tuesday

Part 3

I woke up with the sunlight flowing through my window, confused. It all came rushing back to me in exactly one second. I inhaled the air and lay down on Theo's bed, trying to breathe, just breathe.

But I was still confused. The sunlight? Theo always slept with closed curtains, refused to be awoken by the natural sun. I opened my eyes and sat up. I was in my bed. Somebody must have carried me back? Which was strange because I told them I was sleeping with Theo.

I wore my fluffy slippers and half walked half stumbled out of bed to Theo. His curtains were closed—of course—and I slumped into his bed with him.

He groaned. "I'm sick, do you not know that?"

"You seemed pretty okay yesterday." I grumbled, fluffing a pillow and resting my head on it.

"Don't you have school?"

I froze and a part of my brain finally woke up. "Why would I go to school?" Wouldn't it have closed down? At least for a while?

He responded, mumbling something I couldn't understand. I hit him with a pillow. "Ow!" He sat up, rubbing his head. "What, Arlea?"

"You said I have school today." I don't know why it made me mad, but it did. How does he have the nerve to tell me to go to school? After everything that took place there? I squeezed my eyes shut as the gunshots echoed in my head again. The screams. Cries for help. My screams.

"Do you not?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I'm never going back there, Theo." My eyes hardened.

"Ha, I know how you feel." He snorted, laying back down again, stealing the pillow from me. But I was frozen in place. Did he not remember yesterday? All that happened?

I got out of his bed, making my way to my parents.

I stared at their empty, unmade bed. "Theo, where are mom and dad?" I shouted across the hallway.

"Erm, they're on their run, aren't they? Isn't it Tuesday?" His voice echoed back.

I swallowed. "It's Wednesday, Theo."

I heard his footsteps across the hall. He was holding his phone, scratching his head with his other hand. "Tuesday." He said, showing me the date.

My face fell. "No, this..." I ran down the stairs, Theo grumbling something about me being crazy. Maybe I was, maybe I was crazy. "Alexa, what's the date?"

Its robotic, female voice filled the entire room. "It's Tuesday, the—" I grabbed the plug and yanked it out. No, no. Yesterday was Tuesday. Rylee died on Tuesday, she died yesterday. I sat on the bar stools, staring at the table.

"Arlea!" Theo's voice startled me, making me jerk up. He looked confused. "The bus, you're gonna miss it!" He gestured out.

"I'm not going—!" He grabbed my backpack, shoving it onto my shoulders. "Hey!" He opened my hand and put a granola bar in it, wrapping my fingers around it. He held my shoulders, pushing me out the door. "Theo!" He grabbed my arm, running with me to the bus stop.

Just in time, because the bus was standing there, the last of its passengers filling in. "I know you want to, but you can't just skip school, Arlea!" Theo yelled as he basically shoved me onto the bus.

God, I hated him sometimes.

"Interesting fashion statement." Someone laughed as the bus doors closed. I turned to them, my face red. I didn't have time to change so I wore grey sweatpants with an old, yellow sweater that had a mysterious stain on it.

I froze, my hand covering my mouth. The bus started to move, nearly making me fall. She grabbed my wrist, pulling me onto the seat next to her.

"No, this isn't real." I whispered. I stared at her, at her bright blue eyes, her blond, pin straight hair.