The Other Me

15.Not A Disease

This chapter is dedicated to JayDioncelEvers - thanks for sticking with this story :D

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Well, I did fall asleep at one point. But he's managed to keep me up most of the night. I think I got about two hours of sleep. Shit. Now I don't just look like I've cried the previous day, but lack of sleep doesn't make me any prettier either. Humming, Bran ushers me into his car.

"Seriously, how can you be in such high spirits? I feel like I've been run over by a truck", I complain.

"Maybe I enjoy seeing you suffer", he chuckles, starting the engine. So, he's not just doing that to Ginny because he's angry with him. He simply enjoys tormenting people. "But don't worry, it's just proof of how much I love you."

"You can stop showering me with affection", I reply half-heartedly. Okay. It's nice. He's taken good care to remind me of our friendship at least once an hour. He's doting on me. Kind of embarrassing, considering I'm just a year younger, but I guess I don't mind. I need some love right now.

"Aw, don't be mean. I know you don't mean that", he grins happily. Within ten minutes, we arrive at our school. Usually, I use my bike to get there, but since Bran's gotten his license last year, I might as well enjoy the service. Just sucks that it's so close because I could've used an extra hour of sleep. So tired. I rub my eyes.

"Get out, sleeping beauty", Bran teases, opening the door for me. Sighing, I exit. We enter the school building together. "Oh, we've only got history together, so I guess I see you during break?"

"Sure", I agree. Shit. I completely forgot that we don't have classes together anymore. More like, since the beginning of this term. That I don't know anything about.

Don't worry. I'll help out. If you want to, I can just attend.

No. I can't help the strong refusal, because I remember how it had felt, being trapped inside my head, unable to move my body. That the experience had resulted in Ginny breaking up with me only made things worse. Shit. He's hurt.

I get that you don't trust me. But I haven't made any attempts at taking over since then, have I?

Wait. So he's telling me can just do that if he wants to. I shiver, feeling suddenly cold with panic. I don't want to lose control. I don't want to disappear again.

Calm down. You won't disappear. I'm still here as well, right?

He's got a point. Still, I don't trust him. Too many things happened within the last two days – and I'm not ready to trust him. Frankly, I don't know what to think about him.

Guilt. Understanding. Cooperativeness.

Fine. We'll work on that. I guess I haven't really bothered to introduce myself yet. Biology. Room 605.

Sighing, I try to calm myself down while I go to the sixth floor, then search for room five. Maybe I freaked out a bit. Not that that's unusual, considering my situation. At least I think so. Can't really ask the internet for references, because I doubt it's a common problem. Shit. I feel bad about reacting like that. Because I know how he's feeling. I know he won't do anything stupid. Well, at least he doesn't intend to.

Annoyance.

Give me some credit here. I think I've done pretty well considering I thought I'd be locked away again every time I went to sleep.

Well, that's true. I know that feeling. It's like you expect to die every night, knowing you might not wake up again. Calling it frightening would be downplaying it. I can still remember all those nights I fell asleep crying because I was afraid. That was a long time ago. I learned to cope. But I guess I had more time to do that than he had.