AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Alexis
My conversationwith Micah weighed on me the rest of the afternoon and all evening. I forced myself to go through the motions. I smiled when appropriate. Laughed at Lo and Kendall’s jokes. Hell, I even held a conversation with Piper in the car on the way home, though I couldn’t tell you what we talked about.
What I didn’t do was sleep.
My mind wouldn’t shut off. The few times I was able to escape into slumber, I woke up minutes later covered in sweat. It’s been years since I had a dream about him, about the night everything in my life changed. I pushed it from my mind, locked it away in the depths and threw away the key.
Leaving home, coming to college, was the biggest help. I didn’t have to see him, to relive the nightmare and the aftermath. But talking to Micah brought it all back.
It was the one thing I kept from him.
The real reason I can’t go back home. That I refuse to go back. Even if I fail.
Because my life was never the same after that night.
I went from the perfect daughter to the lying pariah. My parents cast me aside. My friends didn’t believe me. Even my brothers who were too young to really know what was going on seemed to treat me differently.
And the one person who was supposed to believe me, no questions asked, to help me when I had nowhere else to turn, thought I was lying. My school counselor. She didn’t even make an official report. She told me to go home and talk to my mother. Said she thought it was a misunderstanding.
My first mistake was listening to her because my mother became irate at my accusations and slapped me across the face. She told my stepdad and he hit me even harder for tarnishing his family’s name.
So I gave up.
I went through the motions for the last two years of high school. Pushed everyone away. Focused on studying. Stayed away from my house as much as possible. Talked to the only three friends who hadn’t shunned me. When the time came to apply for college, I wrote as many applications as I could afford to send, applied for scholarship after scholarship, and prayed every night.
My promise to God was that I’d be a better person, I would help those in need the way I wasn’t helped, if given the chance. And I plan to make good on that promise. I will get my master’s degree in social work. I will help every underprivileged child I can.
And when someone comes to me after experiencing the same nightmare I did, I will listen, and I will help. They won’t have to go through that alone.
“You going to get out of bed today?” Piper asks from the other side of my bedroom door.
Sitting up, I wake up my phone and take note of the time, ignoring the missed text messages from Micah. Class starts in less than an hour. I should get up and get moving. Attempt to look presentable. Well, as presentable as I ever look. After learning Bill was staring at my ass yesterday, it’s back to baggy clothes for this girl.
No need to bring unnecessary attention my way.
“I’m awake,” I call out, tossing back the covers as Piper opens my door.
“You look like shit,” she says after taking in my appearance over her steaming cup of coffee.
“Thanks. I feel like shit, so it’s nice to know I look the part as well.”
“Feisty this morning, I see. What’s the problem?”
“I’m fine. Just tired. I didn’t sleep last night. Couldn’t stop worrying about finals,” I lie.
That’s my first mistake. Not only am I a horrible liar but Piper is great at reading people. Me especially.
“I didn’t realize Micah handed out an exam. Or maybe it’s an oral test,” she jokes, giggling to herself.
“Ha, ha. He wasn’t even part of the equation last night.”
Not really, anyway. He may have been the one to awaken the nightmare, but he didn’t cause it.
“Maybe that’s the problem. I know he asked you to stay with him last night. I would have dropped you off at his place if you’d asked.”
“I know.” And I do, but I needed to put some space between us.
“So, what’s really going on then? And don’t try to feed me any more bullshit about exams. They’re two weeks away and you’re acing all your classes right now.”
