Crazed Minds | ✔️

twenty four

"Do you get lonely, sure I get lonely sometimes."
-All My Friends, Snakehips
________________________________

I wake up in the morning slowly, gaining consciousness the same way you peel off a plaster. Slowly but painfully, until you rip it off and sit right up.

Jasper and Alec are lying on the floor with a few pillows and a fair distance between them. They're sound asleep. Last night they'd agreed to stay in my room in case I broke down in the night. I didn't object out loud, but I was more than certain that I wasn't going to break down. Sure, it's a scary thing- burying someone's body- but I've dealt with worse.

Before anything else, I notice a cool breeze flying into the room from the open window, so I shift my position on the bed and pull it shut as quietly as I can.

I then turn to eye the shininess of Jasper's blonde hair, and then the soft messiness of Alec's deep brown locks. My eyes trail to Alec's long eyelashes, and then to Jasper's puckered lips.

"Staring is creepy," Jasper whispers, eyes still closed and body unmoving.

I chuckle quietly and shift my legs so I'm sitting on the edge of my bed. "You sleep okay?"

"As good as the floor gets," Jasper says with a sigh, finally opening his eyes and exposing his bright blue irises.

"I told you that you didn't have to stay with me," I remind, wary we'll wake Alec, who is breathing softly.

Jasper sits up and crosses his legs. "I did have to stay. What happened yesterday isn't something that happens every day."

"You two exhaust me."

We both jump at the abrupt sound of Alex's voice. He sits up slowly, and faces us with an unimpressed look on his face. "What has a guy got to do to get some sleep around here?"

"How about not bury the dead body of the groundskeeper?" Jasper says mockingly, raising an eyebrow.

Alec waves him off and stands, stretching his arms above his head, his shirt lifting up and revealing his toned back. He then proceeds to pick up his jacket, and is about to leave, when he turns around and leans in to my cheek, pressing his lips to my skin. I freeze as his lips linger for a moment as he whispers, "Be careful, Liv." Then he leans back and slips out the door.

I watch the door in bewilderment for a moment, before turning to Jasper. "That was to get at you, you know that, right?"

He nods, standing up and frowning at the door. "Game on, Alec."

***

"Whitman is a powerful writer, and he uses language techniques to create an impact on the reader. To send a message that will stay with them, that's what writing does," Ms Harper explains to the class, sitting on the edge of her desk.

The second hand lands on the twelve, flicking the minute hand to tell us it's the end of the lesson. Everyone gets up as Ms Harper calls over the sudden eruption of noise, "Don't forget your homework for next lesson!" She looks around almost frantically. "Class dismissed!" she adds as if the class hadn't already dismissed itself.

I stand, pushing my chair in and avoiding Alec's gaze. I've barely spoken to him all class, because if I do something as simple as make eye contact, I'll be reminded of what happened yesterday. Maybe it has taken more of a toll on me than what I'd thought.

"Olivia, Alec, may I have a minute?" Ms Harper says once the classroom is close to empty.

Alec shoots me a look, and then turns to Ms Harper, nodding.