The Search For Dakota Thompson

Chapter 2:

Once again I was filled with the sensation of being pulled from a drug influenced sleep. A feeling I was quite familliar with.

I looked to my right, and this time Jake was sat in the chair.

His hands were clasped, his eyes staring at me, yet he wasn't looking at me, it was as if he was looking through me.

"Jake?" I choked out, my voice was raspy and my throat was dry. He gave me a tight smile and handed me a glass of water as I sat upright.

"Thanks. How long have I been out for?" I asked, taking a sip of the water.

I ran my eyes over his appearence, he was wearing faded denim jeans, a black and white long sleeved tee and black and white converse. Typical. His brown hair was free from the beanie almost always on his head.

"Only half an hour, I was here with April, but her mom called and asked her to pick something up. Mark has a class but should be here soon. As for me, I have a few weeks off, because," He lifted his left shoulder a little, "So I'm here, when the others aren't." He ended.

"Did the doctor say anything?"

"Nothing much, he just said if your scars heal properly, you'll be able to leave in a few days." He shot me a smile, before getting up and walking to the window.

"Well here's hoping the-," I began before Jake pulled out a cigarette and opened the window, "I didn't know you smoked" I hummed, swinging my legs over the side of the bed.

"Yeah, don't tell April, she'll have my balls for it." He shrugged me off.

"I won't, I'm gonna go clean myself up a little." I made my way over to the attached bathroom.

"Alright, do you want anything from the cafeteria? A coffee? Something to eat? I don't mind paying." Jake asked, flicking his cigarette slightly, before taking another drag.

"A coffee please, thanks Jake." I shot him a smile before entering the bathroom and closing the bathroom door, to hear the other close not too long after.

I looked at my appearance in the mirror. God, I looked terrible. My face looked bruised and I had a fading scar stretching from my right eye to my hair line. Dark circles lined my eyes, resembling a panda. And my eyes, they were almost void of emotion.

I remember looking in the mirror before I left my house on the day, and my eyes were fine, a certain sadness cast throughout. But now, I was staring into relative emptiness. It brought me back to the dream about the boy without eyes, the night of crash.

It wasn't all gone though, I could see something in my eyes. Something unknown.

I turned away from the mirror, turned the shower on and let the water fall onto my fingers as I waited for it to heat up.

Once I was happy with the temperature, I stripped of my clothes and carefully stepped into the shower. Thankful I had figured out how to apply pressure to my leg without causing any damage.

The hot water relaxed my muscles, as it cascaded down my body. I ran my fingers through my hair, tilting my head into the water. After a while of simply standing there, I began to wash my hair.

It was an odd feeling, having a shower after not having one for a while.

It was as if I was washing away everything I had carried on my shoulders for the past few weeks. I felt lighter. I felt clean.

I turned off the water and wrapped a towel around my body, as I towel dried my hair. I stepped out of the walk in shower and slipped on a pair of white cotton shorts and a matching tee.