Chapter 6

My eyes flew open with a raging headache, like a hundred kickboxers working out at the walls of my brain. Pounding, jumping, flipping, again and again. I rose against the headboard and leaned my head on it. A scorching drought was in my throat, like out of the blue, Sahara desert decided to make it its abode. I closed my eyes and swallowed hard, attempting to drench it somewhat with what little saliva I had.

Why can't I get a single night to myself? Why does it always have to be about that sadist? Why the one incident of my life, that I so desperately want to forget, keeps starring in my every night? Like a goddamn leech. Why? Why does HE have to leave me, when he did?

Sleep never came easy to me after that one incident----or better yet, a series of them----and the only times my eyelids closed, without a whole another world of demons and egregious flashbacks behind them, was when HE was there with me.

Holding my hand in that small ramshackle bunk of my trailer, whispering in my ears that he has got me until the day he dies, and I used to sleep like a baby. Cause I believed him. I hung to him and his every word like a child waiting for a shooting star, not taking his eyes off even for a second. I hung to every song that he used to make for me, with his broken guitar.

But he lied. Everyone lies. Even his melodies lied. And now I'm alone, breaking my neck to at least get through a day at a time.

The only thing I believe I am doing right, right now is, I'm not waiting for him. Not anymore. I did that back then. For a whole year. When he first left me in that trap hole to fend for myself. Guess, he finally figured out I was too much of a work for him. Waiting for him, didn't serve me any good. So, now I'm not.

I glanced at my night clock and the neon lights were showing that it was close to four in the morning. Sleep was a far cry now, it never did after one of these episodes. So, I left my bed and grabbed my running gear from the hamper kept at the bedside. I love the morning breeze and running down the muddy trails while soft rays of twilight kiss the clouds, is nothing sort of heavenly and rejuvenating.

I changed in my sports bra and tight leggings brushed my teeth and left my dorm room locking the door behind me. As soon as my earbuds and iPod were fixed in place and Imagine Dragons were blaring from in my ears, I hit the trail north to my dorm that led to my favorite place. I passed the desolated suburbs, with a few stray dogs barking here and there, and turned left to the muddy trail, with cherry and tupelo trees on both sides.

It is close to autumn, and flamboyant leaves have started sprouting from them. I filled my lungs with the smell of petrichor hanging in the air as the sky started to turn pink. This trail is on the fringe of Bay Shore, and except for some occasional runners, which is very rare, I have never seen someone here. Which makes it all the better for me.

I crossed the cherries and stopped where the trail goes to the left and right side is barred from red chokeberry bushes. Finally. I know what is hiding behind these mild crimson bushes. They are the reason I always come here. First time I had accidentally tumbled here and from then onwards, it has become my own place of solace.

I cautiously parted the bushes and made my way between them. After a few steps, I was where I wanted to be. Breathe lake---as I like to call it----was staring back at me in its full glory. The pinkish hue of the sky reflecting in it, making it a kaleidoscopic tint of ocean blue and pink. Extended in a large oval-shaped area it is surrounded by tupelos on its side. Draught here crisper, hitting on my sweat, instigating goosebumps to break down my damp skin.

I removed my earbuds and then proceeded toward the small wooden pier on the side, barely hanging above the water. Don't know who made it here, but whoever did, I owe him a big deal. I walked three steps and then stop short when I found a man, with his back to me, sitting in my place. What in the effing hell? This is my place. My. And I wanted to scream on the top of my lungs to him 'This place is mine. So you can get the fuck out of here'.

Crunching of leaves under my shoes must have made a sound or the anger emanating from me in waves must have hit him hard because whoever-it-was turned his head to look at me and when his face came into view, all the air left my lungs in a whoosh. I froze.

This is getting a little creepy.

Drake Meyer gave me a toothy grin, as he raked his eyes up and down me, that I barely registered. I kept my face inscrutable, still reeling. He stood up and old wood creaked under his weight, then in three long strides, he crossed the distance between us, still grinning from ear to ear.

