The Boy Next Door

| 1 | CLEO |

 I was going to die.

The existential overwhelming feeling of being alone played an enormous factor. Everywhere I looked, nothing but vase darkness surrounded me. I couldn't see anything, I couldn't hear anything. There was an intense sense of pressure pressing down against my chest. A squeezing sensation all over my body. Moving was difficult on its own, not to mention with the heavy scuba gear I was wearing. The only thing that help was a small flashlight that eliminated about two feet ahead of me, but at the bottom of the ocean, with any sudden movement, sand would fill the surrounding waters. At one point, I compromised my visibility. Warning signs flared as I started running dangerously low on oxygen, and to top it, my flashlight flickered. No matter what I did, things kept getting worse and worse, but I couldn't just do nothing—but what could I do? My air supply would soon be up, my light source could turn off at any moment, plunging me in to complete and total darkness. The dangers of the creatures at this depth were also a concern, and I had no way of getting back to the surface. I felt the familiar excess pressure on my chest once again now, knowing I was inevitably going to die here by myself and it was all my fault. Within seconds, the last bit of light suddenly died, and it sucked me into a world of my nightmare where my imagination and reality met and created anything and everything to push me over the edge. I was floating in a void of nothingness, frantically reaching for something, anything, hoping anyone could drastically save me from. My legs went numb and soon after, I couldn't feel my fingertips. My hyperventilation caused me to use up all the remaining oxygen I had left until the point where I was wheezing. Nothing but a wave of coldness rushed over me as my eyes closed. Frantically still trying to reach out for anything, I sank lower and lower into the abyss, never to escape or resurface again.

In the distance, I hear my alarm clock ringing, pulling me back to reality, out of the nightmare I was in. I groan a sigh of relief as I take in a deep breath. I don't want to get up. It's Friday and I have nothing to do. Oh no, wait. Ugh, I have an appointment today to check out my new client's place... and a date with the boy from apartment 2G.

Sighing, I cuddle deeper into my pillows. I stay in bed for a couple of more seconds, listening to my alarm, try to doze off again when suddenly the door to my room bursts open and someone jump on me.

"Get off!" I whine before groaning painfully. No answer comes from the culprit onto of me, but then I hear giggling from my doorway. I peek my head out and whined. "Steph help me! Get her off!"

They do nothing but laugh at my reaction. "Rise and shine, love, it's time for you to get up," Jen said as she gets off me and fixed herself up. I groaned and crawl out from under the covers and sat on my bed rubbing my eyes then glaring at my two best friends. I stare through my narrowed eyed the two females. Jen's wearing black skinny jeans with knee-high cream boots, a white V-neck shirt and a jean jacket with a cream-colored scarf with her hair loose, while Steph has on red skinny jeans black flats with a V-neck and a black cardigan a red beanie and her sideways fish braid with her glasses on. Sigh, why do they always look like exceptional super heroes, just ready and waiting to save my day?

"Morning," I say.

"Morning Love," Jen says, smiling.

"Morning sleepy head." Steph giggles, which makes me smile.

Jennifer Delgado, aka Jen or JenJen for short, the crazy, hyperactive, panda loving girl with a crazy passion for food. We've been friends since college. She's a Freelance Graphic Designer who works for the same company I do. She's like a mom. I swear she cooks, cleans and bosses me and Steph around even though she's the youngest out of all three of us. She's really kind-hearted, and she loves to sing and play around. She's like an overgrown teddy bear...well, in my case, Panda bear, but I love her. One thing that gets annoying is the fact that she was born with Disney in her veins.