Plain Jane (Preview)

Chapter 4

Waking up the next morning was challenging. The sky was still overcast, but the rain had subsided, or at least that's what it initially sounded like. There was no rapid tapping on the windows, which was the best indicator they had. That wasn't what Jane was mainly concerned about, though. Her nightmare was in front of her, and she was too nervous to open her eyes. She didn't know if what had awkwardly occurred last night would carry over to this new day with Sarah. As she opened her eyes, Jane felt her heart jump to her throat. Sarah was gone. Her sleeping bag was empty, and Jane couldn't help but feel her guilt return. She felt that she was likely the reason Sarah had left her on the floor without waking her up.

Oh well. Jane thought as she sat up, allowing the sleeping bag cover to slide down her body. Opening her eyes, Jane looked at the clock to see it was already noon. It was no wonder why Sarah wasn't there. She kept to a strict schedule and was always up at eight in the morning. With everything done class-wise, she was either at one of two places. The first was the church volunteering her time, or she was at the pool to get some morning exercise in before it got crowded.

However, all Jane could think about was going to find her and apologizing, but at the same time, she figured that Sarah might want some privacy. Jane settled on the thought that Sarah'd have to come back at some point before getting up. Making her way to the shower while getting lost in her mind. Just relax; she'll be home; you don't need to protect her twenty-four-seven. She reminded herself as she passed the dorm's front door and noticed Sarah's flats still there. Wondering if maybe she wasn't gone, and before Jane could get to the bathroom, she knocked on Sarah's bedroom door. Waiting patiently for any indication of a presence on the other side. Jane's job had trained her to listen for indicators, but either Sarah was better than her at being quiet, or she just wasn't there since there wasn't a peep on the other side of the door.

If only she could've opened it and checked it out, but they had agreed that no matter what, they wouldn't go into each other's rooms. Mainly it was for Jane's benefit so that Sarah didn't accidentally see something that Jane was hiding or possibly discover that her roommate was a serial killer. If Sarah was in her room, she was lucky since Jane gifted her the privacy she seemed to desire. Jane stepped into the bathroom and stripped down before stepping into the shower. Washing off all the darkness that covered her from yesterday. It was nice just to feel the warmth and subtle impact of the water hitting her skin. It made her feel human. Spinning her body around in the water, allowing it to hit her back, she suddenly heard the faintest knocking sound.

"What the hell?" Jane whispered aloud to herself as the water drowned it out before she turned the shower off completely.

Standing there in the nude, as the cold air of the shower wrapped around her, Jane took a moment. Then it happened again; another round of loud pounding reverberated from their front door down the hall. Is that Sarah? Did she forget her key or something? While Jane was lost in thought, another barrage of fists hit the door. This time it was followed by some yelling originating from a female source.

"Sarah, Jane, I know you're in there; I could hear your shower running!" The voice yelled out, and Jane immediately knew who it was.

Quickly grabbing a towel, she wrapped herself in it and ran to the main door. The person at the door wasn't an enemy, but if she was forced to wait, who knew what she would've done. Jane made sure she was entirely covered before reaching for the doorknob. However, before she could turn it all the way, the door was forced open, and Jane held onto the towel with a death grip, making sure it didn't slip off her. Stumbling back, Jane stared into the eyes of the girl who was now in front of her.

"Hey, Jenna," Jane said with a glowing smile on her face, as she hoped it would be enough for Jenna to forgive her. Except the persisting frown on Jenna's face told a different story.