The Ailing Heart

Chapter 2

I go straight up the stairs to my room and shut the door behind me. I drop my bag on the bed and head for a shower. I stay in there for a while and then get out. I get dressed in my pajamas and an over sized sweater.

I plop myself on the bed and start making notes for all my classes. I start with literature and then all the other subjects. I sit there making my notes for hours straight and I'm done. I already have all my notes ready and I'm almost two weeks in advance. I check my phone and its 7 already. There is a voicemail from my father.

*Sweety I had to leave for an urgent meeting so I wouldn't be home tonight. I'd be back by tomorrow evening. Till then take care of yourself. Love you.*

*I'll take care. You don't need to worry about me.* I text him and get up to make my dinner. I decide to order pizza as I'm too lazy to cook for myself.

I sit on the couch and watch TV while the pizza is delivered. There's nothing interesting on air so I decide to watch some movies instead. I settle for Titanic, which is my go to movie and one of my all time favourites. I've watched that movie over hundred times and I still cry when Jack dies.

I'm halfway through the movie when the door bell rings. I go and get pizza and pay for it. I plop back onto the couch as I continue with the movie while eating my pizza.

I jolt awake to the sound of something creaking. I look around the house to find nothing. It was just a window that was left open. But I don't remember opening the window and I know father doesn't like the windows kept open. It's weird.

I turn off the TV and go back to my room. Just as I'm about to go to bed I realise I forgot my phone downstairs. It wouldn't have bothered if father was at home cause he'd wake me up anyway. But now that he's not here I need to set my alarm and for which I need my phone.

I walk down the stairs and grab my phone off the couch. I rush back up and shut the door behind me. As I turn back I see a shadow of something, more like someone near the window. But it disappears soon. I feel my heart in my throat.

I muster all the courage I can and take baby steps to the window. To my relief, there is no one. But my relief is soon replaced by horror when I see a shadow by the gate. I shut the window and rush to my bed. I get onto the bed and cover myself with the comforter, but that doesn't comfort me much.

My heart is still beating in my throat and it feels like it'll just come out any moment. Every single sound around me now seems ten times amplified making my heart beat even faster. I try to ignore this feeling but in vain.

My phone vibrates in my pocket giving me a mini heart attack. I slip hand into my pocket and fish my phone out. I'm relieved to see the caller id. It's just Trevor.

I take the call and listen to his random blabbering about I don't know what. But that sure has distracted me. I feel my eyelids getting heavy and soon I plop onto the bed.

I wake up to the vibration of my phone. I take the call without looking at the caller id and regret it immediately. It's my father.

"Sweety I just called to make sure you're awake and you don't get late for school". He says in his fatherly voice.

"Yes, I'm awake. Thanks". I say and disconnect the call before he can reply. I check the time and I still have an hour and half before I have to leave. I lay back on the bed staring at the ceiling and think of last night. No one would believe all this and it kinda childish but I know its true.

It seems more like the stories that Ma used to tell me back when I was a kid. My heart aches at the thought of Ma. Life was so different back then. Images of Ma flash through my mind like a slideshow. It's like she's so close to me yet so far away.

I realise I've been crying the entire time I was thinking of Ma. I hastily wipe my tears with the back of my hand and force myself put of the bed.

I grab my towel and get into the shower. I set the heat at the highest setting but it doesn't ease my nerves. The pain in my chest is growing with every passing second making it unbearable for me to even stand. I turn the faucet off and wrap the towel around my body before I get out and walk to the closet.

I decide on a pair of bleached jeans with a black tank top and a plaid shirt paired with my sneakers. The pain is growing in my chest but I ignore it. I don't have the strength to blow dry or straighten my hair today so I go with a regular braid.

I take a look in the mirror and the dark circles under my eyes a quite prominent. I just conceal the under eyes and blend it in. I'm not really the kind of girl who's cake her face with tons of make up just to look pretty.

I grab my bag and put all my books into it. As I go to the dresser to pick my lip balm I realise the window of my room is open when I clearly remember closing it last night.

I can't wrap my mind around all this. I quickly grab my phone and my bag from the bed and rush down the stairs, not daring to look back even once. I clumsily move out of the door and lock it.

I quickly get into the car and drive to Trevor's place as today its my turn to pick them up.