Silenced by the Night

The Truth

The sunset by the beach all on my own; Nathan wasn’t with me but it was Paige that was sitting on the sand. Nathan was babysitting Jessica; for an eleven year old, I can’t believe he could babysit someone that hyper. My mind kept playing ‘Caylah told Caroline’. Paige looked at me and smiled. Alice and Paige had an argument while I was still in the hospital. Nathan kept telling me that he heard Paige saying something about Alice being ‘A backstabber’. Yes, she is a backstabber; she wouldn’t join Jacque’s group if she knows we already hate her.

Silence filled the atmosphere; Caroline was sitting on her loveseat not wanting me to do anything. I can already hear someone breathe. Caroline looked back at me then to Paige and Caylah who were looking at me madly. There was a knock on the door breaking the silence.

“I’ll get it”

Caylah stood up from her seat and rushed to the door.

“Hi Nathan”

I stood up from my seat and raced to the door. Nathan looked uncomfortable while Caylah was looking at him. By the crook smile on his smile; it was the look of uncomfortableness. He looked at me and a perfect smile appeared on his face, he pushed through Caylah and walked towards me.

“Hey Ellie; can we go to your room now? Caylah’s acting weird”

“Why not”

He walked in front of me and up the stairs; I gave Caylah a death glare before going up the stairs.

Brown hair was everywhere on the floor. The scissors still had a few strands of hair stuck on them. My hair was cut shorter; from the waist all the way to the bra line. When I cut my hair I go too far and I mean too far.

“Are you done with your haircut?”

“Yeah, give me a minute I’ll just pick up the hair that fell down my back Mr. Sykes”

The door opened before I could say anything. Nathan showed up and picked up the hair that was on the floor.

“You might wanna…”

“Take a shower”

He handed me a towel before going out of the bathroom.

His brown shaggy hair was scattered everywhere on his face. OK, this is getting stranger by the minute. Every night I couldn’t fall asleep without looking at him for five to ten minutes. My eyes couldn’t close without looking at him before I could go to sleep. He turned to face the other side finally making me breathe. Sometimes it was so suffocating while I’m looking for him. I turned to face the other side not looking at him anymore.

My dreams were all about Nathan. What was going on with me? I’ve been dreaming about him, I couldn’t take him off my mind, he was the only person I needed to see when I’m troubled, he was the one that was missing when I would feel wrong. I’m not falling for him aren’t I? But Hanna keeps telling me these things when she arrived; she kept telling me about the symptoms of falling for someone.

I stood up from my bed and grabbed my hoodie from the headboard and walked outside. Hanna needs to tell me more about this ‘falling-in-love’ thing. She knows more things than I do, she’s two years older than me. And she’s a teenager; she has more experiences about crushes than me.

I arrived at her friend’s house; the cold air hitting me and the grass slaying my legs as they sway. The door opened revealing Hanna, her arms crossed and her hair braided.

“Come in”

She opened the door wider letting me go inside. She sat me down on the couch and did the same herself.

“What made you come here in the middle of the night?”

“Remember what you said about those symptoms of falling in love? Can you tell me more about them?”

“Well there are only a few and they are dreaming about him, can’t take him off your mind, he’s the only person you needed to see when you’re troubled, he was the one that was missing when you would feel wrong. That’s all I know, why did you ask?”

“Nothing”

Her facts were the same as my thoughts. Just as the same, no difference.

No sleep for one night. I didn’t sleep since last night; I couldn’t believe what I heard from Hanna. Nathan woke up and walked towards me. There was still sleep on his eyes. He grabbed his clothes and his toothbrush from his bag and walked to downstairs. For months we’ve been friends and this is the only time I was feeling something else different between the both of us. If he felt the same that would be a relief; still I felt like Caylah told Caroline about them being close to me. Paige entered my room holding a bowl of cereal.

“Good Morning Ellie”

The kind greeting was the only thing that made my day. Nathan didn’t say anything after getting up. He never did that; he would even greet me before he stood up from bed. Paige knew a lot about what Caroline was up to more than me. She would sometimes be between a rock and another rock because of me. Paige told me about her worrying about Caylah as well. Nathan went back inside my room and threw his things in his bag before picking up his backpack and storming downstairs.

“Is there something wrong with Nathan?”

“I don’t know but he’s acting weird”

“Probably just in a bad mood”

Nathan slammed his locker door and walked to his first class. There was something wrong with him. I know there was, he just wouldn’t tell me. Did I do anything last night? Or maybe any day, I didn’t do anything did I? Caylah or Paige didn’t say anything mean to him.

Alice approached me alone; her face was natural, no hair extensions or anything making her look like a member of Jacque’s group.

“Hey, where’s Paige?”

“She’ll be here later; I just went earlier with Nathan”

“Has he been acting weird lately? Cuz if he is, he’s doing a prank”

“Yeah, he doesn’t wanna talk to me”

“He told me about a prank, so be a bit careful around him”

Paige arrived and looked at me then Alice. She apologized to her and walked to her first class. Jacque’s group walked by looking at Alice and me; Caylah raised her eyebrow and looked away from us.

“Just forget about her. She isn’t a true friend”

“I can tell, Now can we go to our first class”

We were sitting around the cafeteria table, and I mean ‘we’; me, Nathan, Alice and Paige. Caylah kept glancing at all of us every five seconds.

More thoughts kept running in my head while Nathan was talking to Paige and glancing at me. Caylah was just looking at him the rest of the time we were all at the cafeteria. Alice was right. Nathan was just pranking on me.

This day was so difficult for me, everything happens to be so worst. Nathan had to come home for their family reunion and he’s not aloud to go to our house for weeks.

Was Nathan the one I wanted?