Comatose Feeling

Chapter Three

Alena kept her cell phone on hand since the moment she looked at it to find no calls from her mother. As worried as she felt, she couldn't not go to school, and continue the routine she set in place since the moment her mother walked out the front door. She tried to look on the bright side of having the house to herself.

As much free time as she wanted.

Late nights.

Late mornings on the weekends.

Even with her newfound appreciation for an empty house, she found it to be less appealing than awesome. Maybe if she was like every other teenager, she'd have a wild party, or ever something less dramatic, like just a few friends over.

Both those things were out of the question. She lived her everyday life trying to get by without the judgmental looks she got from her classmates. She tried getting by without the worry of a lonely life at school she had.

What she tried was far different from what she actually accomplished. She was able to keep her head high, and not succumb to juvenile actions, delinquency, and kept herself in check, so that her mother didn't have to.

But that house was more empty than the nights she spent alone eating dinner by herself because her mother was needed at the station. Last night had seemed quieter to Alena, as if her mother had kept some kind of presence even if she hadn't stepped foot through the door until 2 in the morning.

The house was quiet, even as Alena went through her morning routine quickly, and rushed out the door like she did the day before.

Victor had his own routine, ready to start the day with a bothersome smile. The boy just couldn't take the hint. "Surprise, surprise." He was leaning up against her locker today, instead of beside it, blocking her from twisting in her combination.

"That I'm this sexy? Not much of surprise there." His sly grin kept her from glaring. She'd fallen for his act the day before, and wouldn't get worked up over it again. She had more pressing matters to deal with.

Like how her mother still hadn't called to check in. Had she even made it to the hotel? How far did she actually have to travel? Her mother had only mentioned meeting the parents, but she figured staying in the state should have gone unsaid. Alex belonged to Evansville PD, not Bloomington or Vigo County. "Please go away Victor. I'm too tired to deal with you today. Can't you just wait until tomorrow to bug me?"

Victor frowned, clearly taken aback by her honesty. She could practically hear the hamster running on its wheel. "You could always just say Hello, you know?" And with that, like the day before, he just turned around and walked away.

It surprised Alena, she can admit that. Victor didn't put up a fight. He accepted her fragile state, and without a second thought, left her to her misery.

She unpacked her bag, grabbed her books, and shut her locker. Since she had forgotten her books yesterday, she didn't feel like a repeat in boredom, her thoughts the only thing that she had for entertainment.

The warning bell rang, and she picked up her pace until she was actually sitting down at her desk. It wasn't until later on, when it was almost time to leave homeroom, that she'd noticed the blonde boy next to her.

She felt the urge to ask why he'd ignored her, if he'd ignored her, but once she thought it over, she knew it wasn't her place, and maybe he just hadn't thought she was yelling for him. When the bell rang, she stood up quickly, in hopes to catch the boy before he left. A part of her really wanted to welcome him to their small town, see how he liked the idea of everything being in walking distance. Maybe make a friend, something she rarely had the opportunity to have. But when she made it out of her seat, he was already gone.