Overcome

Chapter Seventeen

By the time the sun rises I become terribly tired. I can barley keep my eyelids from closing, they feel so heavy!

"Rough night again?" Justin asks as I basically throw myself down the stairs and pour myself some Lucky Charms.

"No sleep at all" I feel like I am slurring my words as for I can barley move my mouth.

He looks at me with concern. "Are you okay? Whats wrong?"

"I'm fine. Its just...." I trail off not really wanting to bring it up.

"Just what?" he asks softly.

"You're having nightmares aren't you? You scream in your sleep" I say a little more awake than before.

He purses his lips and looks down. "Don't worry about them, they're nothing."

"Trust me, I'm awake before you even start mumbling. But I'm am worried about you Justin." I sit down at the table.

I take a bite of my cereal but I'm still so tired I cant even chew.

"When was the last time you slept?" he asked as i barley swallowed the cereal.

"Uh..." I re-tracked my days in my head, count the hours, "More than two days ago, if you include five hours"

"You have to get some sleep"

"I'm fine, really"

"Please just sleep, nobody can function without that much sleep. I have to go to work" he gets up and walks to the door, grabbing his sweatshirt, then looks at me, waiting for an answer.

"Okay."

"thank you"

But I don't sleep, I don't play rock band, I just sit in my chair. I sit in my chair and think that his reoccurring nightmares aren't just nothing.

**************************************************

Mom goes to bed around 9:00, shes been having emergency calls all morning.

I stop at Justin's room, I haven't been in there for so long! I could've had that room but its slightly smaller than mine. It has a bigger closet but I don't really need one. I'm not one of those people who own a million clothes that they don't even wear.

The rooms painted a light grey but its dark enough to make the room look like a cave at night.

"We can probably go early again, she just went to bed." I say went I see him.

He's sitting at the desk, reading something, he kinda looks cute when he reads.

I mentally slap myself for saying that. Its probably just because I haven't gotten any sleep. 

"Did you sleep today?" he asked looking up and looking me in the eye. His eyes are soft with concern.

All though I do feel a little more awake than I did this morning. "No" I truthfully say.

Its not like you can't tell. I have huge bags underneath my eyes, my eyes are slightly pink from being open for so long, and my face just looks drained of energy and reads exhaustion. " I had to read that book the teacher gave me for 'catching up'" I lie just so I have a valid excuse.

He sighs and closes the book. "we're not going until you get some sleep"

"What? Justin, I'm fine! Really!" I calmly say.

"No, your not, you look sick!" his voice slightly getting louder. "your not going tonight and that's that!"

My body bubbles with anger. Who is he to tell me what to do! I spin into my room, slamming the door behind me."

It's 12:30, it's now or never. I open the window, take the screen out and place it next to my bed. I've never done this before, but I have to see my horse. My rooms on the second floor, can I make the jump? Probably not.

Feet first out the window and I step on the thee window ledge. I close the window when my body is out and put my hand where my feet are. Then I hang, the drop. I land on my feet but fall back on my butt. Now my adrenaline kicked in, I take off in the direction of the barn.

By the time I get there, I'm exhausted. I walk to Harry's stall and start grooming him. It only takes 5 minutes of brushing until he's clean. He's always so clean.

As I step outside his stall, I get really lightheaded. I put the brushes away and figure I should get going if I don't want to get caught. Then my eyes start to get heavier and heavier.

lack of sleep + lack of food = not a good idea

My legs buckle and I fall it my knees. Great! I'm going to get caught! I think as my eyes finally shut, and I can't open them again.

I can feel my body giving up on me,

Suddenly I feel someone rub their hand on my shoulder.

I'm really scared now because I have no idea who this is! I can't move, I'm trapped.

"Its going to be okay, you're going to be okay."

Justin.

knowing that its him and not some creeper, I lean into him.

" You're going to be okay" he soothes again. "I'm going to take you home now, okay?" he talks in a calm, caring voice.

As he talks, he picks me up and starts walking to the car.

I breath in and his sent overwhelms me. Its a mix of laundry detergent and spearmint. I use my remaining energy to nestle my head more into his sweatshirt.

One second later, I'm basically sleeping.

I think he puts me in the passenger seat of the car.

I think he carries me into the house.

I think he put me in my bed and puts the covers over me.

I think he puts the screen back on my window and whispers goodnight as he leaves.

I drift off into a deep sleep. Deep enough to not hear the nightmare in the room next to me.

*********************************

I'm still sleeping but coherent when mom and Justin come home from work. I'm vaguely aware of what they're saying.

"She told me she hasn't been sleeping well so it probably finally caught up to her" Justin says truthfully.

"I just feel so bad. If I wasn't working so much we could do things together." Mom says softly. "It kills me to see that this is the life she's come to."

Justin sighs, "She'll come back, I know it!"

"Justin, you already help so much! Oh! That reminds me. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, looking for apartments so I don't have to annoy you guys any longer."

Even though I'm sleeping, this hits me like a punch in the stomach.

"Oh Justin" mom sighs, " You can stay here as long as you like, you're never annoying." I could hear the smile on her face. "whenever there's something going on in your family, or life even, you are always welcomed back here."

"Thank you Mrs. Ortz, I really appreciate it."

"Oh, you've been hear for 7 months, call me Lynn."

There is silence and I lose my concentration to stay coherent. I drift back into a dreamless sleep.