The Ride Home

Chapter 16

Blake was gone from school today, but I barely noticed.

I had been enticed by Blake's presence but when he pushed me away, Ben was waiting there to catch me. And I needed someone that would support my weight rather than be the cause of it.

Ben gave me a ride home, resulting in me getting home before my parents. I spent the extra time alone blaring music in the living room while baking cookies.

And when my parents pulled into the driveway, I turned off the music, grabbed the freshly baked cookies, and scurried up the stairs to my room.

I lunged onto my bed and happily munched on a cookie. I mindlessly ate on the dessert as I continued to fill out pointless questions on my homework. When I finished the last problem, it was already dark outside. I sighed and chucked my school bag across my room. I set my plate, now full of crumbs, on the floor by my bed and pulled the covers over my head. And sleep was quick to overcome me.

My stomach woke me up in the middle of the night.

I could feel sleep slip out of my fingertips as my stomach grumbled. I groaned and threw the covers off of me, destroying my warm surroundings. The air was cold against my skin and I desperately wanted to climb back into my cozy fortress.

But I was hungry.

And nothing, not even sleep, gets in the way of food.

I trudged down the stairs and walked into the kitchen. I scavenged through my cupboards before I decided on cereal.

Cereal was good any time of the day; even two in the morning.

The fridge was empty of milk causing me to curse in irritation. But I wasn't going to ignore my hunger.

No milk, no problem.

I poured myself a bowl of dry cereal and hungrily picked at it.

When I was done shoving the food into my face, I set the bowl in my sink and happily skipped back up the stairs.

My bedroom door came into view and I couldn't help but smile.

My beautiful bed sat on the other side of that door.

A welcoming, warm, sexy bed waiting just for me to-

Wait.

I removed my hand from the doorknob and pursed my lips in confusion.

The light from my bedroom was pouring into the darkness, illuminating the hallway.

And there was one problem.

I turned the light off when I left my room for food.

And this caused me to second guess everything considering the light was now on.

Unless I'm going crazy?

But my ears caught onto a slight creak in the floorboards behind my door.

Is someone in my room?

I felt my heart quicken at the thought of what was beyond my bedroom door. I cautiously walked back downstairs and started to scavenge through a cabinet. My hands finally gripped onto a wooden bat from when I played softball in middle school.

I creeped back up the stairs, my bat in hand, and warily grasped the door handle.

God, if I die I need to confess some things to you so I can leave this world with a good conscious.

I did steal Susan's candy in kindergarten.

And when I was twelve I broke my neighbor's window and blamed it on Susan, but it was me.