into a deep sleep.

———————————————————————————
a/n
there will be a part two to this chapter:))) thank you guys so much for 700 reads!!💞💞hope you enjoyed!!