Outer Space | Spruceworth 6.3

Chapter 41: All Time Low

Chapter 41: All Time Low

~Ollie~

       I woke up with a start, sweat drenching my forehead as I sat up, trying to catch my breath. It took some time for my rapid breathing to finally slow down to its normal, steady pace. When I felt like I could breathe again, I looked over at the clock on the nightstand, sighing heavily at the time. Three in the morning.

       I rubbed my eyes before looking over at Grant, who was sleeping peacefully beside me. He had told me time and time again that he really wouldn't mind if I woke him up in the middle of the night if I needed someone to talk to. But I was never able to. I would just feel bad if I woke him up only to burden him with my many, many problems.

       So I did what I always did when I woke up in the middle of the night and didn't feel like I could go back to sleep.

       I carefully got out of bed, making sure I didn't move in a way that would end up waking Grant. However, I didn't think that would have been much of a problem considering Grant was a heavy sleeper. I've sneaked out of the house plenty of times without waking up Grant, anyway. This time didn't make a difference.

       Once I was out of bed, I put on a sweater and my shoes before putting my cell phone into my pocket. I left the bedroom, quietly closing the door behind me. I did the same once I left the house, hoping that nobody heard the front door closed even if I did close it quietly. Even though nobody had ever once know I sneaked out of the house until way after, I was always worried someone might catch me.

       No one did this time. Like every other time.

       I didn't even know what I was going to do outside. I just had to get out of my bedroom. I was having way too many nightmares about the school explosion and I felt like if I stayed in my bedroom, I wouldn't be able to shake the memories.

       Even though I already couldn't shake them.

       I sat down on the porch steps, taking a deep breath of fresh air. Maybe all I needed to do right now to calm down was to stay out here, in this exact spot, for a few minutes. Maybe I didn't have to do anything crazy, even though I was already very tempted to.

       However, sitting out here wasn't doing anything at all. Flashbacks of what happened that one night wouldn't stop running through my mind. I was living through everything again; the helpless feeling, the excruciating pain, the confusion of why someone I didn't know well would target me.

       And it was happening again.

       At least this time, someone wasn't physically trying to hurt me, or even kill me like Hugh tried to do. Sunny only tried to pin a crime on me.

       Then again, who's to say she wouldn't try hurting me if her other plans were going to fail?

       And chances were, she was going to keep having the opportunity to pull stunts like what she did with the diner because she wasn't going to get caught any time soon. The cops weren't able to pin the diner explosion on her when Grant and I told her about what we knew.

       If they couldn't pin that on her, and they almost pinned it on me, why would they be able to pin anything else on her.

       I sighed heavily before standing up and heading to the one place that might help me calm down a bit before I end up turning to something I really didn't want to turn to. I was never strong enough to stop myself though.

       When I got to the walkway, I sat down on one of the benches, constantly taking deep breaths as I tried pushing these cursed images out of my mind. But it wasn't working. Nothing ever worked.