Slender

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter nineteen

Sunday was slow and tiresome. I was sleep deprived, but could not sleep. I swore I could see shadows sweeping against the walls when I walked by myself. I really needed some sleep.  Every time I felt the urge to cough I choked it back and every time. I was scared and all I wanted to do was sleep forever, but every time I slept my dreams turned into nightmares. I could have not wanted a Monday more than I did Sunday.

I brushed my hair and pulled on my good acid washed skinny jeans. I threw on a band tee and straightened my hair. Your outfit on a Monday sets the tone for the rest of the week, so I had to dress nice even if I was not in the mood. I heard my cousin’s car put up the driveway and I threw my backpack over my shoulder and headed out the door clutching my iPhone in my hand.

The car drove down the road and even though nothing seemed indifferent from the usual ride to school I was still caked in paranoia. I was tired, but my eyes still seemed to be able to dart from tree to tree down the back roads. What was that behind the old oak? Just a shadow. But wait, what about that rigid cedar tree over there? I swore I saw a crooked black tentacle snake across it in a blur. I couldn’t tell real from paranoia lately. How bad was I? What if Lucas is worse? I stared at my phone for the rest of the ride with goose bumps coming and going.

I didn’t talk to Hope that morning. She wasn’t  talking to me, but I could do was nod and force a smile. She asked me what was wrong and I told them I was just tired. That wasn’t necessarily a lie… Talia and  I weren’t friends anymore and it broke my heart. Apparently we grew apart. Have I been that odd lately? I thought my composure had been fine up until my Halloween party… I kept thinking about the person in the mask. Why did the help me? Who were they? What were they?

First hour I sat leg to leg with Lucas. “You okay?” Jimmy asked.

“Yeah! Yeah… just tired.” I told him with a sad smile.

“Oh, you guys look really down. Sick party though!” Jimmy told me prodding me with his elbow. I flinched just a bit, but not enough for him to notice. I laughed a little, but it wasn’t real.

“Thanks.” I replied. He nodded and got up to go play basketball on the court with the other stupid people who like doing that. I hated sports.

“Did you talk to him?” Lucas asked as he kept tapping his fingers on his leg. It was a nervous habit of his and his nervousness made me feel uneasy.

“No, I have him next hour.” I replied.

“You could have talked to him this morning.” He said coldly. I glanced at him, but he wasn’t looking at me.

“Sorry…” I murmured.

“I…I’m just a little on edge.” He said as he aggressively sighed and rubbed his eyeballs.

“So am I.” I told him softly.

“You…You don’t understand! You don’t… You don’t understand…” He sighed. I could hear the pain in his voice. He was terrified.

“You saw him again didn’t you?” I asked. His gaze raked over to my eyes and he nodded slowly.

“He…He was in my house. He was in my room! Just watching me… I ran into my bathroom and the door opened, but that’s all I remember…” He told me fuzzily trying to put together pieces.

“How many times have you seen him now?” I asked.

“I don’t know. Four of which I can remember. Five? I don’t know. With me forgetting things easily nowadays it’s hard to say.” He told me frustrated with himself. The bell rang and I gave him a look saying I was going to talk to Micah now. I walked past him quickly and couldn’t wait to get into the media room.