Devoid [Bruno Mars]

Chapter sixteen

Chapter sixteen

Before getting on the highway I bought two cups of the strongest coffee Dunkin Donuts had. Too eager to get away from Bruno I hadn't had any of the coffee I made. My limbs were so heavy with exhaustion every movement was a drag. It was stupid to drive with so little sleep, but the more distance I put between me and Bruno the better I became. With a heavy caffeinated system my alertness grew. I even drove five miles over the speed limit.

My heart raced with my mind and my car.

I wanted to widen the distance between me and Bruno. I wanted to erase the distance between me and Bruno. I admit it was easier being without him, where I would not have to tense every time he came into physical contact with me. I needed to desperately fix things. Whenever I looked at him I would realize he was all that I had.

When I made it to Brook's home I began to regret that I hadn't called her in advance. I was afraid she would say no—which was unlikely—or would not be home. But a car stood in the driveway. Someone was.

Without much thinking I knocked on the door. A few seconds passed before her older sister appeared, wearing a friendly smile. I swore she could be Brook's twin. The full lips, big dark eyes, the brown skin. Except, where Brook's hair was straight, her sister's was the complete opposite. She sported a rather impressive afro that simply could never compare to Bruno's. The thick, coarse hair fell unto her shoulders and added to her height. She had a tall slender frame and her long floral skirt accentuated that. She reminded me of a goddess, like she was meant to be on a throne made of gold. “Hey, you're Brooklyn's friend, right? Adrian, I believe?” Her voice held a smoker's husk.

“Hi. . . Shauna.” I remembered her name at the last minute. “You're right, I'm Adrian.” I shook her hand. Her grip was light. “I'm sorry to bother but is your sister home?”

“Brooklyn?” She rolled her eyes. “The girl is never here. Practically lives at her boyfriend's.”

“Trey?”

She shook her head, hair swaying along with the movement. “Woodrow.” When she seen my shocked expression she laughed. “Trey is a bum, anyway. Glad she dropped him. Woodrow is rolling in green.”

I laughed politely along with her and gave a weak wave. “Well, thanks. See you, Shauna.”

“Wait. You want to come inside? You look so disappointed.”

Inside was an immense amount of brown with white walls. Wood sculpted lions, wild cats, and giraffes. Tribal masks covered the walls painted an assortment of colors like red, yellow, and more brown. The masks all looked mournful, with droopy mouths and eyes. She led me to the kitchen. “You want tea?”

I flinched. “No thank you.”

She poured boiling water into a cup. The herbal smell wafted up my nose. I breathed through my mouth. She leaned against the counter, dark eyes on me, cup poised near her lips. “So why were you in need of my younger sister, Adrian?”

“I wanted to talk to her face-to-face about some things.” I fidgeted with the hem of my shirt and tried to mirror her casual stance, dropped my shoulders some more and let my arms hang loosely at my sides.

“I see.” She shrugged, not quickly. “If you want, I'm here to talk to.”

I hesitated. I was unsure of what exactly I was going to say to Brook. I hoped when I stood in front of her easy smile everything would river out of me. Shauna had the same smile. I took a deep breath, drumming my fingers along the counter. “I'm having trouble sleeping at night.”

Her thin eyebrow lifted. “Nightmares?”

I nodded eagerly. “I'm unable to sleep because I'm afraid of having the nightmare again. And if I do have the nightmare, I scream and. . . I can't breathe when I wake. I also shake with fear.” Everything I explained came out slowly, every word carefully thought about. It was unusual for me to confide in someone who I did not know.