tuesday

Part 4

I didn't let my mother or father leave my side this time. They sat on either side of me, watching the nurse clean off the blood. She handed me the clothes, the same ones as yesterday, probably from the lost and found. A grey hoodie and brand new school uniform sweatpants, still in the plastic wrapper.

I held it, staring at it, not really thinking about anything. A hand pressed on my shoulder, making me jerk and snap my eyes to them. My mother's eyes smiled at me, a sad smile. I closed my eyes, letting her hold me as I fought to keep the tears in. She started stroking my hair and my chest shook, my sobs shaking me and my mother. "It's my fault." I whispered into her hair.

"No, honey," She whispered back. Her voice sounded like flowers blowing gently along with the wind, her voice sounded like a drizzle of rain falling into a pond. I let her voice take me, let her voice transport me somewhere else. "It's not your fault. I promise you that." Her promises always meant so much to me. If she promised something it was real, it was a promise that couldn't be broken.

This time was different.

I looked up to see Rylee's parents, sitting and watching them grow older in just a couple of seconds as they were looking at their daughter's dead body. I couldn't see it this time, I couldn't. Not again.

A scream made me flinch. It was Jennifer, her knees on the ground and her husband wrapped around her. I didn't remember her screaming yesterday, but she must have. I must have been too numb to hear it. The police wheeled Rylee away, covering her again in the black sheet.

My father squeezed my hand once he noticed I was staring. "Do they even know you?" He asked. "Do they even know who you are?"

"I don't think so." I cleared my throat. "They'd probably recognize my name, though." He nodded, staring at them. As if imagining what they were going through. But no, I was right here, he needed to know that I was fine. I hugged his arm, like I used to when I was little, when I'd crawl into their bed at night and hold onto his arm like it was the only thing keeping me from falling. He brought me closer and kissed my head, my hair getting in his mouth. He made a face and I laughed. I laughed, because it was funny, seeing my hair in his face and mouth and him spitting it out and making that face. He and my mother exchanged happy glances.

In the distance, standing by himself, was Ethan. He was looking at me and then looking away. He finally laid eyes on me, nodding his head, only slightly. I stood, despite my parents telling me to sit down, and walked towards him. "We need to talk," He hissed, but in an urgent way, not a mad way.

"I know." I whispered. "Is..." Could I just say it? Could I just blurt it out, like it was nothing like it was a plain fact, and nothing else? "Is yesterday repeating for you, too?" My eyes bored into his because if I was wrong, this was about to go bad.

But he nodded, and I thought I would feel relieved to have someone in on this with me, but it just made the sinking feeling in my chest grow. "Oh my god." I whispered. "This is crazy."

"You can say that again." He laughed, a nervous laugh that sounded like a sarcastic chuckle. "Two weeks stuck in this loop of my childhood friend taking three lives over and over again. The worst part is he looked at me and smiled. He smiled, Arlea. What kind of sick person does that?" He was red now, nearly yelling. Not angry, at least not at me. But one thing made me stop him.

"Did you just say two weeks?" My question made him go silent, either making him relive the memories or get confused.

"Fifteen days, to be exact." He sounded out of breath, kept glancing behind us. "It's supposed to be Thursday."

"You're saying I was stuck in this loop? I was one of these mindless robots?"

He ignored me. He scratched his head, his hands restless. "You know how maddening it is, Arlea? Every day, the exact thing happening again and again. And it's not even a normal day, it's the day where three people die right in front of me and I can't save them—believe me, I tried." He looked at me, holding me in place with his gaze. "I managed to stop Rylee West from dying three times."