Johnny Orlando. Seventeen, and by day your typical kid; he gets good grades, plays almost all sports and loves video games. but by night?
Well that's the problem.
He has insomnia.
No treatment works for him, and they've tried it all- pills, remedi...
» It is not the years in your life but the life in your years that really, and truly, counts. «
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✧ Johnny Orlando ✧
January.
The holidays. Sea, sun, surf, sleep and repeat. The month where Johnny Orlando was like any other kid. Little did he know, it was the calm before the storm.
February.
The month of sleepless nights. School started, footy started, basketball started; in short, stress started. The glorious fun-filled month of January seemed like a distant memory, a surreal experience. While awake and moving Johnny was tired, but when trying to sleep he was wide awake.
March.
The month of anger and annoyance. No sleep equals being run down and tired– couple that with stress over sports, school and a social life... it's a recipe for disaster. Snapping at people and disrespecting his parents was a regular occurrence.
April.
The month where he blurted everything. Spilled the real reason why he was angry– he wasn't sleeping. This was the month of sleeping pills; prescribed to him by his perfect doctor parents who graduated from medical school with distinction. The month where he felt like he was walking on eggshells.
May.
The month of depression. Johnny slept for longer, but didn't want to ever get up. Sleeping pills gave him a horrible side effect; depression. His parents were horrified at the effect they had on him, as he went from an angst filled adolescent boy to an upset and uncomfortable man who tried not to cry within almost every sad situation.
June.
The pills were stopped, and instead he was forced to work out at the gym for long hours– in hope that endorphins would increase his mood and that the strenuous exercise would help him sleep. Although he grew out of his stick figure phase and because filled out and heavily muscled, nothing good came out of it. As ever, he still couldn't sleep.
July.
The month of therapy and talking. Countless times he talked to his schools counsellor, and countless times he got nothing out of it. It was simple, and it made him annoyed; there was absolutely no reason why he couldn't sleep, no mental or physical reason. Insomnia was Johnny's only barrier.
August.
The month of darkness. Everything was dark dark dark– an aid to help his brain produce melatonin. It worked; every so slightly. Johnny now got an extra hour of sleep, bringing his total hours up to four. He had the constellations mapped out over his roof in white paint, something his teammates would find weird, but oddly, he didn't care. He planned to quit all team sports and continue with gym work by himself.
September.
The month of diet. The month of no sugar. The month of dairy, nuts and seeds, and the month of honey and tea. No results. Nothing nothing nothing. Johnny asked his parents to stop searching for a cure, said maybe this was just going to be his life. They told their only child that they loved him, more than life itself, more than each other. They said they would keep searching as long as they lived. He cried.
October.
The month of music. The month of hard rock and pop and classical and surf rock, and of ballads and piano and guitar. Johnny discovered his love for it all; the singing, the guitar. His parents bought him one and he began to sing. It was exactly what Johnny had been looking for– an escape, a hobby, an interest. He loved it.
November.
Johnny was happy with his guitar, and his music, his diet, his exercise regime, his constellations, his mental space, his dark room, and his feelings. He never– never once though– felt content, or smiled blissfully. Never.
December.
The month where he met Mackenzie Ziegler. She changed everything.
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[724 words]
I'mquite proud of this chapter, so it would mean a lot if you could comment or vote on it :)
Also, I changed the template that I use before my chapters (the quote, pov, date, A/N) because I realised people just want to read. They don't really mind about all the fancy stuff :)
I hope you guys liked the prologue and will stick around to read the rest of the book. Honestly, it would mean a lot if you did. This book is so dear to my heart <3
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