Dream Walker

Chapter 18 | Escape (The Piña Colada Song)

The improvement in Callie's sleep was a short-lived victory. Her apprehension about drifting into that other world, whether physically or psychically, made her previous level of insomnia seem like a welcome alternative. The amount of coffee she drank throughout the day was seriously unhealthy. Every run left her exhausted, and she was at risk of passing out anytime she sat down.

She felt like she was floating through her days, forcing herself to focus in class and at work, but unable to enjoy anything. Dr. Schoff prescribed some sort of sleeping pill after their last session. According to him, severe sleep deprivation was unhealthy and should be corrected. She never picked up the pills from the pharmacy.

Despite her desperation for restful sleep, she doubted medication was the solution. Neither was alcohol, but that seemed more reasonable than pills. She'd heard the stories of people driving around under the influence of sleeping pills with no conscious thought. Maybe the better solution was to quit the therapy sessions and accept the lack of sleep. Acceptance was a good thing, right?

Interactions with Alex had also degraded back to their previous level of awkwardness. He tried to talk to her in class, but she refused to look at him or acknowledge his presence. The bastard had the audacity to continue sitting next to her, but he gave up talking quickly enough. He smiled in passing when they saw each other on campus, while she maintained the silent treatment.

Did she blame him for everything that had happened in the previous few weeks? No. There were many things that were solely her fault. Did that excuse him, when he knew more about who she was than Callie had ever known? Hell no.

Her anger at Alex was the one thing that brought her out of the constant fatigue that colored her every waking moment. She channeled the anger into productive energy, hoping it would save her grade. Without Alex, who was far superior at physics, she needed to study twice as hard.

After a week of Callie's zombie-like behavior, Lyn decided enough was enough. Before she could protest, Lyn had Callie and Quinn packed into a car and heading to her family home. She wouldn't have protested anyway. Lyn's family was amazing, and she loved the feeling of being out in the country, surrounded by clean air.

Lyn had told them to pack an overnight bag, so Callie guessed they would stay over. She had no idea where they would fit, unless they bunked up like Lyn and her siblings had as kids. A smile flashed across her face at the thought of Lyn's siblings. Their bubbly energy was enough to power a nuclear reactor. She hoped it would be enough to cheer her up too.

As they turned onto the gravel driveway, Callie spotted two lanky boys perched on the front porch railing, waving like lunatics. Before the car had stopped, Ellis and Andy were running up to them, nearly bouncing in their excitement.

They weren't interested in saying hi to their older sister or even to Callie—their sole focus was on Quinn climbing out of the driver's seat. As soon as he closed the door, they pounced on him. A literal pounce for Andy. Quinn let out an "oof" and nearly stumbled back with the force of Andy's hug.

Ellis, meanwhile, was talking at a speed that Callie could barely understand. His heavy southern accent was already difficult for her ears. She had no idea how he managed to talk with an accent that's made for slow drawling at the pace of an excited teenage girl on speed.

"—and Lyn told me about that meet where you won by less than half a second. That was so fuckin' cool!"

"Language." Lyn's chastisement did not phase Ellis in the slightest.

"Oh, and did she show you the pictures of that Mustang I'm fixin' up? It's right around back if you wanna come check it out." Ellis cut off his words abruptly, blushing. He seemed to realize just how much word vomit had come out of his mouth in only thirty seconds. The kid was really adorable.