Abnormal

Chapter Three

         When I finally feel normal again it’s 3:00 pm. I groan and sit up, my mom will be home in an hour and she cannot know what happened. I have to keep my parents in the dark; I don’t want Bryan to do anything to them. I don’t even want to look at myself in the mirror, I know I look horrifying. I need to take a shower but there is glass all over the bathroom floor from the shattered mirror. That’s seven years bad luck Laurel, you really don’t need any more, I tell myself. After sweeping up the glass I get in the shower. I’m filthy so it takes a little while longer to wash off. When I am finally done rubbing myself raw I just stand under the hot water and think. What drug did Bryan use? It was tasteless because I didn’t taste anything strange when I woke up. I racked my brain for common drugs that produce symptoms of shaking, nausea, dry mouth, and mood swings. I have to assume I took it orally because I can find no signs off a needle injection and how could I snort something while unconscious? I close my eyes and vision all drugs known to man like a chart before me. I can see their forms and side effects based on dosage. As I look I come across Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, more commonly known as LSD. Yes, that’s it. Bryan gave me a moderate dose of LSD.

         Once I figure this out I get out of the shower, bandage my hand and put on fresh clothes. I am about open the bathroom door when I hear footsteps going up the stairs and my bed room door click shut. I have lived in this house all my life and I know the sound everything makes and can tell my parents apart by their footsteps. Those foot footsteps were neither of theirs. Besides, mom would have called me down to help with dinner preparations. It has to be Bryan. I needed to protect myself this time. This is my house and he cannot just walk in. I grabbed the broom I left in the bathroom and opened the door.

           Walking across the hall I contemplated my next move. I decided force was the best way to go. I barge through my bedroom door to find Bryan lying on my bed. Surprised by my entrance he stands up abruptly. He must be dressed for Sasha Silvers party. Boy he looks good. Be firm Laurel! I point the broom handle at him and advance making him take a step back.

             “Get out!” I say, surprised by the authority in my voice.

           “Now, now, doll that’s no way to treat a house guest. Especially one who took it upon himself to clean up the mess he created. You owe me a thank you.” I am so done with his crap. Though it is true, my desk chair is in its place and the carpet that before had vomit, dirt and blood on it was now clean. But I stuck it through.

         “I owe you nothing, I said get out!” when he makes no indication of actually leaving I swing my broom handle into the back of his unsuspecting knees and knock him to the ground. Throwing myself on top of him I grab his throat with both of my hands. I tighten my grip just enough to make him uncomfortable, surprisingly he doesn’t struggle.

        “I don’t care how good looking you are. I will only spare you on one condition. You stop this now.”

             He smiles “You think I’m attractive?” I squeeze his throat a little harder and he coughs.

           “I asked first”

       He somehow manages to roll his eyes, which annoys me further before croaking “What happens if I say no?”

            “I will kill you”

       “No you won’t” He easily shoves me off him and stands up. Now I know why he wasn’t struggling. I glare up at him towering over me. “You never would be able to live with yourself.” He looks deep into my eyes, my soul, so it seems. His Beautiful grey eyes filled with pain. “I would know.”

             For the first time ever I pitied him but it vanished when I thought of Dylan. He was like me and I never knew him. So is Sasha, will he kill her too? I couldn’t, no, wouldn’t let him. I had to go to that party tonight. Okay, I thought, I’ll play his game. How about I toy with his mind? I sit up on my knees and look away as if ashamed.

          “You’re right. I never could because…..well, I am attracted to you.” I shyly glanced up at him, “I’m sorry if I hurt you. I could never follow through with it. When you first came into my life I felt offended by your intrusion and I haven’t been challenged by anyone who knows so much about me before. But now I feel secure knowing you watch me because I am not alone anymore. What I don’t understand is why you hurt me.” I sounded convincing but would he buy it? He could use it to his advantage. Get close to me then finish me off. It was dangerous but I have to take my chances if it means getting rid of him and saving Sasha.

             I watched him for his reaction. He looked somewhere between ashamed and confused. He actually let his guard down and showed me a side of him I have never seen before. This side was gentle and sorrowful. If only he was like that all the time and wasn’t a psycho control freak keen on destroying me, I might actually like him. He stuck his hands in his pockets and searched my eyes for the truth. He was vulnerable and I wanted to strike at him but I forced myself to stay vulnerable too.

             “Well, that was unexpected, but in a good way.” He paused “I’m sorry if I hurt you, I just wanted to scare you. I’ll make it up to you though I’m going to this party and…..” I cut in “Sure, I’ll come”

              His vulnerable side vanished and the cocky, know-it-all, over confident side returned. “This is so unlike you” He said as he smiled and helped me off the floor. “But I like it.” I rolled my eyes. He started walking towards my bedroom door but paused in the door way. “Pick you up at 7:30?”

           I nodded, “Thanks, by the way, for cleaning up.” He winked and walked out. A few seconds later I heard the door open then close. I looked at my clock three fifty seven; my mom would be home any minute. I decided to surprise her and start dinner while I thought of a good explanation for the broken mirror. I walked downstairs into the kitchen opening up the freezer to get the garlic bread. Then I went into the pantry and got sauce and noodles for spaghetti. Once the water in the medium sauce pan boiled I put the noodles in.

          So far I haven’t thought of one explanation to tell my mom. The door opened and I could hear my mom shuffle in, put her keys on the hook to the left of the door, and hang up her jacket on one of the pegs on the wall. She still has her purse on her arm when she hugs me from behind and kisses my cheek.

           “Smells great sweetie, I’ll just go put my things away upstairs and then I’ll come and help you.” She smiled at me revealing her perfectly straight teeth. My mom was beautiful and even though she was forty three her brown hair didn’t have a trace of silver. Most people think we look identical but I don’t really see it. Besides when she was in high school she was one of the most popular girls in school and dated the school jock, my dad, since tenth grade. I am nowhere near as popular and have never had a boyfriend. There’re to distracting, sure I’ve thought guys were attractive, like Bryan, but I never crush on them.

               I smiled back “okay.” She started up the stairs and I knew the first thing she would do is go in the bathroom. I have about three seconds to come up with an explanation.

                  “Laurel!” My mom yelled from the bathroom. I sighed, time’s up. 

Bit of a cliff hanger, not a huge one but still.......thanks for all the comments! I really love this chapter, hope you do too! Please tell me what you think!

XX Laura