Chapter Two

Chapter two

There’s a girl in my bed.

This thought was a very recurrent and stubborn thought. I knew that the context made this fact meaningless. The girl was not in my bed for any good reasons, she was because she was hurt and I needed to watch her. This is bad, I kept telling myself. You’re not supposed to feel even a little happy about this. What the hell is wrong with me. She got in a car crash for god’s sake. She seemed fine, laying perfectly still without a care in the world. Sarah told me she was pretty sure she would be fine, except for what would become a bruise on her chin. I watched her as she slept, breathing slow and steady, looking out of place in my boyish room. My room was filled with posters from bands I had been to, and books about adventures that I used to read when I was young. It wasn’t small but not very big, enough for a bed, a small closet, bookshelf and desk with a little space in between. I never really tried to decorate it, it just kind of filled itself up. Now it was filling up with the presence of a girl. This is not a good situation, I told myself.

But still.

This girl was not just any girl. It was Emily. I had asked for her name before, but only to make her feel like I didn’t already know it. That I hadn’t been watching her at school as she was trying to make friends, excelling in maths class and playing volleyball in gym class. Those were the only two classes I had with Emma,  but I enjoyed them thoroughly, and they made my entire day. There was something about here that I just couldn’t shake, like she was the first ray of sunshine of the day. She didn’t just light up the world, she made everything deeper, more intense, better. Get over yourself. Don’t get to involved in to someone that you’ve never even spoken a word to before today, I told myself.  She is not that special.           

Except maybe she was. The signs were there but I still felt like something was off about her. Even though she was extraordinary, she was too normal, too grounded.

∆

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the fact that my ceiling isn’t white. The second thing I noticed was the fact that I had a pounding headache that felt like a little man inside my head was pushing my scull to get out. The third thing that I noticed was the fact that despite the headache, I had slept like a baby and woke up like it was nothing. When I was done noticing things, my brain came up to speed with the reality. Where was I? I looked around and saw a typical boys room, filled with posters from bands that I had never heard of, with an ordinary desk and closet. Then, I noticed the boy.

Adam.

He had been looking at me, I was sure of it. He had an amused smile on his face that said ‘are you done looking around know?’ It was a very warm smile, but I was starting to feel anxious. What the hell was I doing here? Why was I lying in his bed? What was he planning to do…?

Adam sensed the look on my face, and held out his hands to touch me.
                ‘Hey, hey wait, I just…’
I crawled into the corner of the bed against the wall. I wasn’t thinking anymore, this was just about basic human survival instincts. When in danger, keep your back protected. All reason and rationality left the second he said that sentence. I had heard it before, and it had been a lie before too.
                ‘Don’t you touch me!’ The feral sound of my voice scared me, but the current situation scared me more. Adam pulled back his hands and held them up in the air like I was pointing a gun at him. Even in my state, I laughed at the irony of that. I was the prisoner, he was the policeman. I was held captive, he was the one in charge. But not anymore. I trained for this, I knew what to do. I couldn’t believe this was happening to me again, but once I had a goal, a purpose, I was able to arrange my thoughts. The opened door was right there, 2 metres away from me. There was only one obstacle.

I ran. I jumped off the bed, I pushed Adam with my shoulder against the desk, I bolted through the door. I couldn’t help but feel guilty, for he clearly hadn’t expected this judged by the look on his face. A flicker of doubt crossed my mind, but I pushed it away. I needed to get away, and I needed to do it fast. As soon as I entered the hallway, I looked around but went straight ahead towards what I expected was the living room. I was too hasted to see my surroundings, but I did see a lot of pictures on the wall next to me. As I came into the living room, I stood still to try to find a door that led outside. The living room was pretty big, with a grey, comfortable looking couch that cornered the. The additional doubt had sprouted and started to grow. This didn’t look at all like last time.  This looked like a home. But I wasn’t sure, and I had to be safe before anything else. Though the adrenaline rushing through my veins made it feel like I had been here for ages, I knew only a couple of seconds had passed.  I started to feel more and more panicked. Where was the damn door?  I took a deep breath, and figured the kitchen might have a back door. There, I finally saw a more solid looking door with a window. I crossed the room and nearly bumped into the counter on my way out. I reached for the door, so close to freedom, when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

‘Please, wait.’ the voice behind me said in a pleading tone.

I turned around, and in one swift movement I kicked Adam on the side of his face. I turned back, opened the door, and ran away for what I thought was for good.