Soul Watch

Chapter 10

I sighed into my coffee mug as I emptied the last bit of liquidkeeping my mind working. I was at Caffeine Rush. This café wasprobably the only café around this area and probably the whole Lightstonclosest to our school that actually provided decent coffee; plus, thecheesecakes and apple pies weren't too bad either.

I sat at one of the booths in the back; huge textbook withminuscule words opened, and my notebook and pens strewn across thedark wood table as if they were exhausted too. I was supposed to bestudying Sigmund Freud and his methods, but all I wanted to study nowwas my pillow.

I shook my head and gently slapped my cheeks to rouse myselfup from the utter exhaustion that was threatening to engulf me and pullme under to restful sleep. I looked around the café, and it was almostempty at this time in the afternoon. A couple was at the entrance of thecafé, holding hands and looking at the pastries, and a girl was reading abook and simultaneously drinking her coffee at the same time without somuch as a spill or glance away from her book.I admired that kind of skill.

The table suddenly looked and felt so comfortable, and I laid myhead on the table, arms folded beneath as I silently cursed myself foragreeing to yesterday.

After breakfast on Sunday, we hung out in the "entertainmentroom" as Carwyn put it. It was stocked with all the latest arcade games:an Xbox and PS4, a karaoke machine, computers, and a dance machine.Needless to say, we spent most of the afternoon, playing House of theDead, hearing Torrey sing horribly until Poppy pulled out the plug, andwatching Monique dance awkwardly to remixes. It was already eveningwhen someone suggested a movie marathon in the home theater. And atthat point in time, I was just thinking exactly how much money didCarwyn's family have? Instead of thinking of my early lecture the nextday.

I was paying the price today. We got home at exactly 2 AM.Before going back to our respective dorm rooms, Crysta pulled me asideand said she needed to speak to me urgently. I nodded at Poppy to goahead to our room first before letting Crysta drag me to the vendingmachines.

"Gosh, Crysta, what was it that you wanted to say that youcouldn't say in the hallways?" I asked as I wearily slumped against thevending machine, listening to it hum."I don't want the others to know yet. It's a...sensitive issue," shewhispered fiercely, her eyebrows pulled into a deep frown.That caught my attention as I stood up straight again. "Whatissue exactly?"

Crysta was fidgeting and biting her bottom lip, her worry danceas we called it. Usually, it was funny to watch, but right now in mydepleted state, it was just annoying.She closed her eyes, placed her hands to cover her entire faceand inhaled steadily three times.I tried not to sleep on the carpeted floor right there as I watchedher impatiently.

She removed her hands from her face. "I don't think I canexplain the whole thing tonight—""Tonight? It's already morning!"

Crysta glared at me. "As I was saying..." she continued,choosing to ignore my little outburst. "I need a favor. I'll explaintomorrow. Meet me at Rush at two."

And that was it; we went back to our dorm rooms where I sleptfor about four hours before getting up for a lecture I hardly understood.I inhaled and closed my eyes. Sleep was so easy now. All I hadto do was stop thinking...It was so easy to just fall asleep here...like awave pulling me into the tide...I could just...ding. The sound of the bellas the door to the café opened pulled me back like quicksand. Iimmediately looked up from my restful cradle, and sure enough, Crystacame busting in, waving at the barista and dropping her book in theprocess.