The Truth

chapter eleven: unexpected

I'm out of breath. Why am I out of breath? I sit up and try catching my breath. What is happening to me?

I fell asleep and now I'm sweating and my hands, they won't stop shaking.

Was I dreaming? I can't remember a thing.

Next thing I hear is my door open. I expect it to be Quinn but it's not. It's Dylan and she's confused.

Fuck.

I clench my fists, hard.

"Vera? Hey are you ok?" She puts a hand on my shoulder.

I nod.

"You must have fallen on the floor or something. Come on, get back on the bed."

No. I want to say.

I nod my head again and climb on top of it. I don't like this.

"I think you had a nightmare. I don't blame you after what happened yesterday," she says but I can't seem to reply.

I sit and stare at my hands as they tremble. I want to speak, but I can't form any words.

"Go back to sleep. It's ok, you'll be ok," she says and I lay back down.

What time is it? Was she already awake? Is that why she could hear me? What about Quinn shouldn't he be awake? I have so many questions.

"I'm going back out here ok? If you need anything, all you have to do is ask."

I nod again.

She closes my door but not all the way. I take a deep breath. I'm relieved I didn't make a bed. It just looked like I had fallen off the bed in my sleep.

It's 7:36. Quinn has to be awake too. He always is. I take one last breath and get off the bed. I open the door and Dylan smiles at me.

"Need anything?"

"No, I'm good." I say. "Was I yelling?"

"Yeah you were, do you not remember?"

"No, I woke up shaking and out of breath."

"Weird, you don't remember anything at all?"

"Not a thing." Shouldn't I have remembered my nightmare?

I sit on a chair and look around. I don't see Quinn.

"What are you looking for?"

Quinn.

"Oh I'm not, I'm just still kinda weirded out and I don't know what to think," I lie.

The front door opens then closes. Quinn walks into the living room and my heart speeds up. I feel like a teenage girl around their crush.

Quinn he's my friend.

I'm just still shaken up, that's all it is.

I really want that to be all it is.
* * *
I clasp my life jacket to the strings on the paddle board and push it into the water halfway.

Dylan decided she wanted to go on one by herself.

Iris and I are on one and the boys are on the other. Paddleboarding is my favorite thing we do here. I just love it.

Iris pushes it further into the water and I follow with the paddle in my hand. Everyone else is on there's and we're just getting ours into the water.

Like every other time Quinn has a shirt on. Is he really that self conscious?

I hop on and Iris carefully gets on. Her and Dylan like being on their own paddle boards. I find it fun being pushed off occasionally.