Not the Same

Chapter fifteen

Like most of my trips home, I spend the rest of the weekend hidden away in my room, not wanting to deal with my family and the negativity it brings me. I head back to school Sunday afternoon and collapse on my bed. Going home makes me feel mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted.

I find myself smiling as I plop down on my bed in my dorm. It's good to be back.

"How was your time at home?" Hailie asks from her bed.

"Like every other trip," I tell her. She nods her head understandingly and changes the subject. "So, do you have any ideas about what to be for Halloween? I can't believe Halloween is in a week!"

Hailie loves to dress up for Halloween and go to parties. I'm usually forced to tag along so she doesn't have to go alone, which means I also dress up for Halloween. Last year we went as Mike and Sully from Monsters Inc.

"I haven't really thought about it," I tell her honestly. "Do you have anything in mind?"

"Let me pull out my list." Hailie proceeds to grab a list from her nightstand with all her potential costume ideas. She's really into planning things.

The week goes by excruciatingly slow. Usually, I'm so caught up in so much work that the week seems to go by kind of quickly, but this time I find myself constantly checking my watch and calendar to see if the week is over yet.

By the time my professor dismisses us from class on Friday, I'm literally running out of the door in excitement.

"Woah, slow down there, Tiger," Cameron says while laughing and grabbing onto my arms. "Why are you in such a rush?"

"I have never been so happy that a class week is over," I breathe, still bubbling with excitement.

"The weekend has only just begun. Halloweekend that is," he says with a mischievous smirk.

Hailie, Eric and Dan walk up to us, joining in on the conversation.

"Hey hey hey beautiful people," Eric says while slinging his arm around my shoulders. "What are you up to?"

"I was just about to ask Avery what's she's being for Halloweekend," Cameron says, still smirking.

"You'll have to wait and see," Hailie teases. "But I'm letting you know, once you see her, you won't be able to look away."

I didn't know it was possible, but Cameron's smirk becomes even larger. "Looking forward to it."

The five of us spend the rest of the day hanging out and doing homework together...or at least attempting to do homework together.

Hailie keeps gushing about how awesome we're going to look tomorrow night, Dan is sleeping and Eric and Cameron are having a light saber jedi fight.

So basically studying is impossible.

After about a few hours, Hailie, Eric, Dan and Cameron decide to head out to get food, but I head to  the library so I can actually get some work done. I end up staying in for five more hours so I can finish my work.

It's nighttime now as I'm walking back to my dorm. I hate walking alone at night; everything just feels so ominous and mysterious. I hate it.

As I continue to walk, I hear the sound of leaves crunching below me. I glance over my shoulder, but don't see anything and continue walking.

I stop and look around again when I hear the crunching noise behind me, but like before, nothing's there.

I pick up my pace and start to jog to my dorm. I'm so close; only about five minutes away when I get hit with something in the back of my bed, which sends me flying to the ground.

"What the hell?" I groan as I get up from the ground. I look down to see my kneecap bleeding through my now ripped jeans. On the pavement beside me is a soccer ball. I pick it up, ready to throw it at whoever hit me when I notice that nobody is here; it's just me alone on the pavement.

I turn the soccer ball in my hand and notice words written on it in sharpie marker.

The ball drops from my hands; my breathing stops.

Scribbled on the soccer ball are the words:

You're playing with fire.

And fire burns.