Out

Chapter 13

"Stop!" I scream. "Can't you see you're hurting him?" I look to the little boy on lying the floor, bloody and bruised. Sobbing, I cover my face with my hands. When I move them agian, I'm in a different place. It's a courtroom. Everybody is staring at me, all with different expressions on their faces. Some scared, some sympathetic, some angry, and still some showing no emotion whatsoever. All of a sudden, I hear a loud BANG! and the word "GUILTY!" echoing through the courtroom. My heart rate increases. It's getting warmer in here... No, not warm, unbelievably hot. Flames spread over the whole room, and consume my body as I'm screaming-

I wake up screaming, sitting straight up in my bed. Then I begin to sob. These nightmares keep getting worse.

I rip the blankets off my bed. Crying hysterically, I slide on some flip-flops and grab my keys. I bring down the volume of my sobs so that I can walk through the halls unheard. Once I reach the back doors, I push them open quietly and step outside. Then I just run.

I don't know where I'm going yet, but eventually I'll end up somewhere. The air burns my lungs as I sprint, my heart beating ridiculously fast. I'm not sure why I decided to run.

Eventually, I stop and lay down. Right in the middle of the grass. Once I start breathing evenly again, I sit up. I have no idea what time it is because I didn't think to grab my phone before I left.

I should probably-

"Sophie!" someone whispers, making me jump. "Didn't think I'd find you here."

I turn around and see Jared, all sweaty and gross. "Jesus!" I mutter. "You scared the shit out of me, you asshole!"

"Sorry," he mumbles. Then he asks, "What are you doing out here?"

I look around awkwardly and say, "Well...to be honest, I'm not sure."

He gives me a quizzical look. "I just kinda ran and...ended up here."

"I'm so confused..." he tells me.

"You're not the only one," I respond. "I take it you're...out for a jog?" I guess, looking him up and down.

"You got it, Princess."

"Princess?" I laugh quietly.

"Yeah, sure. I like it," he says.

"Okay then," I say, still smiling at new nickname. "Hey, do you know what time it is?" I ask him.

He looks down at his watch and says, "Four-thirty." Then he adds, "Which confuses me even more as to why you're out here."

A picture of the burning courtroom flashes through my mind, and I shudder. "I just needed some air," I say quietly. He looks worried, but doesn't press for any more information.

"I should probably get back to my room..." I realize.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea," he agrees. "I'll walk you back."

"Oh no, it's fine, I can-"

"I'm walking you back, Princess. All arguments are futile."

I just shake my head and laugh.

We walk back to my room in silence, Jared pretty much leading the way because I don't really know how to get there.

Once we reach the doors, he looks at me and asks, "Why were you really out here, Soph? I mean, people don't just randomly get up and run outside for no reason."

The little boy's face flashes in my mind. "I don't want to talk about it," I say quietly.

He just nods his head. "Okay. Well, if you ever do, you know where to find me." Then he adds, "Did you make up with Lexi yet?"