Hopelessly Drowning

Chapter 11

I traced the leather stitching of Ms. Harris's car and shifted my feet under the several bags covering the floor of the car. Ms. Harris had insisted on getting me everything I needed and much more, buying me several outfits that I could mix and match.

"You tired?" Riley asked from beside me. I glanced over at her, watching her fingers fidget with each other. I just sighed in response, the shopping trip had exhausted me more than I thought possible. I could feel my eyes wanting to close, enticed by the soft rumblings of the car beneath me.

"Yeah me too, when Ms. Harris first took me shopping I was so tired I could barely stand." Riley's fingers were still fidgeting incessantly on top of her thigh which was beginning to vibrate and shake as she bounced her foot up and down. I couldn't hear it in her voice, but everything about her body language reminded me of a caged animal, trembling, waiting for the perfect moment to bolt.

"So how's school?" I questioned awkwardly. I didn't know how else to distract Riley from her unexplained nerves. I saw the shaking in her leg lessen as she shifted to face me, her attention diverted from whatever was bothering her.

"Good, we have actually had a few days off this week. The teachers are taking a couple of 'faculty days' and they gave us Thursday and Friday off. I actually never understood why teachers needed breaks, I mean they get their joy out of torturing us. I mean think about it, math teachers, they probably spend their weekends coming up with ways to make us miserable. I honestly think that giving them more time is just gonna make it worse for us." Riley's leg had completely stopped shaking as she got further into her passionate tirade. She turned further to face me, her eyes animated.

I raised my eyebrows but nodded along with her crazy conspiracies. She continued talking, her voice slowly fading into dull background noise as I could feel my eyes become heavy. I shook my head to stay awake, and for the rest of the car ride, I remained in a sleepy daze, lulled by the sound of Riley's voice and the droning of the car.

******

"Elizabeth...Elizabeth...sweetheart, dinner is ready." A voice coaxed me out of my fitful sleep, I could feel a hand gently shaking me awake. My eyes cracked open and I winced at the bright light that filled my room.

"Sorry hun, let me dim the lights for you." I opened my eyes again, the light was less harsh and intrusive. Ms. Harris was walking back towards me, in her hands a glass of water and a pill bottle.

It was only as I attempted to sit up that I felt the effects of the shopping trip on my body. My armpits ached, and my ribs and ankle were sent sharp jolts of pain that left me breathless as I failed to sit up. Ms. Harris reached a gentle arm around my figure, pulling me up into a hunched position on the bed.

"Here you go sweetheart, you can take two of these and then in a few minutes when you're feeling better you can come down to dinner." Ms. Harris sat on the bed in front of me, carefully tapping the back of the orange pill bottle she was holding to knock two pills into the white cap. She poured the pills into my palm and handed me the glass of water before standing up and making her way to the doorway.

"I know this afternoon was both mentally and physically exhausting, you did very well. Tomorrow you don't have anything you need to do, so you can rest and get to know the girls a little better if you'd like."

I nodded at her before swallowing the little white pills she had placed in my hand. The mere thought of socializing further making me even more exhausted.

I tiredly dragged myself out of bed a few minutes later, my sore body shuddering in the process. I had been determinedly avoiding Jada since our last encounter and she seemed to be doing the same. However, I had a worrying feeling that she would be at dinner tonight seeing as she had skipped the last three meals and Ms. Harris had to bring her food to her room before trying everything short of force-feeding to get her to eat.

I didn't really understand what had made her hate me so much, but the thought of the encounter always left the bile roiling in my stomach and my throat dry.

"Lizzy, come sit by me!" Riley's voice called from across the dining table the moment I walked through the swinging wood door.

I limped over, letting out a sigh of relief as I sank into the wooden chair beside where Riley was sitting. I rested my head on the back of the chair and breathed in the delicious scents floating around me.

"They're making soup today. Ms. Harris makes this really good chicken soup, and obviously, she makes a vegetarian version, but this soup is one of my favorite dishes that she has taught us to make. Honestly, I could bathe in this soup, though I don't know if smelling like cumin and coriander is the best scent, it honestly might put some stupid people off. But maybe having chunks of potato in—" Riley's rambling was cut off by Sofia, who tapped her on the shoulder before pointing to the book she was reading and sending me a tiny smile.

I sent her a grateful look, glad to relish in the relatively quiet bubble around me broken only by the murmur of Riley's voice beside me and the occasional muffled shouts from the kitchen.

********

After dinner, I limped up the stairs. I had spent an extra fifteen minutes after dinner had ended basking in the relatively easy atmosphere with my eyes closed, head leaned back against the chair. The cozy feeling that dinner had brought slowly dissipated, leaving in its wake utter exhaustion threatening to take me under. I longed for the quiet of my room, and the comfort of the makeshift bed I had made on the floor. Sleeping on such a cushioned mattress and thick blankets was uncomfortable after years of sleeping on the hardwood floor of his house. Every night I resorted to pulling my blanket off the bed and laying on the carpet, a feeling of guilt accompanying me every time I did so.

I let out a sigh as I finally collapsed on the floor beside my bed. I could feel the tiredness overwhelming me. Every part of me was screaming for rest, and yet I reached for the brown paper bag I had gotten at the mall earlier that day.

Drawing out the first book on the pile, I forced my exhausted eyes to focus on the words, the previously blurry lines forming letters and words.

Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie

Chapter 1 - A Mouse

Gwenda Reed stood, shivering a little, on the quayside. The docs and the custom sheds and all of England that she could see were gently saving up and down.

I could feel my eyes starting to close.

And it was in that moment that she made her decision—the decision that was to lead to such very momentous...