CASY
The loud sound of the alarm reverberates throughout the room and makes it very difficult for me to avoid it. I grab my phone from the bedside table and turn the damn alarm off. Silence reigns in my room again. However, I can't get back to sleep, which has happened repeatedly these past two weeks as sleeping has become a struggle rather than a pleasure.
I glance at the phone screen and see that it's 7 am. It's half an hour before classes start, but I don't feel like going. I honestly don't know how I managed to go to that damn place these two weeks, but, anyway, the important thing is that I did it. Now, as a reward, I'm going to take the day off.
I leave my cell phone on the bedside table and pull the sheets back over me, trying to sleep, but clearly it's impossible. I sigh and rub my eyes. I don't understand what's wrong with me.
I reluctantly get out of bed and go downstairs to have breakfast.
"Hi," I greet my aunt when I enter the kitchen. She's making pancakes.
"Hi sweety," she replies, turning away from the pancake maker and coming to my side to give me a kiss on the cheek.
I smile as I rub my eyes and yawn. God, I can barely keep my eyes open. I think the exhaustion of these past two weeks is taking its toll on me.
"Did you sleep well?" She asks, serving me a plate of pancakes with melted chocolate and strawberries.
Clearly not. Can't she tell? Apparently not. Either that or she's just asking me to find out if I'm going to tell her the truth or blatantly lie to her.
"Pretty much. I had nightmares that kept me up most of the night," I say, opting for both options—tell her the truth, but lie to her at the same time.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sure you'll sleep better tonight," she says with a warm smile.
I force a smile and get ready to eat my breakfast. She finishes making the last pancakes, rinses the pancake pan and puts it away in the cupboard.
"Well, I have to go to work. Here are more pancakes if you want some. There's freshly brewed coffee in the coffee pot and orange juice in the fridge. Whatever you need, you know I'm at the bookstore," she says looking me in the eyes, but then she looks down and when she notices I'm still in my pajamas she asks:
"Are you going to school today?"
"No. I'm very tired and I need to stay home and study for some exams I have next week," I lie.
"Exams? Classes just started," she says, questioning what I just said.
Shit. I should've thought about that. Anyway, it's better to go on with the lie: "Yes, I was surprised too."
She sweetly smiles at me, although I can tell that she doesn't completely believe me, but I don't really care—I have more important things to worry about.
Then she kisses me goodbye, wishes me luck with my studies, reminds me to call her if I need anything, and heads out for work. I'm left alone, eating my plate of delicious pancakes, thinking about... well, the only person that's on my mind lately... Hannah.
I sigh. I don't really know what happened between me and her, but I do know that was weird. I mean, I've never experienced anything like that with anyone before. I've never felt... that... connection? I don't know what to call it. One thing I do know, though, is that I definitely never want to see her again. Or, at the very least, relate. Clearly I'm going to have to see her because, unfortunately, we both go to the same school and share several classes, but I don't want to speak to her. Anyway, it seems that a part of me doesn't agree with this decision because what I really want is to be her friend. I want to see her, get to know her, go out, chat till midnight... do a lot of things together, but that's not going to be possible anymore. She's gotten too much into my life and knows more than she's supposed to and clearly I can't let that happen. She would never understand how complicated my life is. I don't pretend she understands either because it's certainly incomprehensible.
I bite a strawberry covered in chocolate while thinking about the stupid lie I said to her. I can't believe I told her Leo and I were dating, I mean, c'mon! Hannah's right— that fucking lie doesn't make any fucking sense, but it's better to tell her that rather than tell her what's really going on.
I finish my breakfast and rinse my plate. I take a bottle of water out of the fridge and pour myself a glass. I lean against the counter and take a sip.
It's clear that meeting Hannah affected me. I don't know yet if in a good way or in a bad way, but it affected me. I'm not the same person I was before... but who am I then?At that moment, my phone, which is propped on top of the kitchen table, rings. As soon as I see the name on the screen I get chills. Lately it's my reaction to everything related to him. However, it wasn't like that before. I used to be happy to see him, to hear him, to read a message from him, to... feel his skin on mine, to... everything. I used to be the happiest person in the world when I did even the smallest and stupidest thing with him, but that, unfortunately, is over now and it's all my fault.
I stare at the screen, consumed by my thoughts. The phone stops ringing and the screen goes dark. My cheek suddenly moistens and a tear falls onto the phone screen. I leave it on the table and go get a tissue. I sit down on the couch and begin to cry uncontrollably, remembering what I once had with him.
YOU ARE READING
The perfect storm in a quiet room
RomanceHannah Rivero is a very lonely sixteen-year-old girl who's never had a single friend and suffered a lot during her short life. Her biggest dream since she was a little girl is to have a best friend, a dream she hopes to fulfill once she starts a new...