And then he stopped. Shane leaned his forehead against mine, breathing heavily, our eyes still closed, and he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.
"Astra," he mumbled against my lips. "Please don't hurt yourself."
And all at once, his body fell l...
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C H A P T E R F I F T Y - S I X
S h a n e ༶ ｡◕
After I'd eaten with whatever little of leftover meal was in the fridge, I grabbed a juice bottle and headed upstairs. It was boiling hot outside, so there was no way I'd be sleeping easily even though it was about 2am and I should have been tired. I tossed my shirt over to the other side of the room somewhere and threw a blanket over the mirror so I couldn't wallow in self-pity.
This is me trying.
Bored, I sighed and scrolled through TikTok for a while. Even though it was addictive and a waste of time, it was interesting and funny. And a waste of time, which was what I needed to do right now.
I sighed after an hour or so had passed and collapsed back onto my bed, staring at the ceiling. Sleep didn't seem to be on its way anytime soon and my mind was energetic and awake and ready to run a hundred and one miles. I took my phone out again. I really wanted someone to talk to but Kyrie wasn't available.
Then I remembered he wasn't technically my only best friend.
I messaged a certain Graham Cracker. He replied within seconds.
Graham Cracker: hey. Why u awake??
Me: i could ask you the same thing
Graham Cracker: wanna call?
Me: and hear ur horrendous voice? No thanks.
My phone vibrated and I picked it up.
"If you think my voice is horrendous, you should hear your own."
"Please, I know. I sound like an angel."
He laughed dryly. A comfortable silence befell us for a few moments before he broke it.
"I had way too much tea and now I'm high on caffeine or something. I finally got rid of that sex-crazed girl. Honestly, I can't even remember her name."
We spoke for quite a bit about anything and everything; new shows, news, politics, school drama. I told him all about how I'd pulled the fire alarm and he laughed and said it was typical of me.
I realised how much comfort there was in being able to talk to someone as a friend. Someone to share all your thoughts and problems with. These past few days when I'd lost Kyrie had made me incredibly upset but it took me a moment to realise that there's nothing wrong with being alone. I still had plenty of attention in school and from friends like Graham and Astra.
Before long, I found myself yawning and my eyes drifting shut. I said goodbye and allowed sleep to carry me away into its peaceful abyss.
*
The following morning, mother made toast and eggs for breakfast. I sat there slumped on the counter, my eyes shut whilst my brain was awake. I'd had a horrible nightmare last night and my very few hours of sleep were greatly disrupted; this past week or so had drained my energy and sucked the life out of me. I was so tired that I didn't have the mental ability to even open my eyes; it took too much energy.
