Give Me Courage (Give Me Series #4)

30 - Four AM

Goosebumps rose in waves across my arms from the cool air of the ceiling fan above my bed. I blankly stared at the five blades spinning through heavy lidded eyelids, impatiently waiting for the sweet relief of sleep to lull me into its dark abyss. An annoyed and frustrated sigh escaped from my lips as I dramatically flipped onto my right side, flinging the comforter around in the process. The springs in the bed squeaked underneath my weight.

I desperately squeezed my eyes shut before I immediately snapped them open when Stiles' heartbroken face reappeared in my mind. My heart ached over the pain and heartache I felt after the events in the school hallway. All of my emotions I purposely shut off came back with a vengeance I had not prepared for after the virus fully left my body with my guard down.

Part of me considered shutting them off once more, but I feared what our relationship would come to if I blocked him out completely. I didn't want to lose him or what we had together. Not even twenty four hours had passed since the disaster between the two of us and I missed him dearly.

My upper torso flew up from the bed at the thought of losing him. A few strands of hair tangled into small knots from the constant twisting and turning in my sheets, trapped in my own thoughts of fear and turmoil.

I pursed my lips together as I considered my next option. The idea of staying in bed for the next six hours sounded purely miserable. Sleep would never come to me if I didn't talk to Stiles. I needed things to be better between the two of us.

The blankets were thrown off of my body and nearly tossed off the other side of the bed. I swiftly climbed out of my bed, all while trying to quietly walk across the floors to my closet for my white Converse near the opened door.

My fingers worked fast to pull on a pair of socks and the sneakers before I swiftly slipped out of my bedroom without changing out of my black leggings and oversized shirt I stole from Aiden's clean laundry pile. I glimpsed down the hallway at the boys' doors, grateful to see they remained shut.

My legs carried my body toward the wooden staircase, carefully stepping around the middle section of each step to avoid any squeaky wood panels. The pad of my thumb pressed against the side of my phone to click the screen on and check the time, curious to know how much time passed since we disappeared into our own bedrooms after we returned home from the school.

The entire school was surrounded by cop cars, ambulances, CDC vehicles, and worried parents by the time we stepped out of the school doors, free of the virus. The pack ventured off into their own directions, equally exhausted by everything we had been through.

Four am.

Perhaps, I was a tad crazy to be leaving my house so early in the morning to talk to Stiles about the traumatic events that happened between us, but if I knew him as well as I thought I did— Stiles wouldn't be asleep either.

"Where are you going?"

"Oh, my—!"

I jumped in fright, startled by the sudden voice in the darkness of the kitchen. My right shoulder slammed into the wall when I stepped down from the final step of the staircase. I squinted into the darkness until I spotted a barely visible silhouette in the kitchen.

Isaac stepped out of the kitchen and walked closer to the staircase, face partially illuminated by the night light in the foyer. A white, glass bowl was balanced in his left hand filled with Apple Jacks cereal and a silver spoon in his right.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" I hissed at the sight of him, heart rapidly pounding inside of my chest. I flicked my hair out of my eyes and pushed myself away from the wall I slammed into. "Why are you awake?" I whispered to him.