Alters

Nineteen

~Lyric~

My head is pounding as if someone just punched me, and I feel like I'm going to puke. Hands are on my back as I'm not fully standing up. My breathing grows heavy, unsure on what is going on. I scream, pushing the hands off my back and going to run, but I fall for some strange reason. My vision is blurry. Why is that? What is even going on?

"Cecilia?" A voice says, and I feel the hands on my back again. I whimper, curling into a ball and grabbing my knees. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" I ask, forcing myself to look at who the person is. I see the friendly yet worried face of Casper staring back at me. I suddenly feel extremely bad for my reaction and hug him on instinct.

"Cecilia, what is going on?" He asks me, and I let go of him.

"It's Lyric." I say plainly. His worried expression seems to drop calmly. "Where am I? And why do I feel sick?"

"Cecilia was out and went to the party. We left because it got to be too much." Casper explains. I sigh, nodding at him. "She was wearing really skimpy clothes, and the boys kept flirting and I had to get her out of there."

"Was she enjoying it?" I ask, letting out a sigh.

"Yeah, until they got... Grabby." He replies, as if he's trying to sound casual. "Anyways, we need to get you home. Can you walk?"

"I don't even know... I've never awoken when Cecilia was still drunk... I've never been drunk before, and I don't like it." I say softly.

"It appears you're in a sober state of mind though, which is good." Casper smiles, lifting me up. "Now let's go, I'm only a block or two away."

Casper carries me all the way to his house. He seems to struggle, for I know he isn't very strong. He's grown up learning to be a gentleman, so I guess he learns that this is the right thing to do, no matter how tough carrying someone your age is.

He walks to his car, pulling keys out of a bag he brought. It seems rather empty. I wonder what he put in it before.

"Hop in." He says, opening the passenger door for me. I smile, hobbling in. He hops in the drivers seat and starts the car, then begins driving.

"I just want to get home and sleep." I sigh, leaning back in my chair.

"We'll be at your house in a few minutes, so don't worry." Casper smiles.

We drive until we reach my house. When pulling in, I realize the car isn't home, which concerns me. Oh yeah, mom is spending the night at Maria's.

Oh fuck.

Cecilia forgot the key.

"Casper..." I trail off, feeling rather awkward. "I... Cecilia forgot the key and my mom is gone for the night." I mutter, looking down, then back at Casper.

"Yikes. Uh, maybe it'll be alright if you spend the night at my place. I have a guest room right beside my room if you need anything." Casper offers generously.

"Thank you so much." I smile. I'd hug him, but he was already pulling out of the driveway.

The ride back was quiet, for we were both rather tired. We reached his house, and he got out his key and opened the door. We took off our shoes, tiptoeing up the stairs so we wouldn't disturb anyone in case they were awake. Casper leads me to the guest room beside his room, then wishes me goodnight as he closes my door.

I look down at the clothes I'm wearing for the first time, noticing that they aren't even mine, but Casper's clothes. Er, his shirt to be exact. Cecilia's clothes underneath, on the other hand, are super tight and uncomfortable, so I slide them off , as well as my glasses (because who sleeps in those), so I'm only wearing the shirt, which is rather big on me since Casper is rather tall, and my underwear. I hop into bed, say a soft prayer, and drift off into sleep...

"Her." A man said, walking with a friend of his. The one who had spoken held a rag in his hand, the other with a rope. They had begun to approach me, sitting on the ground after a fall and a scraped knee. I slowly get up, but my knee hurts a lot. They keep getting closer and closer. I'm now running, but limping from the fresh cut, which is slowing me down. One finally reaches me, pulling me to his chest and tying the rag around my mouth before I could even scream. A gag.

I try to run, but he holds me as the other pins my violently kicking legs together, tying the rope around my ankles, then more around my wrists. Tears stream down my face as they carry me to their van.

No. Nonono. Stop this. Help me, someone.

"HELP!!" I shout, suddenly finding myself in the guest room in Casper's house. I hear feet pounding on the floor fast, and my door is torn open by Casper. He stands in front of me in only his boxers, which I guess is the typical things that boy's sleep in. He's not one of those movie star boys who will walk into your room shirtless with bulging muscles. Casper is skinny, not strong and 'perfect'. Imperfection is more attractive anyways.

"Are you alright?" He asks me, walking towards my bed. Only now do I realize that real tears are stinging my eyes.

"Uh.." I say, my voice sounding out of breath. "Just a nightmare. I get them a lot. No big deal." It's always a big deal though. When I have my nightmares, my mom will always need to lay beside me until I fall asleep, or I won't sleep for the rest of the night.

"It's 2AM, you have plenty of time to fall back asleep." Casper smiles reassuringly at me, closing the door carefully as he walks towards me. "Look at you, you're trembling." He sighs, letting out a really light laugh as he sits beside me, wrapping his arm around me. "Tell you what, I'll stay here with you until you fall asleep. I want to make sure you're alright."

Casper raises the covers up as I move myself over to give him more room. I feel really awkward, laying in the same bed as a boy whom is barely clothed. But I also feel slight comfort, knowing I have someone with me.

After a few minutes of silence, I feel something unexpected. I feel Casper's arm wrap around my waist. A sudden tingling feeling rushes in my body. It's a feeling I really never felt before. The feeling, though, makes me move my body closer to his with his movement. I don't know why I do it, I just do. I can still feel my body trembling, though it's calmed now since Casper came.

After a few more minutes, I feel his body grow calm and relaxed, his breathing slow and steady. I think this means he's asleep. So many thoughts keep flowing into my mind about him. Do I have a crush on him? Is this how he and I could be sleeping every night for the rest of our lives?

It's a nice thought. A really nice thought. Surprisingly, I find myself pulling my body closer to his.

Finally, my eyes close, and my sleeping begins.