Breathe (On Hold Indefinitely)

January 21, 2016

"So...what do you think of Drake." We were at Net's apartment getting ready for a movie marathon. She was laying on her stomach, attempting to use her legs to pick up various objects and toss them at me. Most of the time to she just hit herself in the face.

"He's... nice," I offered.

"Nice? How are you going to write scholarship essays with that kind of vocabulary," she quipped. "Warm showers are nice, corndogs are nice. Be a bit more creative, Lilith." She grabbed a large pillow between her feet and hurled it at my face. Closing my Bio2 textbook, I got off of the bed and plopped down next to her.

"Okay. He seems like a nice, intelligent, interesting young man." And he did, but I couldn't help but feel something was off. It kinda scared me, the familiar energy that surrounded him, the way he watched me like I was a puzzle.

"Bah, you sound like my grandmother. He's hot and you know it. I swear if I didn't have James-"

"You wouldn't be throwing guys at me so we can go on double dates," I interrupted. But she was right, he was attractive and he smelled good...

"Yeah kinda like Bay leaves meets leather. Definitely not some Axe cologne or, don't get me started, Old Spice." I look at her questioningly, it was almost like she read my mind.

"You said that out loud, probably. I don't know, I'm psychic remember. I can probably read minds too," she teased, taking notice of the strange look I was throwing her.

"It's far more likely I said that out loud. But yeah, he really does. Like exotic food. Speaking of exotic food, you got anything?" I tease back, desperately trying to change the conversation.

"Like seasoned crickets or halva or something. No, but I think I got some Ramen noodles," she says, raising her eyebrow at me. I'm not nearly as sly as I think I am. "Don't tell me, you wanna watch The Mummy."

"Mm. Speaking of hot guys," I trail off. "But, no. I'm thinking more KGB. Armie Hammer?"

"Armie Hammer," she nods, before turning on the TV.

---

The brief interruption in sound stirs me from my sleep. Trying not to moan too loud, I sit up and turn around to see Net passed out on the futon, one leg hanging off in a pathetic attempt to fit. Quietly, or at least what I hope was quietly, I climb out of the recliner, walk over to the table and unplug my phone from its charger. Noticing the remote on the coffee table, I grab that as well.

I check the time on my phone. 11:37. "That's just sad," I whisper to myself, shaking my head. "We gotta step up our game."

I turn towards the television, which is paused mid-frame with a caption that reads "Are you still watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer?"

Molded by years or internet use, my immediate instinct is to roll my eyes and mutter "Of course. You think I've gotten my life together in the last two hours", but something stops me.

I realize that, for what is quite possibly the first time in my life, I was indeed not still watching. A brief sadness washes over me, tinged with disappointment. At what point had I become so lost that I fell asleep during a Netflix marathon ...watching Buffy of all things? I need to do better... I need to be better.

Huffing a breath, I turn the TV off, eliminating the last source of light in the small living room. I toss the remote in the general area of the recliner and start to feel my way towards the stairs, almost immediately stubbing my toe on the coffee table. Finding the stairs, I begin making my way towards Net's bedroom, again stubbing my toe along the way. Honestly, I'm not sure how I haven't died in some horrible, walking related accident.

Making my way to the bed, I remove my socks and hoodie before sprawling out across the memory foam mattress. God, I wish Net would sleep on the futon every time I came over. This is amazing. I close my eyes and try to fall into a blissful sleep.

The heat seems to crank up in the room and it doesn't take long before I begin to sweat. I pull the covers off me and raise my arms above my head. Just imagine it's a sauna..sleep..sleeep.

But I can't and soon I have to pull of my T-shirt as well, leaving me in only a tank top and sleep shorts. I try everything I can think of to cool down: flipping the pillow, uncovering one foot, uncovering both feet, even letting one leg hang over the side of the bed. I had to debate long and hard with myself on the last one. I mean, what if a monster was under the bed waiting to eat my leg? I'm pretty sure our insurance doesn't cover prostheses.

"It's January", I growled softly. "How the hell is it this hot?" Getting up from the bed, I hobble over to the thermostat where is reads an even 60 degrees across the LED display. "Liar." Net really needed to get her landlord to look into the AC problem.

By now I was sweating buckets. I could feel myself becoming dizzy, cloudy, as if I had taken too much Benadryl. Walking to the bathroom, my breathing becomes labored, hot air coming out in short, hard pants. The room around me began to sway and distort,the bathroom growing further and further away. I continue to stumble down the narrowing hallway, holding myself up on the wall along the way.

By now the heat is unbearable and I can feel beads of sweat rolling down my back, soaking my forehead. My limbs are heavy, weighing me down. But I'm so close. A few more seconds and I'll be there. My vision tunnels and I fall onto the bathroom sink, my arms shakily supporting me. I glance at the mirror just in time to see a figure standing behind me before I collapse.

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Hello!

I haven't updated in a while. Had a dream last night that gave me some inspiration. If you want, feedback is always appreciated as I love to hear other's opinions of the story. Harsh, yet productive, criticism is the best criticism! (For me at least.)

Also, I am currently typing this on mobile and my phone is fairly old so it doesn't have spell check. Please point out any errors you see.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!

- DreamingNikol