Saving Jasper | ✓ [COMPLETE]

Chapter 7 - Innocence Doesn't Matter

    There was that crying noise again. This time, however, it was more of a quiet whimpering. Right away, I knew it was Jasper. I couldn't bring myself to get out of bed, so I lay there, staring up at the ceiling. At first, I had hoped it was a hallucination--a half-dream. I waited for it to go away. When it didn't, I turned over on my back and looked upwards, willing myself to fall asleep again.

I just couldn't. It was eating away at me. We had such a good day the day before, and I went to bed with good thoughts in my head. It was slowly coming to realization that Jasper's night terrors might last much longer than I had originally thought. It was a natural thing of the body. People had night terrors after traumatic events. Scary movies, even. If it was natural, what could I do?

Exactly what I had been doing. Being a friend to him. Someone real, apart from the crazy lady he had grown up with. Sighing loudly, I shoved the covers away from my hot, aching body and sat up. I pressed my fingers into my eyes and rubbed at them furiously. I couldn't sleep, and yet I was so damned tired. Through blurry eyes, I located my alarm clock. It was overturned on the floor. I couldn't see it, and couldn't be bothered to fix it.

Setting my feet on the floor, I padded across my room and wrenched open my door quickly. I did this so it wouldn't squeak. When it was fully opened, I stepped into the dark hallway. The instant I did so, I was hit with a strong wave of déjà vu. It hit me like a solid wall of bricks. I stood there for a moment, swaying slightly. Jasper's whimpering seemed to magnify when I moved closer to his closed door.

I stood before his door, studying the lines of the painted wood. I lifted a hand and placed my palm against the cool wood. I flattened my fingers and spread them apart, feeling the way it splintered against my skin when I slid my hand down towards the knob. I gripped it and froze when he quieted. The bedsprings groaned loudly when he turned over. The whimpers began again. I bit down on my lip roughly as I opened the door.

It swung open silently. My silhouette fell across the floor that was bathed in silver moonlight. I studied his body for a moment, which was sprawled restlessly across his bed. His covers were tossed to the floor, and his black T-Shirt was twisted around his abdomen. I raked my eyes down his body, and frowned a little.

He looked really uncomfortable, but I doubted he knew what position he was in. One leg was flung over the edge, as well as his left arm, and his head was tilted back into the pillow, his lips parted slightly. A sound escaped his lips, something crossed between a sigh and a whimper. As if he wanted to cry out, but couldn't. Like something was stopping him.

A cold, bone-numbing shiver rolled down my spine and I crossed my arms over my chest. It was weird watching him like this, but I couldn't bring myself to wake him in fear that he might find it weird as well. Or, that I would frighten him by standing over him like this. I was torn between staying or leaving. I couldn't just leave him laying there, crying to himself in his sleep. But yet, I couldn't stand here and watch for hours on end.

I needed my sleep as well.

A plan formulated in my head quickly and I retreated into my room. I yanked my blanket and pillow from my bed and trudged back down the hall. I closed Jasper's door behind me and set up my bed by the door. I laid down and pulled the blanket up to my chin. Up on his bed, Jasper turned over again and sighed.