Chapter ２

“Ahhh, are you seriously trying to kill me right now?” I squealed as I threw my hands up to shield my overly delicate eyes.

“Morning honey. Didn't sleep well again I see,” a chirpy woman's voice replied.

She ignored my obvious discomfort. A discomfort that she had made a hundred times worse I might add, by not warning me that she was going to abruptly rip open my drapes and allow the blazing morning sun to burn holes into my dark and shriveled up soul.

“I heard a bang and thought you'd need these,” she said with a slight giggle. She paused, I guess she was expecting me to look up to see what she was talking about. “Water and some painkillers,” she continued when I didn't respond.

I heard her place them on my bedside table, before bending down and kissing me on the top of my head. I inhaled her scent as she pulled away, and I just loved how she always smelled of lavender and fresh coffee. A smile crept onto my face, instantly melting my frown.

“Thanks, Mom.”

I lowered my hands away from my face, and slowly peeled my eyes open to look at her. She was a very attractive woman, with very soft features. She had a messy, dark blonde bob, that rested just above her shoulders. Her eyes were blue, but they had a gold ring around her pupils, so in certain lights they looked green. Around her eyes were some wrinkles, not deep ones, but just slightly noticeable when she laughed.

“I had that damn nightmare again,” I said with a heavy sigh.

“What happened this time?” She asked as she sat down on the bed beside me.

“There was music, and dancing, people laughing and having fun. Then, this God-awful scream, and it all goes black. I don't remember the rest, but it scares the hell out of me, and I always wake up with this banging headache.”

I lowered my head back down into my hands. Her arm slide over my shoulder, sending a cold shiver down my spine. I shook off the weird feeling of Deja vu and allowed her to pull me in for a hug.

“The dreams are getting more frequent, aren't they?” She asked in a quiet but concerned voice.

“Yeah, they are.”

With a sigh, I rested my head on her shoulder, and she kissed the top of my head again.

“It will be alright, Honey. Maybe you're just stressed out from your exams? Now that they’re all finished, hopefully the dreams will stop.” She slowly stood up and pointed towards my bathroom. “Now get ready, we have your graduation today, or did you forget?”

She stood in front of me with a smirk on her face and one eyebrow slightly raised.

“Oh crap,” I shouted out while immediately jumping to my feet and sprinting towards the bathroom.

“Language!”

“Sorry mom,” I yelled out and I could hear her giggling as she left.

I stood in front of the bathroom mirror to check out what mess I was working with today.

“Urgh. You look like crap!” I said out loud to my reflection, and the cheeky bitch gave me a disgusted look in reply.

My eyes were so sore, so I pulled down my bottom eyelids to inspect them. They were usually bright blue in color and sparkled in the light. Today they were dull, bloodshot, and crudely cradled by large, dark gray bags. It looked like I had been crying all night. Or had been punched in the face by a gorilla.

I huffed and turned my attention to my usually neat and shiny, mousy brown hair.

“Wow!”

I raised my left eyebrow in shock and disgust. It looked like I'd been dragged through a hedge backwards. It was sticking up all over the place and was matted together too.

“You look like you've put your finger in a plug socket,” I mocked my reflection while I pointed my finger at her.

I quickly turned away from the devastation that was my reflection and locked my fingers together. I pushed out my palms, then lifted them above my head into a stretch. I was now prepared for the makeover task I had ahead of me. I clapped my hands together and cheered,

“Let's do this!”

I turned the shower on and waited for it to warm up. Once steam began floating up into the air, I pulled my t-shirt up and over my head, before throwing it towards the washing basket.

“Yes!” I roared with excitement.

I fist pumped the air in celebration, as I watched my t-shirt drop into the basket perfectly. Pulling my boxer-style underwear down, I threw them in there too.

“Meh,” I said with a shrug when my underwear hit the side of the basket, then hung on to the edge for dear life.

It's technically in, and that's good enough for me, I thought.

I walked across the bathroom and stepped into the shower. The warm water didn't hit my skin right away, instead it was soaking into the matted fuzz I now had instead of hair. I felt the weight of the water pushing my hair down, so I moved my hands over it and tried to flatten it down a bit. The water then flowed down my body and it felt incredible. Satisfied that my hair was wet enough, I grabbed the shampoo and began massaging it into my hair and scalp.

I stepped back under the shower to wash out all of the bubbles. The bubbles and water began to slither down my face and tickled my nose. I quickly rubbed my nose with my hand trying to subdue the itch. As my hand thrashed around itching my nose, I inadvertently pushed shampoo bubbles into my eyes.

“Damn it to hell!!” I screamed when my already sore eyes, began to sting and itch like.

I jumped up and down on my tippy toes while flapping my arms around. What this did to help, I had no idea. Although, I was sure that if anyone was watching, they would have had a laugh at the demented, naked, chicken dance I was currently doing.

I finally got my shit together, tilted my head back, and shoved my face under the stream of water. Gradually the stinging subsided, and I was able to open my eyes again. I sighed and shook my head as I thought to myself, I already can't wait for this day to be over.