The New Companion

Don't Dream It's Over

Act Three
Chapter Fifteen:

I don't know how long I stayed in bed. But it was at least 24 hours. Now, I was only feeling thirsty. I was past the point of emotional eating which I should have been concerned about but like everything else, I didn't care. I only got up to go to the loo and get a drink. Food was no longer a priority. I picked my bear up off the ground again and hugged it close. After some frantic searching in the spare cupboard I had found my bear from when I was little that I had intelligently named, Number One. In the same box I had found my cassette and player. This was full of every single song that had meant something to me throughout my life and lots of kiwi classics like music from The Exponents and Crowded House. It had never failed to make me feel at home which is something I had wanted desperately. I gave my bear another squeeze as I hummed along to "Don't Dream it's Over" by Crowded House. This had been my comfort bear my entire life. It was with me every night when I felt sad and everything got to being too much. Holding it was always going to make me cry. Tears had just began flowing again when I heard a knock on the door. My heart fluttered as my brain thought it was David coming back for me, but I remembered that wouldn't happen. The person at the front door knocked impatiently three more times before looking for the spare key and letting themselves in.

"Zoe you better be dead or have a good reason for not letting me in," Macy yelled from down the stairs.

"Ugghhh," I groaned halfheartedly. I really wanted to be alone right now and though I loved my best friend to pieces, there was still a hint of doubt in my mind. What if she had done this. I knew she wouldn't. But David had cemented a seed of doubt in my brain that I couldn't shake.

"Zooooeeeeeeee?" I heard the thump, thump, thump as someone ran up the stairs. "David are you here? Where are both of you?" Obviously she didn't know yet.

"In here," I croaked. My throat was dry and scratchy from crying. Macy ran into the room and skidded with a stop once she saw me. Her mouth dropped open.

"What the hell happened in here? Where's David?" She demanded protectively.

"Stuff," I replied nonchalantly. She gave me the look she always gave me when I said stuff, the "I know more than just stuff happened Zoe Griffin so you better tell me now."

"I know more than just stuff happened Zoe Griffin so you better tell me now. You don't have your comfort bear and your home cassette tape out for no reason," She told me softly sitting on the corner of my bed. Now she was a mind reader. Great.

"Have you seen the papers recently?" I asked sitting up so a pillow was squished behind me. My hair fell at odd angles so I attempted to brush all of it out of my face with little success.

"No, Cedric and I have been out at my parents place and you know what they are like about internet and news." I nodded my head in solemn agreement. Macy's parents didn't believe in the internet or news, they lived in deep isolation and never read the paper. Something about not wanting to read about how the world is getting worse. I got their logic but I couldn't handle that kind of isolation. I climbed out of bed and plodded down the stairs motioning for Macy to follow. David's laptop was gone but mine was still sitting in the kitchen. I opened it up, turned it on and searched up my name. Pages of pages of information showed up. Mostly news and gossip sites with their opinions on me.

"This is what happened," I informed Macy falling down on the couch next to me. She leaned in closer to read the screen and actually covered her mouth in shock when she read it.

"Who the hell would do this?" She yelled spinning around once she had seen enough.

"I don't know," I whispered. "David thought it may have been me or you so we had a fight."