Good Morning Miss Avery

10. Mistaken Identity

 laid cocooned in my blanket, the only sound I heard was the whirring of my fan. I couldn't feel the cool breeze thought, I could only feel the blood in my head pounding against my skull. I wiped away the tears that swelled in my eyes, I finally gave up on trying to sleep through the hangover. I tried to sit up from my bed but immediately regretted how fast I had moved, I felt like I was about to fall right off the side of my bed.

Buzz. Buzz.

I saw Courtney's name flash across the screen of my phone, just the light of the phone irritated my eyes and I flipped my phone over. I didn't want to talk right now, not with how bad my head hurt. I figured she could eventually call Henry and he'd be able to tell her I was home, he had to of been the one who brought me home last night if she didn't.

I wobbled my way into the kitchen searching for the strongest over the counter pain killer and a bottle of water to go with it.

"I see you're standing after last night." I looked back and met Dakota's hazel eyes, she was standing with her arms crossed over chest. She was only in a tank top and a pair of shorts, I bit on my bottom lip admiring her figure. I looked away from her and went back to the search I had beforehand.

"Yeah, but barely." I mumbled. "Did Henry tell you he had to come get me last night?" I turned and looked back at her as I shook a handful of pills into my hand.

"You probably shouldn't take all those at once, Dani." She walked over to me and took most of the pills from my hand only leaving me two. "And I was the one who came and picked you up last night." she said matter of factly.

Now that I thought about it, I didn't even remember getting home last night so I guess that's why I didn't remember that it was her who picked me up.

"Oh I'm sorry I don't remember much from last night now that I actually think about it." I pushed my hair back of my face, running my hand down to the back of my neck.

"Oh." Dakota said softly, had I upset her somehow? Was it something about last night I should remember?

"Did I do something wrong last night?" I asked nervously.

"What? Oh, no you didn't you were just a little clumsy and a pain to cary." She smiled now. "You should probably take that and go lay back down, I can bring you some tea and an ice pack later if you'd like?"

"That sounds nice, thank you." I popped the aspirin in my mouth forcing it down with water. I felt like there wasn't much more to say to Dakota now so I walked back to my room and climbed back into bed. I honestly loved the feeling alcohol gave me, but hated the next day reward I seemed to get every time.

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"Now, that wasn't so bad was it?" His lanky arms reached out and rubbed my head. I couldn't bare to face him, if I just laid in my bed still enough I would be able to actually sink into it and disappear.

"I told you I didn't want you telling your mother, Danielle. Her and I made and agreement. She gets what she requests, and I get what I want." He stood from my bed now.

"She doesn't want to know the details, she doesn't care about you. She knows you're my little Danielle." His words burned like fire in my ears, would my mom really tell him that? Did she really not care about me? I was her daughter, her only child she had left, how could my own mom not even love me?

I kicked as hard as I could, jerking my body as attempt to get away as quickly as possible. I had to get away as quickly as possible.

"Dani!" I felt arms wrapped around me and I panicked more.

"No! You can't do this to me anymore!" I flung my body free of him and shoved him off of me. I heard a loud clatter before I opened my eyes. I stood in shock realizing I was in my room at Henry's, not my room from when I was a kid. The person I pushed off me wasn't him but Dakota.

I squatted down next to her and wrapped her into my arms tightly, immediately trying to hide my embarrassment in her shoulder. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know it was you." I felt the hot tears stream down my face. I quickly wiped them away, I wasn't going to cry to her right now.

"I-It's fine, Dani" She stuttered. "It's not your fault and I'm not hurt." She wrapped her arms around me and held me close to her. I pulled away after realizing how dangerously close I was to her again.

"Dani?" Her voice was steady and low.

"Yeah?" I croaked.

"What did you mean by 'you can't do this to me anymore'?" Her question had caused me to stiffen immediately. I didn't even know how or want to explain that my nightmares were flashbacks from when I actually lived with my mom.

"I uh- I don't know it's probably something to do with my dream." I rubbed the back of my neck trying to make it as believable as possible.

"Do you have nightmares a lot?" She questioned me again.

"Oh um, no I don't think so?" I scratched my neck nervously, all her questions were making me squirm under her gaze. I wasn't sure if she knew I was lying to her or if she had no clue, but the look on her face wouldn't give me an idea.

"Alright." She said nothing more and I felt uncomfortable under her gaze and the silence. "Well there's nothing to be ashamed of because you have nightmares, I have them too sometimes."

"Thank you." I smiled lightly "So I'm going to try and get back to sleep." I stood from the floor and crawled into bed and under my covers.

"Okay, I'll stay here with you until you can get back to sleep if you want." I never really answer her but she sat next to me on my bed and ran her fingers through my hair. I wasn't sure if it was Dakota talking to me or her playing with my hair, but before I knew it, my eyes fell shut and I was sound asleep once again.