❝ You make this messed-up world look so much more beautiful. ❞ Gathering me in his arms, he pulled me close -- his lips seeking mine hungrily.
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The only thing Summer Hale has ever wanted was to live peacefully away from her secrets...
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Then my heart drowns out my thoughts, my head's about to explode — Anxiety by Julia Michaels
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A little girl stood in front of me, her face resembling a porcelain doll — doe-eyed with skin as white as snow and dark hair tied into pigtails. She was perfectly still, but her eyes seemed to be studying me at the exact moment I was. My hand reached out for her, and she mimicked the movement exactly. But where our fingers should have touched, there was nothing but glass.
Then it clicked. I was staring at my younger self.
"Summer! Where are you?!"
My eyes snapped open, my lips desperately gasping for air as beads of sweat trickled down my forehead. I glanced around, relief flooding through my veins at the sight of the faint orange light leaking through the glass windows where the curtains didn't cover. I searched for the clock on the wall and sighed when I saw that it was only four in the morning.
This was the first nightmare I'd had in months.
My attempt to fall back into slumber failed miserably when the feeling of emptiness consumed me from within. It was like something dormant inside was forcefully awakened, and I was left with nothing but the incredibly dull ache of it resonating in my chest.
Not wanting to wake Victoria from my tossing and turning, and incessant frustrated grunting, I carefully made my way out of bed and headed to the bathroom. I soaked in the bathtub for twenty minutes, staring at the tiles mindlessly, then I showered and dressed in a white knitted sweater and a pair of tattered jeans. Seeing that it was still early, I remained in bed and listened to a random podcast while waiting for the hours to pass.
My mind drifted back to the nightmare.
I was more overwhelmed with these changes than I considered, and the nightmare probably had to do with me refusing to go out over the weekends, even with Victoria's persistent bugging.
My eyes traveled to the soft glare reflecting on a portion of the tiled floors. I returned my AirPods into its casing then pulled open the curtain enough to see the outdoors and not shine at a sleeping Victoria. The sunrise bloomed on the horizon, stretching endlessly outwards into the rich blue with patches of clouds scattered all over. The trees and bushes rustled with the wind, and my nose flared as I inhaled deeply like I could smell the freshness of the morning dew.
