I find myself back in the car, my whole body is ice. I can't move, the radio loud, something about weather and traffic playing. I look outside my window on the passenger's side, the sky is lit up under the midday sun, everything about my surroundings tells me it should be hot. The sky is a soft pastel blue as if it was a painting, and the sun is uninhibited in its journey to the ground, not a single cloud for cover. Opening the creaking car door I step outside, feeling the heat of my environment warm me, quickly burning. I moved toward the house outside my door, my movements slow and rigid as if I was made of metal, the gorgeous garden ahead immediately recognizable as Josh's.
As I move past the fountain, I see viscous red droplets on the floor in front of me, slowly drying on the concrete, becoming one. My gaze followed it to the doorstep where Josh was lying there clutching his stomach, his skin very pale, clothes covered in blood. I followed his eyes and saw his father, a few feet away, holding a gun. I tried to scream and yell but nothing was coming out. My heart burst out of my chest, either completely stopping or beating so fast that it couldn't register. I kneeled beside him, trying to find the source of bleeding so I can stop it. The task was impossible though, tears swelling in my eyes, blurring my vision. He would be fine I tried to tell myself. I looked at him, his eyes draining of color, and he looked back. He flashed me a smile, but there was a terror in his eyes and whispered
"It's all going to work out"
I woke up from that hellish nightmare crying. My heart was racing as I clutched on to my covers, trying to feel at home. I instinctively reached for my phone, ready to message Josh to ensure he's alive when I saw the time: 7:30. Damn, I'd overslept. Josh had texted that he was outside 10 minutes ago. Feeling extremely annoyed that not only had I overslept but it had been to have my worst nightmare, I jolted out of bed. Lucky for me I kept my room unnaturally clean, knowing where everything was. I moved to the left of my bed, shoving everything that I needed that day in my bag, double-checking I hadn't left anything on my chestnut wooden desk. Then, moving to the right, on the wall opposite my bed I had a built-in wooden wardrobe, pulling and tugging at the knobs on drawers to get out my favorite jeans and my grey Nike jumper. Quickly slipping them on, I stumbled back to my bed, grabbing a pair of white sneakers from underneath and wearing them. Leaving my school and sports bags just inside my room I ran to the bathroom to try and cover the bruise I knew would be there.
The bathroom was always cold, white tile from floor to ceiling, the lights a flashing white. It always felt like a sterile environment, cool and detached from the rest of the house. Above the sink, there was a mirror which I used to put on make-up on the rare occasions I did. Usually, Mom and Jessica were in here trying to get dolled up for the day but I must have missed them as I had the bathroom all to myself. As I finished up, my face looked slightly mismatched, the left side where I was bruising slightly darker than the rest of my face, seeing as the concealer was Mom's and Jessica's, and they both had a darker complexion. If I'd had more time I would have been able to correct this, but instead, I'd have to face a day of silent judging at school. I could hear noises coming from the kitchen, some speaking, and then a burst of laughter. I didn't know who it was, but I couldn't help but smile at the thought of my family's happiness. I walked through the corridor, not turning on the light but feeling the floorboards creak beneath each of my footsteps, to the kitchen.
Warm waffles must've just been made, the scent of cinnamon moving through the air and straight through me. I looked at the round table next to the kitchen and saw brilliant blue eyes staring at me, a smile going from ear to ear. Josh must've gotten impatient and came inside. The warm orange lights were once again turned on, lighting the room and highlighting his dark hair. It was shocking to see that he didn't have any bruising, other than a small mark on his right cheek he looked as if nothing had happened to him. I walked straight over, his smile making me forget about my earlier nightmare, and hugged him, he squeezed a little tighter, the moment eternal. I leaned into him some more, but breathing in his cologne was especially difficult this morning. Stepping back, I coughed, trying to expel all the cologne particles out of me.
