Chapter Four: Dealing with friends

I was soaring over the ocean, occasionally dipping my feet or the tip of my wings into the water. I felt so free and happy, doing my best not to think about what was to come.

"I feel you there," a woman's voice spoke, sounding like she was forcing herself to be nice, "I'll ask you to leave because I'm having a nice time."

"How do I do that?" I wondered.

"Great, I'll just push you out of my mind so you can get sleep." She replied, and before I could say anything, the dream shifted from flying over the ocean to me at the beach with Nancy. We were swimming and enjoying the water and the sun. 

"Are you ok?" she wondered, putting her cool hand on my forehead, checking for a fever, making me go even redder. Could she see my dream?

"Yeah, I'm fine." I smiled, not meeting her eyes.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You can tell me. I'm here to help you."

"I'm fine, I promise." I smiled, still not meeting her eyes, as she leaned forward a little, which made me go even redder.

"Is it because I'm a River?" She asked, pulling away, looking down.

"No, I'm promise just having bad dreams." I smiled, trying to smooth the situation over.

"What kind of bad dreams?" 

"I'm sorry, I don't want to talk about it."

"I understand. I'm here if you need me," she smiled, not meeting my eyes. 

I sat up, still feeling weak, but I told Nancy that I was going to take a shower. She asked if I needed any help, which made me go red and stutter, 'no'.

"Not like that." She blurted out, not meeting my eyes, or that's what I assumed, because I still couldn't look at her.

I smiled, rushing out of the room toward the kitchen and heading upstairs to the room at the back of the hall. The hall didn't have any lights on, but that was a personal choice because when the lights were on, it lit up pictures and pictures of people whom I didn't know. When I was younger, I would ask, but Mom and Lea would get this sad, faraway look in their eyes and change the subject.

My room at the end had just enough space for a single bed, dresser, and a small desk. I went into my dresser, grabbed a change of clothes, and then headed to the bathroom, which was the first door on the left. The tub was behind the door, and the toilet and counter with sink were opposite the door.

I set my clothes on the counter, then got the shower ready. I threw my clothes on a pile and then got in the warm hot water. I scrubbed the sweat and dirt, then sat on the bottom to let the water hit me. I wish I had brought my phone in here to play music.

"Are you ok?" Mom asked, knocking on the door.

"Yeah. Do you have my phone?" I asked

"It's charging in the kitchen." 

"Thank you," I replied, hearing her walk away after.

I got out quickly, changed, and then headed downstairs where Lea was cooking. Mom and Nancy were sitting at the table. I went to the spot on the counter where Lea always puts my phone.

I turned on my phone to get overwhelmed with notifications. I asked if they could let my friends know if I was ok, but Mom apologized, and Lea shrugged.

I sent out a quick message to the group chat that I was fine, but I got extremely sick. They all seemed relieved and hoped I was doing better. I assured them I was, but I was wondering about Jake, who said he had a broken leg, a bunch of cuts, and a few bruises. They said a few others had also gotten sick, which made me worried. What did they get sick from?

We started talking about what happened. They said that it was a gas line that exploded, but Jessica kept claiming it was my fault. Everyone shut that down, telling her to stop and that I had nothing to do with what happened. She messaged me privately, telling me to admit to what I did, and it would all come to light. I said I had nothing to do with it. She didn't buy that.

Jake also messaged me privately, wondering what happened with the girl. I had to ask Mom and them about it. Nancy told me to tell him that she was a medical student and that she noticed that I was a bit off. I replied that it doesn't explain why she knew my name. Mom said to say she was one of your dad's agents, keeping an eye on you. I told him that which he agreed was messed up.

Mom also told me to tell them that I wouldn't be going back to that non-element school. I stared at her, asking if she was about to say psych. I wanted to graduate with my friends and go to college with them. Mom grabbed my hand, telling me that she was sorry and it was going to be ok.

I told them that my dad used this accident as a reason for me to change schools. My friend was shocked, saying no, or that they were sorry. I told them that I wish I could graduate with them. They agreed but said we will get every chance we could.

I told them that I was getting off for tonight, as I still wasn't feeling one hundred percent. They all told me to get better. Lea served chicken and green beans to all of us, including Nancy.

We ate in silence. I just felt like the breath was knocked out of me. Lea and Mom tried to talk, but because of my mood, they stopped. After dinner, Nancy left, thanking Lea for the meal. We all thought she was about to go off, but she just said, " You're welcome, come back anytime, which shocked Mom and me. I even pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

I went to bed after telling Mom and Lea good night. In my room, I started watching horror movies on my phone.