Center Stage

t w e l v e

•12:17 am•

I was awoken with an irritated shove colliding with my shoulder. My eyelids seemed to have weighed twelve tons as I attempted to pry them open. Another nudge followed, alone with Josh's exhausted voice, "Matthew, come on, get up. We're home." Annoyed, I sat up and gave Josh a hard, cold stare.

Taylor appeared behind him, her hair tangled and thrown into a messy topknot. "Matt," she cooed, "You really should get up. You guys can crash at my place tonight, alright?" Nodding in understanding, I hoisted myself out of the cramped backseat. Josh wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead with the back of his left hand while his right remained entwined with Taylor's.

A short while after we had entered her lavish house, Taylor emerged from a side closet, a sleeping bag tucked under each arm. I smiled gratefully, but shook my head. "I'm actually going to head home, my aunt is probably freaking out." I explained.

"Did you leave a note?" Josh questioned groggily.

"Yeah, but I still think I should go back. I don't want to worry her too much."

"Alright," Taylor smiled. "Need me to drive you home?"

Once more, I shook my head, "I'll just walk. Thanks for the offer though." They both gave a very friendly smile as I began to exit the house.

Walking home have me a chance to finally be alone with my thoughts. The air was still, not a gust coming to pass. As I exhaled, my frosty breath became a light puff of vapor, swirling into beautiful and intricate formations before disappearing. This repeated with every steamy breath, making for a very artistic stroll.

I thought about Tarrie, her earlier state mostly. When we had met, she seemed so joyous, so full of life. Tonight, everything was the opposite. The haunting image of Tarrie lying on the cream-colored carpet replayed in my mind. All I could see was her face when she looked up at me, I was reminded of the chilling fear in her gorgeous green eyes as she stared up at me. Why? What had caused her pain? I had become set on uncovering the truth.