Tangled Hearts.

~Chapter 12~

~Colby~

~Saturday, September 13th~

Saturday was a drag. The girls were out shopping, leaving me and the guys to hold down the fort. Thankfully, Sam and the other roommates from back home were here to make the day bearable. We spent the evening buried in textbooks, the familiar company making the grind a little easier. By eleven, I was dead on my feet.

A scream jolted me awake. My heart pounded as I looked at the clock – only a couple of hours had passed. Another nightmare.

I tossed and turned for what felt like hours before giving up and getting out of bed. A walk around the house did little to calm my nerves, so I collapsed on the couch, hands cradling my head.

"For fuck's sake, can I ever sleep?" I groaned, grabbing my phone. Kalani, my older sister, was always my go-to for late-night venting.

She picked up on the first ring. "Hey, you. What's going on?" Her voice was laced with concern.

"Nothing, just checking in," I lied, my voice flat.

"Colbs, you don't sound okay."

"Nightmares," I admitted. "They're getting worse."

"Oh, honey. I'm so sorry. Is there anything else bothering you?"

"I miss home," I confessed. "I miss you, Gigi, and Mom."

"We miss you too, baby," she replied softly. "I know you don't want to deal with Dad, but we'll figure something out."

"I just don't understand why I keep having these visions," I said, my voice trembling.

"I know it's scary, but they'll stop eventually. You know, I had them too before I met Zane."
"Really?" I asked, surprised.

"Yeah. But hey, how are you? You sound tired."

"I'm fine, just sore from working out," she said, her voice a little strained.

"Don't push yourself too hard, K," I warned.

"I know, I know. Doctor's orders."

My eyebrows shot up. "Wait, what? Why are you going to the doctor?"

She hesitated for a moment. "Well... I'm pregnant."

My jaw dropped. "You're kidding."

She laughed. "Nope. Five months."

I was stunned. "Oh my god! Congratulations!"

She beamed. "Thanks, Colbs. I'll Facetime you so you can see my bump."

The call switched to video, and there she was, a beautiful glow on her face. I couldn't believe it. My big sister was having a baby.

Gigi, our little sister, was a blur of energy as usual. Zane, Kalani's husband, was trying to keep up with her. The chaos was familiar and comforting.

Mom joined the call, her face lighting up when she saw me. We chatted for a while, catching up on each other's lives. Mom asked about school, and I filled her in on my struggles with sleep and the nightmares. She listened patiently, offering words of encouragement.

"You know, honey, sometimes these things happen for a reason," she said. "Maybe there's something you need to learn from these nightmares."

I thought about what she said. Maybe she was right. Maybe there was a reason for all this. I thanked her for her support and promised to call her back soon.

I hung up the phone, a wave of exhaustion washing over me. The news about Kehlani had been a much-needed distraction, but the underlying unease about my sleeplessness was still there. I decided to try to get some rest before the day got away from me.

Sam came down the stairs and came up behind me. He put his hands on my shoulders.

"Brother." He said in a raspy voice. "Brother." I said in the same voice.

I looked behind me. "Sorry if I woke you up." I said as I chuckled and stretched. "You didn't I couldn't sleep."

He yawned. "Who was that"? I sighed. "My sisters and my mom." my eyes followed him as he came around the other side of the couch,

"I thought you were asleep though dude? I came in your room like an hour ago to see if you wanted to hang out and you were knocked out."

I sighed tiredly as I rubbed my eyes. "I was, fucking nightmares woke me up again." "Dude really, they're that bad"? he asked concerned sitting next to me.

I nodded, scrubbing my hands on my face. "You wanna talk about it"? he asked me, leaning back into the couch cushion, slugging his arm over the back of the couch.

"They're getting worse dude; I don't know what to do." "What are they about"? he asked.

"They start off with a girl then it just goes downhill from there, it's like she's getting attacked or something."

"Do you think they're about Raelyn"? He asked. "I don't know, I can't tell". I said as I sighed.

He smiled at me. "But hey I heard the news, congratulations brother"! he said excitedly nudging my arm. "Thanks bro, I'm super excited. Once I get some time off from school, I'm gonna go visit them."

"Yeah, i need to get back to our old stomping grounds." He said with a chuckle. "You should come with, mi casa es tu casa." He nodded as he yawned.

"You gonna go back to bed or you gonna stay up for a bit"? I asked as I stood up. "I'm gonna try to go back to bed." Sam said as he stood up.

"I'm gonna do the same. If I don't try go to bed now, I'm never gonna sleep." I walked to the foot of the stairs.

"Alright goodnight brother." He said as he hugged me.

"I'm serious though Colby if you need anything I'm always here. I'm one room away." I smiled as he squeezed me harder.

"I know dude, I really appreciate it bro." he patted my upper back before releasing from the hug.

"I mean it brother." I nodded and smiled before we both started heading upstairs to our rooms. I walked into my room and flopped onto my bed.