Broken Runaways

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Jessica

The loud sounds of blurred conversation around me slowly deteriorated as I slipped into a deep state of nothingness. There was no reason for my blank stage, but it was there. Things like this happened all the time. I’d randomly completely blank out for long periods of time. Sometimes a few seconds, to minutes, sometimes when I was alone it would even happen of hours at a time. Also, ever since I was little I would get these reoccuring night terrors. Not just nightmares where it was just a bad dream. No, actual night terrors. Terror where I would wake up at two in the morning, sweating and panting. Sometimes, it’d be so extreme that it feels like someone is gripping my throat and squeezing, as if trying to get me as close to suffocation as possible before letting go.

Feeling the cool sensation of water running down my face is what woke me up this time. For a few seconds I felt as if I were frozen in my own body, as everything else around me materialized. Suddenly, everything was normal. My eyes were merely filled with tears, thinking back to the night terrors. The worst part about them was that I could never remember what they were about. They were just these horrid patches of unaccounted for time.

Standing up from my seat in between Michael and Caroline, I walked out the cafeteria doors, into the girls restroom. Caroline was Michael’s cousin who moved here a year after me, so she just kind of hung out with us. She was nice enough, but she never really talked to anyone except for Michael. Caroline never really expressed much of an opinion, didn’t really care about what people thought or said to, or about her. Basically, she was quite stoic, isolating herself from anyone and everyone.

Washing off my dry tears, I looked at myself in the mirror. Nothing had changed, my eyes were still puffy and red, my cheeks a light pink from wiping at the tears. I stepped out of the bathroom, only to see Jeffrey’s back side momentarily, before he turned to walk down a staircase. Picking up my pace, I ran down the hallway, then down the stairs. Jeffrey entered what I remembered being the music hall.

Slowing down, I peaked in the window merely watching as Jeffrey walked towards the grand piano. He pulled out the bench, placing his books on top of the sleek black instrument. Jeffrey sat down on the bench, pushing a few random buttons, as if preparing himself on how to play the song.

Soon, his fingers were moving smoothly across the keys, creating a familiar melody I couldn’t quite lay my finger. The beautiful sound that pressing softly along different piece of plastic could create was astonishing. I never never how talented Jeffrey was. He’d told me once or twice that he plays the piano a bit, but never to this extent. It was a truly mesmerizing scene, to see Jeffrey finding so much composure in making music.

I quietly opened and closed the large metal door to the room. As I leant against a music stand, it fell almost immediately, creating a loud crashing noise. Jeffrey ceased playing the piano, turning and facing me. At first, his face was twisted in confusion, before smiling. Jeffrey stood up, rushing toward me. Bending down, I picked up the metal stand, balancing it on it’s three legs. My ears felt hot.

Jeffrey put both hands on my shoulders, making me look at him. “Jessica, have you been crying? What’s wrong?” He said with concern clear in his tone, facial expressions, and in his light blue eyes. Shaking my head, I felt my eyes welling up with tears again. Jeffrey pulled me into a hug, shushing me while stroking my blonde hair. Why I was crying was still a mystery to me. I guess I was just so mad, that my mind transferred it into tears. That to me was the worst thing to happen. Crying because you’re so frustrated and angrily upset.

After quietly sobbing into Jeffrey’s shoulder for about three minutes, I moved away, my back now facing Jeffrey. “I’m sorry.” I said, wiping away my stray tears. “I must seem like such a girly girl.” I said with a slight chuckle, sniffing my nose.