The New Kid || Carl Grimes

Can't Sleep | 12.0

Skylar's P.O.V.

I awake in the middle of the night, crisp, cool air touching the bare skin on my arms and feet. I glance over at Carl's clock and through my blurry vision, I assume it reads 1:45 A.M.

Wait. I'm in Carl's room? In his bed?

I must've been super tired for me to fall asleep, and end up in his bed. Last thing I remember, I was wrapped in his warm arms, him keeping me warm.

I don't know why it's so cold tonight, because it's definitely not winter.

I focus my eyes on him, sound asleep, laying on his back and knocked in a constant, low snore. He looks so peaceful. Now, I'm bummed I woke up, because now I can't sleep and I'm not even in my own bed. Suddenly, I begin to lightly shake his shoulder. I need some company.

"Carl. Carl. Carl, wake up." I said as he sleepily blinks his eyes open towards me.

"Oh hey, Sky," he starts to sit up and he's screwing a fist in his left eye. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I just, uh, kinda can't sleep," I answered quietly, sitting up with him as well.

"Really? Because you were knocked out. You fell asleep in my arms," He chuckled, mimicking my snoring.

"Well, I suppose I was tired. It's been a long day."

"I guess you could say that twice," he stood up from under the covers and walked over to the mirror above his dresser. He started to fiddle with his eye bandage.

"You alright?" I asked, worriedly.

"Yeah, my eye just hurts a bit, that's all," he let out a painful hiss while continuing to fiddle with his bandage.

"Is your eye okay?" I asked, still curious.

"Oh, yeah, 100 percent," he rubbed it off in a casual way.

I think it's time to know.

"Carl?"

"Yeah?"

"W-what happened to your eye?"

Carl's P.O.V.

Holy shit.

I never thought she would ask me this early. Especially this late at night. And on top of that, my eye hurts like hell, and it's really bothering me. It's kinda giving me a headache. She keeps asking me what's wrong and I'm just rubbing it off, saying I'm fine when I'm really not.

I shouldn't be lying to her. Why am I not telling the truth? Should I just answer her right now?

"Carl?" She asks again, while I'm still facing the mirror.

In the reflection, I can see her squinting her eyes at me, as if she knows that I'm trying to back out of telling her what happened to me. She seemed to catch on quickly.

"Fine. Don't tell me. It's okay, I get it. Something personal right? It's totally fine," she turned her head and pulled the covers up to her shoulders and shifted over to her side. She began to close her eyes.

She was upset. I could tell, and this made me feel sympathetic.

"Wait, Sky," I turned around and looked down to her. Her eyes were still shut.