Motorcycle Girl: Book Two

Chapter 24: Dead End

I cried until I threw up in the bathroom and then I crawled back in bed and cried more until I had a really bad headache from dehydration.

And then I laid there in the dark and stared at her dresser until the sun was well up in the sky.

I hear a soft knock on my door.

I don't respond. I hear the knob turn, and the footsteps.

Mom appears in front of me.

"Hi baby." She says sadly.

I've never had a nightmare that vivid in my life, even when I was a kid and I had night terrors, I never had a nightmare like that.

"I got some water." She holds a glass out. "You should drink."

I know I really should, so I sit up, taking the glass of water from her.

She watches me as I gulp it down and hand it back to her.

She brushes some of my hair off of my forehead.

"Do you want to talk about last night?" She asks softly.

"No."

"Do you want a hug?"

"Yes."

She sets the glass on Odette's side table. I stand up and feel her wrap me in a hug.

I hug her back, hoping to feel at least a little bit better.

But I don't. I don't feel anything.

"You should put some pants on, sweetie, and come downstairs. You should eat something."

"What time is it?" I ask gruffly.

"Noon, baby."

There goes another twenty four hours almost.

I look down at the floor

"Mom?" I whisper.

When I look at her, I feel like a toddler waking up from a bad dream.

"Yes?"

"Do you think she's dead?"

My eyes fill with tears again as she looks at me.

"No sweetie, I don't. I think she's okay, I just think something happened. I think she's okay. She's very smart honey, I'm sure she's okay."

I feel my chin quiver and I sink down onto her side of the bed.

"I'll be down in a bit." I sniffle.

"Okay." She says quietly.

_____

When I didn't go downstairs, she came back with food and another glass of water.

She left me to eat it and I forced it down and drank the water and then just laid in bed.

She came back and took the tray away and left.

After a few minutes she came back with a pair of my sweatpants.

"These are fresh from the dryer baby, I did you laundry. Officer Larik is here."

It's already 4:30.

Mom walks out and I drag myself out of bed, pulling the gray sweatpants on. I mope downstairs, walking to Larik.

"News?" I ask.

He looks at me.

"Is this the first time you've left the bed?"

"Yes." I say.