"As far as the history of coincidences go, is it one of them? Or are you stalking me?"

His words made heat rise to my cheeks. And I went from Norway to Death Valley of California in an instant. "What?! NO!", I shrieked shaking my head, even though I didn't mean to.

He let out a deep belly laugh as his blue eyes shined from the first ray of sunlight. Sweat broke out at the nape of my neck and I swished my ponytail to the side.

"Relax, I was just messing with you", he said giving me a genuine smile. I exhaled and a small chuckle slipped out from me, at my own reaction. I looked away towards the lake. "So, how come you know about this place?"

I looked at him and tilted my head to the side slightly. He was wearing a tank top and running shorts. My eyes caught a tattoo, a vicious dragon with one wing open, spanning from his collarbone to the start of his left arm. I looked at it for a moment longer than I should have. It was scary, in the real words. Why would someone contemplate keeping something like that on their body permanently?

I jerked my eyes back to his, and he raised an eyebrow in question. I focused on what he had said and then replied, "Well, I would like to know the same." I leveled my eyes at him.

He seemed to be at a loss of words for a while. "I lost my way once while running and came here. Since then, I've come here every chance I get. This place is kind of soothing. So, I come here whenever things hit me hard and I need a moment of peace", he said and stared off in the distance.

I mimicked him and looked at the serenity in front of me. It is indeed a soothing place. A strange quietude, that won't let you feel alone and give a tranquil bliss at the same time. Drake turned to me and said, "Your turn now."

"Kind of like your story. Just, I come here everyday cause I like it. For obvious reasons, of course", I said and shrugged.

"Yeah, I can agree", he looked back at the pier and then said pointing to it, "Wanna sit?"

I hesitated for a second. Should I? I looked at him, he had a hopeful look on his face, as if begging me from his face to stay. I remembered his words from earlier, he had said he comes here only when stuff becomes too much for him. Maybe he needs company.

I sighed and then nodded.

He gestured for me to walk first. I did and sat on the edge dangling my legs off the pier. Drake followed the suit and sat next to me. Tip of my shoes were barely a few inches from the water, and I had a strong urge to remove them and dip my bare legs in the cool liquid.

"Tell me something about you Grace", Drake said all of a sudden. I turned to see that he was very closely observing me like he was trying to solve a puzzle piece. I felt the weight of his gaze piercing me and almost squirmed in my place.

"Uh. I am from around. My parents live ten miles from Bay Shore", I said leaving out the part that they live in a trailer. Not because I am ashamed of them, because I don't want to divulge much to him. "My mom teaches in a kindergarten there. She has just only started a few years back, when my dad got sick, not actually sick, he broke his leg and wasn't able to work afterward. I was thirteen back then."

Drake listened intently as if he was making notes for his major subject. "So why did you decided to come to Bay Shore University?"

I shocked myself when I grinned at him playfully and replied, "I think, that much should have been obvious." He chuckled at himself when he caught my underlying meaning.

"Yeah, scholarship. I forgot", he said and looked at me with a grin.

"Why did you decide to come here?", I asked.

He gazed at the lake and answered, "I like the place. And always wanted to come here. Got somewhat scholarship. Everything fell in place so, I moved here."

I gave him an incredulous look, even though he wasn't looking at me. It's not like Bay Shore is not beautiful, it is, but it's also not any metropolitan city that someone would willingly move to. People move here in strained situations, not by their own will. He released a sigh, akin to surrender when he looked at my expression.

"I swear you're like a lie-detector", he grunted and I almost smiled at his words. "Okay, I moved here because of my little sister. She is fourteen and my half-sister. I didn't know about her up until four months ago. My dad had an affair, and gave her up to the foster care when she was born", he let out a humorless laugh, "He wouldn't have ever told anyone about his mess, as he likes to call it, if I hadn't found her birth certificate with his name in his safe."

He looked away, "I'm here for her. I took her out of foster care and live with her so she can get at least some years with her real family."