Cautiously, I approached the front door. There didn’t appear to be any reason to believe that anyone was awake inside, but I couldn’t be sure. I removed my keys from my pocket and turned the lock slowly. This was the moment of truth. There was a very strong possibility that one of my parents could be waiting for me on the other side of the door; gently and fearfully, I turned the knob. After taking a deep breath, I pushed it open to find that everything was exactly as it was before I’d left. I closed the door behind me and tiptoed up the stairs to my bedroom; changing in the dark to ensure that no one would notice the light. I slid into bed and stared out the window……2:30am. Tonight was pivotal for me. I’d never done anything even remotely that rebellious. Apparently AJ’s boldness was a bit contagious.
At around 4:15 I was finally calm enough to sleep, and that was wayyyyy past my bedtime. So, needless to say, when my alarm sounded at 5:30, I wanted to pound it into a thousand tiny pieces and then set it on fire. It felt as though I’d just laid my head on my pillow and dozed off. My eyes were dry and burned like I’d rubbed them with salt. My body felt like it was too weak for me to stand, but I had to hold it together or my parents would be suspicious. Slowly, I peeled myself out of bed and did the old lady shuffle to the shower. That helped a little, but I still felt like the walking dead. I dressed sluggishly and didn’t put much effort at all into doing my hair. I grabbed my purse and flopped down the stairs to eat breakfast.
Mom was in the kitchen drinking her coffee. Her eyes followed me curiously around room as I grabbed the cereal, a bowl and the milk from the refrigerator before sitting down at the table across from her. I tipped the cereal box until my bowl was half full, and then I reached for the milk…..or so I thought. To my surprise, I’d grabbed the orange juice instead. I sighed and seriously contemplated using it just to avoid having to get back up, but then remembered that my mom was there and she might find it strange if I willingly ate my Frosted Flakes with O.J. Reluctantly I got up from my seat and switched it out for the milk and returned to my chair.
After clearing my place, it was time to go. My car looked like it was a million miles away as I trudged toward it with tired legs and blurred eyes. I sat in the driver’s seat for a minute before starting the engine. Sneaking out was starting to seem like a stupid idea now. I drove to school absentmindedly and parked the car. I saw AJ getting out of his car looking like he’d gotten about ten hours of sleep last night. Impossible…..he should look as bad as me! I got out and made my way toward the school, lacking the energy to catch up with him or even call his name. He happened to look back and saw me struggling to stay upright. From ahead, I heard him laugh a little, but I didn’t bother to look up. He waited until I caught up and then began to pace again.
“Good morning, sunshine,” he said sarcastically as he threw his arm around my shoulders, still laughing at my expense. I leaned into him, appreciating the extra support.
“There is no way you’re this normal and I look like a freakin’ zombie over here.”
As we made our way into the school I’d almost completely forgotten about the drama with Antonio…….until we nearly walked right into him. I’d already made up my mind not to be too open with AJ on school grounds out of respect for Antonio, but in my drowsy stupor, I’d been too careless. My eyes met Antonio’s and I could see the hurt that filled them when he glanced at AJ’s arm casually draped around me. If he weren’t so proud, he might’ve run off to the bathroom crying.