A Ship Without Sails

Chapter 18

"Oh, you're back!" Daisy greeted Shayna when she reached the top floor. Shayna brushed past her sister and went into her room, closing the door behind her. The numb feeling came back. She felt like she was suffocating.

Her legs gave out and she collapsed in a heap on the floor. She felt her whole body quaking. Despite the warmth of the room, she was freezing.

She tugged her phone out from her back pocket and set it on her bed. Her fingers reached out to grab it and call Kurt, but they froze, then dropped. I can't call him anymore, she thought, I'll just be annoying. I'll be all alone in school. Kerry's gone. Daisy's mean, and the investigation has gone no where.

Shayna stood up, slowly, as if she was moving through jello instead of air. She brushed her teeth and washed her face and changed into her softest t-shirt and pajama pants and crawled into bed. She closed her eyes, expecting the darkness of exhaustion and sleep to crash over her, but instead she felt tears slipping out and running down her face. She cried herself to sleep.

She awoke to someone shaking her awake. Her eyes opened into slivers as she whispered, "Huh? What is it?"

"Wake up! Ms. Thorn sent an email! We're skipping school!" Daisy cried excitedly. Shayna's eyes snapped open.

"She sent an email? What did it say?" she asked her sister. Daisy's eyes were wide. "Come on down!" she replied, hopping out the door. Shayna threw the covers off and followed her sister.

Mr. and Mrs. Blackburn were sitting at the dining room, holding hands, fingers interlocked. Daisy and Shayna sat down across from their parents and anxiously watched them.

Mr. Blackburn's laptop was open. He clicked on the email and opened the message.

"We need to meet her at Potomac Overlook at one o'clock today," Mr. Blackburn informed them. "Bring Kurt. I'll call the school and his parents."

"Shayna, why don't you tell Kurt?" Daisy gave her sister a side glance and a grin. Shayna felt a rush of indignation and she glared a death glare at Daisy.

"Okay, I will! Though, I would've thought you would want to, since you like--" she snapped, but Daisy cut her off.

"Just do it!" she interrupted, glancing at their parents to see if they had heard. Their attention was still on the email. Daisy shoved Shayna up the stairs and into her room. She closed the door and pushed her little sister on the bed.

"Can't you take a joke?" Daisy sneered. "I was just kidding. You totally overreacted. Like, I USED to like him, and you bring that up? Can you get any LESS mature?"

"You're the one being immature!" Shayna retorted, crossing her arms.

"Me? You! You're the little sister! I'm the one who should be with Kurt, not you!" Daisy exclaimed. Her hand slapped over her mouth as soon as the last words were out. Shayna leaped to her feet.

"You do like Kurt! I was right!" she said triumphantly, her braid whipping around her shoulders. Daisy's hand lashed out and slapped Shayna squarely on the left cheek. Instantly, she fell back on the bed and clutched her face. She felt her cheek stinging and tingling. She looked at Daisy, struggling not to cry.

"Why can't I be right for a change, Sis?" she whimpered. Still holding her cheek, she ran past Daisy and across the hall to her room. She slammed her door shut with her heel and collapsed on the bed, sobbing. Her cheek hurt, but her heart hurt more.

Once she had composed herself, she washed her face and got ready for the day. She dressed in a pastel lavender sundress and left her black and white Vans ready at the door. She re-braided her hair and put on makeup, making sure her red cheek wouldn't be noticeable. Luckily, it hadn't swollen very much, although there was a cut in her mouth from her teeth.

When it was around noon, she called Kurt, since she knew he would be at lunch. He picked up after the second ring.

"Hello?" he said, but it sounded like a statement.

"Uh... I need you," Shayna began, but then paused. She realized that she didn't even know what they were going for.

"I told you, we can't go out anymore. Sorry, Shayna. Don't call again," Kurt said. Then the line went dead. Shayna wanted to scream at her horrible wording.

Of course he would be confused! My pause sounded like I wanted him back. Like, who does that? Now he thinks I do! she thought in hysterics. She threw her phone on the floor and buried her face in her hands, ignoring the smearing makeup and pain that came along with touching where she had been hit.

"Shayna? Can I come in?" her father's voice called from outside her door. Shayna said, "Hold on!" and within ten seconds, dabbed her eyes, checked in her mirror that her makeup didn't look bad enough for her father to notice, then opened the door. 

"Does Kurt know we're coming to pick him up in thirty minutes?" Mr. Blackburn asked. Shayna twisted her braid around her finger.

"Um, no. He didn't answer. He was probably in class. I think going to the school would be easiest, they'll find his teacher and call that phone to send him to the office." Shayne lied easily. A twinge of guilt didn't make her wince anymore.

"Okay. Well, meet us at the car in ten minutes." Her father closed the door behind him, leaving Shayna to redo her makeup before having to pick up the one person who she didn't want to see.