Crash (PTB Writing Challenge #1)

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The next day my clock-radio buzzed me to life at five in the morning, my usual wake-up time when I knew I would be going for an early morning jog. I sprang up from my bed and cringed when my warm feet met the cold, hard floor of my bedroom. I quickly went to turn off the screaming alarm, but my vision passed over my phone in the process and I remembered the night before.

Anxiety crept into me like the cold that crept up my legs and I wasn't sure which gave me my goosebumps.

I grabbed my phone and turned it on, impatiently waiting for the little white apple to appear. Finally it did, and the screen changed to my normal lock screen. I waited a few seconds for it to get a signal and tell me if I had any new messages.

1...2...3...4....

I counted in my head up to 10 and still: nothing. Jackson had never answered me. I felt a mixture of negative emotions right away.

Confusion: This didn't make any sense. He was the most impatient guy on earth and had sent me multiple messages when I didn't reply immediately. Maybe I had misread his signals.

Denial: No, he was definitely attracted to me. He made that obvious yesterday. He was probably just busy. Or he could have fallen asleep early. He would probably text me as soon as he got up this morning. That is, if he remembered. It did seem like he had girls wrapped around his finger...

Rejection: Of course I had to be just one of the girls he was texting last night to stay busy. I probably wasn't even very high on the list since I wouldn't put out. That thought led to a series of explicit images in my mind of him with another girl.

Jealousy?? No, that shouldn't even be one. I was being such a girl.

I smacked myself in the head and forced myself to get a grip. This crush was getting out of control. I knew once I was running I would feel better, so I quickly busied myself with getting my fitness gear together.

In record time I was out the door, dressed in plain sweats with my evil communication contraption burning a hole through my thigh. I promised myself I would not check it for texts until I at least got back home.

As soon as my feet hit the pavement, I felt relief wash over me. I felt powerful and in control again. The weather was cool and misty, and I loved how dark it still was outside. It always made me feel special, like I was the only person awake in the world.

All I could think was calm, relaxation, and power. My lungs and calves had begun to burn and the pain thrilled me, in a way. I loved feeling like my body was a tool for me, a powerful tool that could get me places fast.

****

When I crossed the threshold of my house I finally stopped. My lungs ached and I couldn't get air in fast enough, but the breathlessness was fun. I felt totally relaxed.

I checked my phone. Still no new messages, but it was only about six o'clock anyways. I made my way upstairs to shower.

This time I made a little more effort with my clothing. In the back of my mind I knew I was doing it in case I saw Jackson again, even though I hadn't heard from him in a while. I wore a brown sweater that fell loosely around me and accentuated my neck and shoulders, with blue skinny jeans that clung to my legs. I looked at myself in the mirror and was pretty satisfied with what I saw, so I went downstairs to grab breakfast before leaving.

In the kitchen I finally saw signs of life in the form of my mother chattering on the phone. I thought to myself Who else but my mother would be up this early to chat on the phone?