Burn My Paranoia One Last Time

23. Knock Knock

The bell rang at an alarming volume, startling Carmen awake. She had been so deeply asleep that she couldn't even remember how or when she got to class. Either way, study hall was over. She hadn't gotten caught. And if she did, the teacher obviously didn't care enough to reprimand her.

Carmen trudged down the hall to AP French. Her body felt heavier than a pile of bricks. For a second, she imagined she literally was carrying a handbag full of bricks. She sunk into her chair at the edge of class and struggled to keep her heavy eyelids open. Jeez.. how many pills did Amber force her to take?

What did she even dream about before... The whole point of this was to dream. Carmen scavenged her backpack for a notebook and pen. At least now, she looked like she was taking notes while her teacher read unknown phrases out loud in a melodious voice.

Of course, she wasn't taking notes on the class. Carmen was determined to write down the most important parts of the dream or dreams before it all faded away into a foggy cloud of distant memories. There was something about churros.

Carmen remembered the first time her dad bought her a churro and smiled. Ever since then, those sweet cinnamon sticks had been her most favorite snack ever.

Carmen snapped back and began to fill the lines of the paper with rapid writing. Rain and Joel— well, her father— asked out their crushes. Sloane went with them to the fair. Rain and Darren Banks made out.

How did they move so fast? Oh, they started working together too. Carmen almost forgot about that part. They'd had a heated interrogation, where Darren confided in Rain and told her about how he'd been cut off from his dad's money. Now they were both competing for the same scholarship.

Rain and Darren weren't the only ones to have a passionate moment. Sloane had made out with Holly Jones. Carmen shook her head. Holly Jones seemed like such a player, and Sloane was such a fake friend.

If Sloane was a fake friend... would it be fair to put her on the suspect list? Up until now, the only people who could have killed Rain were herself and maybe her mother. That lady seemed intense. Carmen hadn't had any more dreams of her, however, so it couldn't have been her, could it? Sloane seemed like the most likely culprit here. What if she killed Rain to ensure Carmen's dad wouldn't know about her and Holly?

Before Carmen knew it, the bell rang again. Slowly but surely, her body was finally starting to feel lighter. The rays of sun that peeked through the hallway windows shined brighter. Her footsteps became faster. Students rushed out of classrooms and packed the corridors as school ended for the day. If she hurried, she'd make it in time for one final task.

Another thing was for certain. This dream confirmed that Rain and Darren Banks had a romantic relationship. Carmen wasn't sure how long it lasted. What mattered is that they trusted each other. That attractive substitute teacher, Mr. Banks, must know something about Rain. Carmen had done the math. Darren Banks would be in his late thirties, assuming he'd been seventeen or eighteen in 1980– the year of Rain Wilson's death. Mr. Banks certainly didn't look forty, but he didn't look twenty either.

Of course, Carmen couldn't just ask him about Rain right away. She had just the perfect plan to gain his trust. People like him always trust the smart students, especially since he was one himself. Being a new teacher at Willowburg High, it was in his best interest to form positive relationships with his students, too.

Carmen paused and took a deep breath before approaching his door. It was slightly ajar. As she walked closer, she could hear the chirpy voice of a young female student and his. It seemed she wasn't the only one trying to get close. Carmen stepped quietly and peeked through the crack.