That's My Spotlight | ✔

xxvi. i'm the universe & you'll be n-a-s-a

INEZ ARCHER CAN HEAR HER HEART POUNDING. Loud, speedy-quick, and completely bizarre. She was beginning to think that it was unhealthy, judging the lack of moment she was experiencing. The beating of her heart gets faster and faster, making her believe that it was completely possible for it to burst out of her chest, landing inches and inches away from her on the floor.

Believe it or not, Inez doesn't know how to feel. She's completely unsure if she even feels anything. Her breathing was in an unstable rhythm, her heart was still pounding like crazy, and her face was completely expressionless.

She didn't feel sad.

She didn't feel mad.

With all things considered, she was conflicted, confused about how to feel. It was like all of her sensations disappeared from her body completely, as if they were wiped clean like a computer's hard drive.

Her tense conversation with Alexander in the school library went by fast. It was the first emotional conversation she's had with him — so she completely didn't know what to expect or to feel. Hearing the way his voice trembled hurt Inez. A completely different side of Alexander was revealed — a side layered with pain and suffering.

Inez wanted to help. But is it possible that some things can't be helped?

Lucky for her, she was about to get answers by someone who has the exact same experience as her boyfriend. Believe it or not, she wasn't going to mope around at home and watch Disney movies while eating ice cream to cope with the pain.

Not yet, she thought. But that was beside the point. She wanted to better understand what was going on because she had no clue. Inez Archer had no fucking clue about what was going on, or why it was happening.

Fortunately, her beloved cousin, Rylie, has experience with these types of things because she's experienced a similar situation just like Alexander herself. So of course, she'd have to have some kind of advice for her younger cousin. She had to.

That is what Inez is about to figure out.

"I'll be back to pick you up in an hour. I'll be in the area running errands in case you need me," her father, Jared, informed as he gently pressed one of the button's of his car to unlock the doors. "It's so nice that you want to visit your cousin. Tell Rylie I said hi."

"Uh-huh," Inez nodded her head in agreement as she plastered a fake smile across from her face. "I'll see you soon, Dad. I love you."

"I love you more," Jared hummed as he watched his daughter exit the car, standing on the rim of the driveway. She waved at him as he pulled off, immediately frowning afterwards.

Her father had no clue of what was going on between Alexander and her. It wasn't for no reason, though. Inez had no clue of how she was going to tell her father about it. Based on how he reacted to her having a boyfriend, she figured that he was going to rub the situation in her face.

She could only imagine the things he'd possibly say, his deep voice ringing in her ears.

I told you that this would happen.

The last thing Inez needed at this point is a 'I told you so'.

Even though she was in doubt, she didn't want to let it get the best of her. She trudged up the pressure-washed driveway, which led to the house. With her finger, she tapped on the smart video doorbell. The house is a small family home, fully bricked with a not-too-old coat of beige paint on the sides. The front porch was small, but it had two dark brown backyard chairs on both sides of the door. A pot of pink lilies were hung up across the top of the porch's roof, which added a nice, vibrant touch to the area.