The Secrets of Cedar Creek

27 : Endless Nightmares

I toss and turn in the night, being pulled in and out of a nightmare. I'm back at school. Back in tenth grade. There he is. My art teacher. Standing in front of me. He's telling me my art is better than the other students. He's telling me I'm prettier than the other students.

He takes my hand and sees the wounds. He wraps them up. "Why does such a beautiful girl like you do such horrible things to herself?"

Then we're alone. We're alone and I'm scared but I'm excited. I want to grow up. I like the attention he's giving me. But I'm not ready. He unbuttons my shirt.

I snap awake with a pant. "F*ck," I grumble to myself, noticing all the sweat soaked up in Adrian's clothes. They're going to smell like sh*t.

I take them off, lying back on the bed and trying to think of anything else to take my mind off it.

I'm too tired to keep my eyes open. I fall back asleep.

"B for English? This is absolutely ridiculous Rose! I'm one of the most renowned writers in the history of the English language. I will not allow my granddaughter to shame me like this. This is unacceptable."

I'm locked in another room. My back throbs and stings. I cry into a small ball.

I snap awake again, tossing and turning.

The nightmares continue all night, playing my all bad memories like a tv series.

The next time I snap awake, the sun is up and I refuse to go back to sleep – instead, I order myself some room service and wait for Adrian to wake up so we can finally go home.

.

.

.

We're back on the train before I can even blink. It feels like the time is floating by. I'm too sleepy to really notice anything.

"You sleep ok?" Adrian asks.

"Yeah," I yawn. "I just didn't take my sleeping meds so..."

"Sorry, I didn't know."

Paige's diary sits, untouched, on my lap. I want to read it – but I just don't have the mental energy after last night's endless stream of despair.

"Surely you could read some of my books instead. I assure you they're a far better read."

"Maybe later."

.

.

.

I wake up with a sore neck. As I blink back my confusion, I realise I've been sleeping on someone's shoulder. Someone's very broad shoulder. Someone who smells very familiar.

Oh my God, I've been drooling on Adrian Iris.

I try not to jolt upright as I recognize that he's asleep too, leaning on the tip of my head.

My heart beat picks up again and my neck starts aching much more than it did before. I feel heat rushing through me. F*ck this is so uncomfortable. What do I do?s

Within a second, I hear a beeping sound as the train comes to a halt. "Next stop Juniperville, going onto Cedar Creek. Next stop Juniperville and Cedar Creek."

Now's my chance.

I nudge him. "Adrian, it's our stop."

He stirs awake. "Oh," he says, voice raspy. F*ck. He's hot.

We hop off the train and take an uber back home – not speaking at all.

"See you our usual time?" Adrian says as the uber stops at my house.