Paradise

Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Four

I awakened around noon on Saturday, bright sunlight streaming in through my curtains. I turned onto my side, and pulled the blanket over my head. I lay there like that for several long moments, before I decided that I had, surprisingly, had enough sleep and got out of bed. I padded into the kitchen for some juice or whatever I could find.

The house was surprisingly quiet. It felt empty and it was. I found a letter lying on the table in my mother's handwriting. My father had been called into work unexpectedly and she'd went to town to pay some bills and get a few groceries.

I poured myself some orange juice and sat at the table drinking it in silence. My brain was also quiet this morning. I didn't know if it was still reeling from last evening's excitement or if I was still in a sleepy daze. Either way, I welcomed the silence. Both outside my head and inside it. It was nice for a change.

I refilled my glass and took it into the living room, where I sat in front of the TV. There was hardly anything on, so I settled on some music videos. That is, until the phone rang. I answered it. "Hello," I said.

"Hey," Kendall said, and my heart began to race. I swallowed the last of my juice in one, hard gulp.

"Uh-hey," I said weakly, setting the glass on an end-table. Swallowing again, I added, "W-What's up?"

"Not too much," Kendall said, sounding like her old self, only less excited. "Been up for a while. Figured you'd just woken up, and I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Oh, you did?" I asked, hoping that she couldn't hear the sudden apprehension in my voice. Was it possible she knew about the dance Robert and I had shared? And what if she started asking questions about why he was there? I should have talked to Ms. Albert and Yvette beforehand, but I didn't think Kendall would call me first thing in the morning! I guess I should have been prepared, but I'd just wanted to go to bed so badly. I'd been so tired, I'd practically nodded off in the middle of brushing my teeth....

"Yeah," she said. "I heard Robert went to the dance."

"He did?" I asked pathetically. It felt like my heart had stopped.

"Yeah," Kendall said. "Wesley saw him there."

Wesley Scott. Daphne's words poured through me, completely stealing the breath from my lungs. Thinking of Daphne and her mind-reading abilities made me remember that, for days now, Daphne had strode through the school as Kendall-- talking to Kendall's friends and teachers, completing Kendall's homework, awe-striking everyone in choir with her angelic singing. She'd certainly had everyone fooled ... well, except for me, but even I had been fooled for a little while too.

Wouldn't word get back to Kendall about all the conversations she'd had? Ones she couldn't remember, because it hadn't really been her? And what about her sudden spike of talent in choir? What about her going to the dance with Robert in that magnificent dress that had seemed so out of place? Had anyone mentioned any of this to her?

I felt so confused.

Confused and so, so stressed.

"Penny, are you listening to me?" Kendall suddenly asked.

"Uh—sorry," I said, feeling around in my head for an excuse. I decided on one that would be easy for her to believe. "I'm still kind of half asleep."

Kendall laughed softly. It took me by surprise, because I thought she was mad at me. Did this mean she wasn't? "You're always half asleep," she kidded.

"It's true," I said, laughing the slightest. It was mostly out of relief. I felt myself relax a little. "So—um, what were you saying?"

"Well, Wesley told me that he saw Robert at the dance, and that's just really confusing to me, because what kind of guy goes to the dance alone when he has a girlfriend? A sick girlfriend at that! So, I guess I was just wondering if you saw him with anybody or anything?"