Chapter 2

Tyler

It's four o'clock in the morning, on a school night, you'd think any other junior in high school would be sound asleep, but not me. I don't know what it is, maybe I'm scared to sleep for fear that my dad might get violent, or I'm anxious my mom might come home. Whatever it is I haven't been able sleep the whole night through since I was twelve. I'll go to sleep around ten or eleven, and after a few hours I'm wide awake again and i cannot sleep. The funny thing is my lack of sleep doesn't affect me, I still function the same the next day, I still get up and go to school like everyone else, it's almost.. unnatural.

I've never told anyone about my sleeping impediment, well except Jennifer, when i go to friends houses I just act like I'm sleeping, so not even my best friend Matt knows. I wasn't going to tell Jennifer, what with her mother always trying to convince her something is wrong with me I didn't want to freak her out. But, she's different then anyone else. I can't hide anything from her, she deserves to know, everything. I don't know how I got so lucky, Jenni is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I've tried dating other girls before, but no one has ever made me feel the way she does. I guess what I'm finally realizing is I've never been in love, and for the first time, I'm in love with Jennifer Elizabeth Greene. 

It is almost our one and a half year anniversary, and I want it to be special. I want it to make up for our one year anniversary, which ended up being me sneaking over to her house in the middle of the night because her mom grounded her just so she couldn't go on our big date we had planned. This time its going to be better, everything is going to go perfectly. Nothing will mess up what I have planned, not her parents, not my dad, nothing. 

My alarm rings, letting me know it's seven o'clock, not that I was asleep anyway, but now it's time to get up and start the day. I get myself prepared for school, eat some breakfast, say a quick goodbye to my dad (who's passed out on the couch and probably doesn't even know I'm awake yet) and jump in my car. On the way to school I usually pick up Matt and his sister Karli, but today they are running late and don't need a ride. I only live about 20 minutes away from school, so I'll arrive right at 7:50, giving me ten minutes to get in my seat and ready for first period.

  My first class of the day is Algebra II, which is my least favorite class. Not just because Jenni or any of our friends isn't in here with me, I just plainly do not understand math. Jenni usually tries to help me, her smart self is in honors, but I'm a lost cause, math and I just do not get along. I'm more of a language and literature kind of guy, I love to read and I've even been writing a little of my own lately. Writing is my escape, when I get fed up with everything, and I cant sleep, i just pull out my notebook and start writing.

By the time fourth period ended and it was lunch, I still hadn't seen Jenni all day. We don't have any morning classes together, but I usually see her in the hallway. When I got to my locker and pulled out my phone, I saw she left me a text saying she felt sick this morning and couldn't come to school. I texted back asking if she needed anything, but before she could reply i jumped in my truck and headed over to her place.

When I got to her house, I was relieved to find that no one was home with her. I walked up to the door and rang the doorbell, and when I saw Jenni, all i could do was smile. Her long dark brown hair was up in a bun on top of her head, her eyes looked swollen and puffy from her allergies, and she was wearing sweats, yet she still looked as beautiful as always. I teased her a little, saying "Hey beautiful," right when i walked in. She smiled and replied with a "Shut it, I know I look hot!" and that cute smile she always does when she's embarrassed. This was totally worth leaving school for, so I'd spend the rest of my Monday tending to the needs of my sick girlfriend, sounds good to me.