ACoN Chapter Five

Chapter Five: Slide

In journalism we actually learned something.  The teacher walked us through the template we’d be using on a regular basis.  It was pretty simple, or at least I thought so.  A few other members of the class were rather confused; most likely they weren’t around computers too much.  My uncle worked with them so they were second nature.

            In fact there were so many questions the class ran to the end of the period and the teacher didn’t have time to assign anything before people escaped for the hallway.  Michael caught me right before I left,

            “So, since we’re starting over, do you want to do something later, maybe?”

            I was shocked.  “Are you asking me on a date?”

            We both blushed at the same time.  “Not like that,” he hurriedly answered.  “I mean, unless you want it to be like that…”

            “You barely know me.”

            “Well, that’s the point isn’t it?  I want to get to know you.  Just like dinner at McDonalds or something.”

            “I can’t tonight,” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.  I wasn’t sure if I wanted to take him up on his offer.  There was just so much between us that he didn’t know about me.  Things I wasn’t ready to tell him.  And I didn’t want him to push me in any direction I didn’t want to go.  The last thing I wanted was to start dream-walking again.

            He sensed my hesitation.  “How about lunch tomorrow?  It’s the weekend and it would be completely casual…”

            The butterflies in my stomach were doing dances.  “Can I meet you there?”

            “Sure, yes.  You know the one I’m talking about?” his face was split by a smile and I mirrored it without meaning to.

            “Of course.  It’s the only one in town.”

            “Great.  Lunch tomorrow.  Oh, can I have your number?”

            I gave it to him and then waved goodbye as I nearly skipped out of the class room.

At home no one was around.  Aunt Sissy was out picking up Uncle Ben up from the airport which was an hour or so away.  Kevin was gone, too.  He was staying with a friend in the city where they were seeing a series of concerts.  Being home alone was a rare and beautiful thing.

             I popped my regular pills and laid down on my bed for a nap.  I took a lot of medicine, honestly.  Anti-psychotic stuff that helped me from losing my mind during the day, sleeping pills to keep me from dreaming, and anti-depression meds, too.  Reflecting on it now I wondered if they were necessary in the first place.  Michael was real, which meant the nightmares were.  But I didn’t want to give up what I was taking.  They seemed more important now, protecting me from actual monsters in my head.

            The doorbell rang downstairs and I got up to answer it.  Before I made it all the way out of my room though I got that head rush that sometimes happens.  I leaned against the wall as I waited for it to pass, but instead of passing it leaked into my vision, staining the edges black.  I tried to shake it away but suddenly I was falling forward, unable to control my body.  My head hit the corner of the desk and I blanked out.