Our Beloved Summer | A TSITP Story

Chapter 36

"Conrad, what's going on?" I called out to him as I got closer to his stoic body at the edge of the waves. "Conrad?"

The waves were loud tonight, but his panting and heavy breathing rang louder through my ears. I could hear him struggling to catch his breath, it was like he was coming back up for air after a long swim. "What's happening?" I asked him once more.

"Panic attack." He pushed out, leaning forward to rest his hands on his knees. "I'm fine. I'll be fine."

I wasn't sure if I should touch him. I always heard you shouldn't touch a sleepwalker because they might think you're a threat. I wasn't a threat, but clearly Conrad wasn't of sound mind. "Is there anything I should do?"

"Can you just- just talk? Talk about anything." He said, still facing the water, but back to standing up right.

The first and only thing that came to mind seemed like not such a good story to tell. But I didn't have anything else, that weekend was all I could think about.

"Remember Halloween? When you came to my house?" I asked, slowly, watching for any sign he didn't want me to continue. I couldn't see any so I went on. "It really scared me and Steven, seeing you that way, but we also got really excited that you came to see us in your time of need. It made us feel really important. And then when Steven told our mom about it, I could tell she felt important too. That her house could be a safe place for you." I paused. There was something in me that knew I shouldn't relive those moments with him, but he asked for a story, didn't he?

"Keep going. I'm okay, keep going." Conrad insisted.

"My mom was really scared for you that day. When you brought me back home she told me she thought something really bad happened to you. That was the first time, in a long time, that I saw her cry. And it was nice to see, you know. To see that she cared so much about someone I cared about-"

"Please, Dani. Just keep telling the story. I'm getting better."

It was Halloween night, almost midnight. I wasn't doing anything because I didn't have anyone to go anywhere with and I didn't really feel like knocking on strangers' doors all night or partying. I'd been laying in my bed, watching Princess Bride on my computer when Steven knocked on my door.

"Dani?" He called, before turning the handle and pushing his head through the crack. " Conrad is here."

He sounded so unsure of his words and looking back on it, I can see why. It was a strange situation. "What?" I asked my brother.

"He's at the front door and he asked me if he could just see you? He doesn't look good though." As I got from my bed and walked in front of Steven to the front, he wasn't far behind me. With each step I took I grew more curious about what Conrad would be doing here and why he 'didn't look good'. Plus, the concern on Stevens face, which didn't show up often, was very apparent. I came down to the final step on the stairs to see Conrad standing timidly at our front door. His eyes were red and puffy, like he'd been crying for a while. Conrad didn't really cry so I knew something bad happened.

"Conrad." I said, softly trying not to alarm him. "What happened?"

As he looked at me face to face, his lip quivered and his eyebrows were knitted together. He was trying to hold back whatever tears he had left, but I could see he was overwhelmed. He was quiet, his voice broke as he spoke. "I went to a party and I was doing fine, but then I just couldn't breathe." He put his hand to chest and started rubbing slow circles. "I couldn't catch my breath or see anything. I-..." He didn't continue. He was choking on his words.

"So you drove all the way here?" I didn't mean to sound so much like my mother, but at this moment I felt like a grown woman looking after a small child. Conrad looked small in this big coat he wore.