All That Leads To You

Chapter 6 | Night

"lately i've been in the backseat to my own life, trying to take control."

***

The sun is already up by the time my phone rings right next to my ear, jolting me so fast to the point that I'm thinking someone's busted my room wide open. I sit up, heart beating out of my chest and my gaze everywhere. When I see the door still tightly shut, I realised the noise is coming from near me and I scrabble all over the sheets trying to find my phone. When I finally catch the light of the screen, I lift it up to see Dylan's name on the screen. Groggily, I answer while on speaker.

     "Yes?" I sigh. "It's the weekend, Dyl!"

     He doesn't skip a beat. "We need to talk."

     "What?"

     "I'm on my way to your place right now."

     "What?"

     "Just get ready," he says, pausing for a moment. I can hear the sound of the wind and his footsteps crunching on the leaves. "It's about the letters."

     The letters. Yes. I've completely forgotten about them. After reading mine last night, I can't seem to remember much except of the way it made me feel. And I admit, I'm not the biggest fan of the feeling. I guess that's why I forced myself to sleep as soon as possible.

     But the two words. I remember them. I'm trying not to, but I can't. The more I try, the more I fail. West's handwriting pops up in my mind, and I struggle to erase the image. Heavy, heavy. The burden has not been lifted.

     Dylan hangs up before I can say anything else. A rush of emotions flows through my body as I race myself to the bathroom, practically tripping over my own legs and losing my balance all over the place. I'm not awake yet—not fully. And I know it. Yet, I'm still moving. I have to, anyway. When I look in the mirror, I realise that I'm still wearing the same outfit as yesterday. I must've really wanted to sleep then, because this isn't like me at all. I think I just wanted to forget.

     I throw on a hoodie and put the envelope in its pocket. The light at the staircase is off, making me think that my parents are awake because I specifically remember keeping them on last night before entering my room. When they're nowhere in sight, I figure they must've gone grocery shopping. I take a peek out of the window, and sure enough, the garage is empty. I'm one to wake up with the slightest noise, so guess I really was out, huh?

     The doorbell rings as I'm putting on my sneakers. I twist the lock and turn the handle, revealing a tired looking Dylan on the other side—his hair all over the place and his skin pale. It looks like he hadn't got any sleep.

     "Did you just wake up?" he asks, breaking the silence. Way to point out the obvious and make me even more groggy.

     I try to straighten my hoodie and tame my hair. "Is it that obvious?"

     "Do you have some granola bars?"

     "What?"

     He steps in, passing right in front of me. "We'll need some breakfast. I hear it's the most important meal of the day!"

     "Dyl—" I start to say, but I don't bother finishing my sentence. He's already in the kitchen going through the drawers, pulling out some granola bars and stuffing them into his pocket. He holds one out, pointing it to me.

     "Take this, damn it," he says. "I'll explain everything on the way, but I don't want you to starve!"

     What a drama queen you are, I think to myself. I'm tempted to say it out loud, but I decide not to. Instead, I take his offering and place it on the front pocket of my hoodie.