Lost In The Stars

Chapter 16*

It's yet another morning when I wake up screaming, sweat dripping down my forehead and the covers tangled around me. I run a hand along my face, looking over at the clock it reads 4:56 am. Sighing, I sit up and rest my back on the bed frame. Todd bursts through my door with a panicked look on his face.

"What's wrong? Are you okay? I heard you screaming." He takes a seat next to me on my bed.

"I'm fine, just a bad dream." It's always the same. He sighs and reaches for my hand.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asks in a serious tone, squeezing my hand.

"I'm okay, it's always bad this time of year that's all."

"Have you got any plans for today?" He asks. I stare at the wall in front of me, do I have plans? If I could drive I'd go back and see them, but I can't and I don't have any other options.

"I mean, I'd love to go back home but I know you don't want to. I guess I'll just do what I do every year." Most years I stay the day at my place, cry and feel sorry for myself, Todd hates it.

"Abby comes on, is that really the best thing to do?" He asks. I groan and look over at the clock 5:03.

"Look, Todd, it's too early to be thinking about this could you please just go back to bed and I'll talk to you later." He looks at me and shakes his head but gets up anyway and walks out of my room shutting the door softly behind him. I go to my bathroom and splash water on my face to get rid of the nightmare I just had. Walking back to my bed I fall back on it, I lie back down and close my eyes, the last thing I see before I fall asleep is the face of my father.

X

The next time I wake up it's because someone is poking my face and not stopping. I groan and turn over hugging the pillow close to my body, the poking stops and I sigh in content. Sadly, the peace doesn't last because the next thing I know the covers are thrown off my body and the cold April air attacks my skin. I sit up ready to attack whoever is in my room but when I open my eyes it's not Todd, Emma or Camryn I see, it's Jesse. He stands there staring at me with a smirk on his face. I rub my eyes not believing the sight in front of me, after rubbing them I look up again and sure enough, Jesse still stands there. I shake my head and sit up in my bed.

"What are you doing here Jesse?" I ask him. Not at all in the mood to be in the presence of anyone today.

"Well, hello to you too." He chuckles and the sound sends shivers down my body, I reach for the covers and hide my goose bumps from him. I throw the cover over my body and go back into a comfortable position and pretend he's not in the room.

"Look I'm sorry but you don't want to be anywhere near me today okay? So please go back home Jesse and spare yourself the effort." My back is facing him so I don't see the look on his face. It's quite for a few minutes and I think he's left but then my bed sinks, I turn around and see Jesse laying down next to me looking up at the stars on my ceiling, an unreadable look on his face. He looks over at me and we make eye contact. I groan and get out of my bed, looking down at Jesse I say;

"I'm serious Jesse, today is not my day and if you don't leave in the next five minutes I'll go get Todd and get him to make you leave. I'm not playing." I tell him seriously, a look of hurt flashed on his face before his normal unreadable expression is back. He gets up from my bed and starts walking up to me he slowly takes both my hands and looks right in my eyes.

"I know what today is." He says simply. What does he mean? How does he know?

"Your brother told me." I either said that out loud or he saw my confused look on my face. And then what he says settles in, Todd told Jesse something that was mine to tell. Does that guy ever learn? Looking up at me ceiling I snatch my hands away from Jesse's and storm out of my room shouting Todd's name.