Power

Part 6

  I slowly opened the door to my dorm. The lights were off and the girls were asleep. Thank God.

I approached my bed, panting in the dark. I lit the lamp on my nightstand and a warm yellow light spread across the room. My stomach clutched in fear, as I thought I woke up the others, so I stood there, frozen, waiting to hear a sound, but all I heard was a soft snoring.

I could breathe again. I quickly changed in my pajamas and got under the blankets. The room was basically freezing, the walls were keeping it almost colder than outside, and I started shivering.

I wrapped the blanket tightly around me and curled up into a ball, trying to keep my body warm. I soon fell asleep.

                                                                                             ****

Next morning, I wake up to the sun warming up my face and I yawn, stretching out my arms. I check my now charged phone. 8 am. I still have 1 hour before school starts.

 All the other girls are still asleep, so I take my toothbrush and some clothes and tip-toe to the bathroom.

I take a shower, spending a lot of time under the hot water, letting my body warm up, as streams of heaven poured down my body. 

I was drying myself with a towel in the wet, steamy bathroom, when someone opens the door.

I jump and lean myself on it, preventing anyone from coming in.

"What the hell?!" I say.

"Sorry, Hannah! I didn't know you were there. Could you pass me the face moisturizer from my bag?" I hear Claire's voice.

"Sure."

"Well, look at that. She wants my help with something" I thought and couldn't help but smiling. "Maybe she's sorry. I mean, I was a bit of a drama queen yesterday. They all just have a more masculine way of expressing themselves. And, if I think about it, they seem to punch each other's shoulders sometimes, too. I might be a little too sensitive."

I grab the moisturizer from her bag and pass it to her through the cracked door.

"Thanks! And hey, don't stay too much in there, others have to shower, too!" she said, laughing.

But it wasn't a sarcastic, mean laughter. More like a best-friend teasing one. 

This day was going to be great! Maybe I can actually start a friendship with these girls. Or at least with Claire. Although something still felt off and I couldn't really tell what.

                                                                                        ****

I entered the noisy classroom. I see MJ and Peter waving at me. Ned was reading a comic book. He turned to Peter.

"Look how skinny they made you look here!"

"Shhhhhh, NED!!!!" he said, quickly covering his friend's mouth.

I laugh and approach them. Our sits were in the back of the class, next to the poster that promoted healthy eating and the flyer about computer camp.

"What's up, guys?"

"Hi! We're stopping this idiot here from revealing Spiderman's identity." whispered MJ, giving Ned an angry look.

I sit next to them, smiling, and pull out my chemistry textbook.

"Can you give me the answers, please?? I didn't have time to do my homework and the class starts in 20 minutes!"

"Hannah!" said Peter. "You always have to do your homework. Like, last night, I got home really late and I still-"

"Geez, I forgot, okay?!!" I interrupt him. "And it's none of your business what I do!! Could you just give me the damn answers?" I say, rising my voice and dropping the textbook on my desk with a loud noise.

They all look at me in shock.

I'm breathing rapidly, my stomach clenched.

"Uhm...sorry." I say, still a little bit angry. "I got stuck on the roof last night and...and didn't finish my homework. Uhm...could you...could you please give me the answers?"

Peter looked at me weirdly, both like he was concerned for me and scared at the same time. Why do people give me these looks lately?

"Uhm...yeah." he said.

The rest of the day goes on normally. My friends quickly forget about my little outburst and start chattering about the Halloween party that our school organized each year.

"I might come dressed as a pumpkin" said Ned.

"Oh, no, that was my idea!" I replied sarcastically and they all laughed.