Rehearsals With You ✓

Chapter Fourteen: Dark. Cold. Alone.

Alarm rang inside my head and I was suddenly in cold sweat. It was too dark, too small.

I can't breathe.

"I think he's gone," Grey spoke up and looked up to him, even though I couldn't see him, grateful to have something to focus on. Grateful to have my mind at anywhere but there. "Mr. Wallace. I bombed his office with the paint," he chuckled, sounding like he reminiscing the events of the last minutes. "He saw me leave and hunted me down. I took off. He couldn't keep up, of course."

I listened intentionally to what he said. "O-okay."

Silence. I tried to keep my thoughts from a place I didn't want it to go.

I felt him shift in front of me and suddenly his breath was directly by my mouth. "What are you doing?" I asked, sounding a little too indifferent about his position. I was quite . . . grateful, actually. But I didn't want him to know that. No matter how much I tried to keep my mind away from there, I couldn't. Snippets of memory came flashing in my mind.

"Please, don't lock me up again! I promise to play with you!"

"No, you don't want to play. You don't want to be my friend."

"That's not true," I lied. "Of course I want to be your friend."

"No, you don't." That was the last she said before she locked the door, leaving me alone in the dark, empty and cold closet. Again.

"Mommy . . . Daddy . . ." I sobbed.

The memory itself was a blur but the feeling wasn't. It came crushing down on me like a dam overload with water. I couldn't keep up with the currents. I was drowning. The surface was so far away, the light unreachable. My breath hitched and Grey seem to have mistaken that for something else.

"No, you don't," she held the door, ready to slam it shut.

"Don't," I said, lost in a dark memory I only vaguely remembered.

Grey tilted my chin with his fingers and the touch snapped me out of my thought. "Why, does this affect you?" Yes, actually. And please stay there. I don't want to go back to that place. Anything would be better than that feeling.

"You don't want to be my friend."

I shut my eyes. "Lights. Turn the lights, please," I plead. My body was shaking and I could barely contain the tears that doesn't make sense. 

He laughed.

She laughed.

"Please," I begged. Maybe he couldn't hear the desperation in my voice but Grey only snorted.

"Why, is the little monkey afraid of a little dark?" He dropped my chin and I wish he didn't. The only think that kept me tuned in reality was the warmth of of his skin. Without it, I was trapped again. I didn't know where but it was dark. So dark. And it was cold my body shivered. And most of all, I was alone. Utterly alone.

"Lights," I repeated.

I felt him move and a clicking sound reached my ears. The room was now brought to color and I sighed in relief. I looked around and saw that to my right were cleaning supplies. I switched my gaze to Grey and saw him looking at me oddly. I blushed, remembering how I went paranoid second ago. "Um," I cleared my throat. "Is Mr. Wallace gone?" I asked. Now that the room was covered in light, I couldn't ignore how close our bodies were. "Mr. Wallace. Is he gone?"

"Oh, him? Yeah, he's gone. Why?"

Why? Does he need to ask that? 

I pushed him as far as I could – which wasn't so much – and bolted out of the closet and far from the reminders of my past.

~•~

Turns out, running away is only good for people who didn't have scratched knees. I didn't reach long before Grey was striding past me, whistling merrily as if to torment me. I died of embarrassment.

I munched on my food meekly. I didn't really feel like eating because as much as I hated it, I keep coming back on that dark, empty closet. And in mind, Grey wasn't there to unknowingly snap me back to reality. I was alone. Cold and alone. And I was scared. I want my Mom and Dad. I even want the annoying sound of my younger brother's complaints. I want my friends' laughter. I want the stories Mom would relay to the three of us.

It was as if my brain blocked out everything else. I could only focus on one thing. The feeling. The fear, the loneliness. Everywhere was a blank and I was sitting at the cafeteria alone.

Then as fast as it came, I was snapped out of it. Triss was holding my wrist which was holding my glass of water. "Are you alright?" She asked worriedly.

"Me? I'm fine. My palms and knees will heal." I smiled reassuringly. 

"I wasn't talking about those," she answered. "You seem out of it, April." 

"I'm okay. I promise."

"No, you aren't." I could hope to lie to Triss but she always figure it out.

I was about to tell her another lie along the lines of 'I'm okay' when someone slid their tray on the table and settled on the seat beside me. Thankful for the interruption I looked up at Luke. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Wow, you're very welcoming, April. I feel the love here."

"Let me repeat myself then. What are you doing here?" 

"Is that how you greet a worried friend?" Ever as dramatic, Luke munched on his apple with doe-eyed look.

"I'll heal," I said and when he still didn't move. I asked why he was still there and he shot back a question.

"Aren't you too eager to kick me out?"

"Your friend, might get jealous of your spending time with us," I said and Luke only grinned knowingly. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Oh, I'm sure he is," was his cryptic answer. Triss and I looked at each other then to Grey whom we found out was throwing eye-daggers at us from over their table. Is he implying what I think he's implying?

My eyes searched for Triss and they said 'Should I ask him? I'm curious.' Her eyes responded with 'Go ahead. I want to know too.'

I nodded at her. She nodded back.

I cleared my throat before speaking. God, I didn't know how to phrase this without sounding too awkward. "Uh, Luke?" He looked up from eating. "Are you and Grey . . . you know . . ." I tried to convey what I was trying to say but his face only crinkled in confusion.

"I know what?" 

"You know . . . like a . . . like a . . ."

"Like a what?"

"You know, a thing?"

"Grey and I? A thing? If it isn't clear to you, April, I can assure you that we are completely and totally human," he replied and I looked at Triss for help. She only shrugged but her eyes said, 'Maybe they don't want anyone to know yet.'

I huffed at her before turning to Luke who was looking at us like we were the weirdest people on the planet. "Are you and Grey together?" I blurted out Luke looked speechless.

Then he bursted out laughing. I looked around us, wondering if he attracted any attention. He did, alright. Grey's eyes were narrowed at the both of us.  I put my attention back to Luke. He laughed and laughed until he started coughing. I rubbed his back.

~°~

Author's Note:

I swear I'm gonna rewrite the whole book once I finish it. (´-﹏-'；)

Vote and Comment if like the chapter and the story so far. (◍•ᴗ•◍)❤