To Whom It May Concern

Chapter 19

JUAN'S POV

The principal had initially hesitated due to the ongoing investigations but somehow, a little switch had ticked and she changed her mind on the spot. I answered Tess's many questions after school that day and reluctantly, she agreed to support me. She didn't fail however to express her displeasure and the multitude of things that could go wrong with that decision. At the end of the day, it was my call to make. So, cheers.

I moved in with Collins that same day even though I was yet to pack my things. I didn't see the need to return to my uncle's house, at least not yet. I don't waste time however in going to gather all my belongings and transiting permanently. I'm sure he'll be relieved to find out I no longer live with him.

Boarding life is surprisingly better than I had made it out to be. The routine had felt too demanding at first but it was something anyone could get used to flawlessly. If I had known I would enjoy it this much I wouldn't have delayed in taking Collins' offer. It might sound a little sad but...this is like a dream. Don't worry, I'm not being extreme. I apologize, or maybe not, if you had a bad experience.

Living with Collins had been a lot different than I expected. I mean, I had foreseen the shyness and tension but sometimes, I just felt like pretending to be asleep so I could avoid interactions with him. They were awkward I would tell you that. The tension however slowly eased when I noticed Collins' frequent nightmares. The first two nights, I had been deeply asleep. Other times, I had jolted up but waved it off. He probably watched one of those movies. This night was different. I hadn't slept, I was up, and I watched his nightmares progress.

It started slowly, I watched Collins jerk up the first time and I sat up. It was followed by sounds, inaudible ones but like an admission to something. It progressed to pleas for mercy I was confused. I knew I should wake him up and save him from the terror his dream was providing him but I still stayed put. Then he tried to yell but it hardly came. He struggled in a way that depicted someone's wrist around his neck. Not until he started jerking up and down on the bed as though he wanted to pass out did I run over to him. I got there just in time to save him from falling off his bed and I hit him hard to wake up. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead and his breathing was heavy as he sat up in bed. I fetched him a glass of water and remained silent hoping he'll get himself together soon. I wasn't one to force a lot of questions down someone's throat especially as he was just occurring. I watched Collins steady his breath and come back to the room fully. I can tell you for free that boy's soul was nowhere near this room even after I had woken him up. Immediately, he threw his arms around me and after recovering from the initial shock of that act, I reciprocated the action. I couldn't imagine what would have haunted him in that dream.

"Did I say anything out loud? Like did you hear anything I said?"

I broke out of the embrace, confused. "Is that what you're worried about? If I heard anything? After you nearly killed yourself in your dream," I asked irritatedly.

"No, no, it's not that. I'm trying to remember what I was dreaming about. So if I said anything you could tell me so I'll put the pieces together."

"Oh, hm, no."

"Thank you!" I heard Collins say as I moved to drop the cup on our table.

I turned around to nod and I saw him teary-eyed. I had planned to go back to my bed but I certainly couldn't ignore that. I sighed and turned around to where I sat before on his bed.

"Do you want to talk about it,"

"Can I just hold on to you, please?"

Without giving any second thoughts, I stretched my arms out and pulled Collins in and he sobbed. The tension between us from that day reduced and we began to get closer. Hardly did we have awkward silences. He tells me he is just nervous about his incoming school play and the drama rehearsals were really getting intense. I tried to understand how his play influenced the intense dreams he had been having but I don't question it. I believed him. Plus, he added he had recently watched The Conjuring to better understand one of his parts in the play and I accepted. What could I do besides accepting either way? It made me question my membership in the drama club, however. I was probably less fearful but I couldn't handle any of the emotions he recently displayed and attributed to the school play.