Barely Breathing { IM5/Dana Fanfiction }

Chapter Six

About a week and a half had passed since the incident, and meeting Dana officially. Although I had came out without a scratch, fear still haunted my dreams. Sweat dripped down my face, as I tossed and turned, longing for the nightmares to be over. I'd wake up in the middle of the night, gasping for air, as if I were being suffocate in my sleep. This fear was getting the best of me.

Meeting Dana just made the dreams worse. Everything was so clear. I could see every little inch of his face in my head, listening to his deep voice as he told him to take the shot. I could see the sly smirk painted across his face as he watched me lay there in agony.

I tried avoiding sleep, but it didn't help. I would end up sleeping in class, and be forced to get detention. I knew Dalton could tell something was up, but every time he asked, I brushed him off with "I stayed up late last night." or something along the lines of an excuse.

The fat that I had been lying more than ever was starting to get to me. My parents questioned why I became so defensive every time they mentioned Harlem, or why I had been arriving home so late. I would just shrug them off the same why I had Dalton. I was fine with lying to parents, but every time I lied to Dalton, guilt hit me. I could tell he was catching on, but the lies kept spilling out.

- - -

Dalton and I decided to take a cab to the recenter today to get some work done with our partners. He had offered multiple times to ride with me to see Dana at the recenter, but I repeatedly declined. I wasn't sure if was the nightmares, or the fact he was a complete jerk that I was trying my best to avoid him .

"Can you believe people live here?" Dalton gazed out the widow on our ride.

"What do you mean?" I replied, staring down at my phone playing a game.

"These people, having to struggle like this. It makes you wonder." Dalton's gaze locked on the old buildings outside .

"Makes you wonder what?" I asked, placing my phone down.

"How they do it. We're spoon fed everything, can you imagine having to struggle like this?" Dalton was always the one to come out with something deep and thought-provoking.

"I don't know, maybe they adapt to it." I replied, thinking about it myself.

A few minutes later, we arrived in front of the recenter, getting out and paying the man his usual fee. We slowly marched up the stairs, making our way inside. "Whoa, Harlem, look at this!" Dalton's loud gasp caught my attention, turning back to see what he was staring at.

I met his gaze at the walls of the recenter, which has painted over, again. Except this time, it read multiple vulgar words, like screw this place, painted in large black letters.

"Someone's in need of an anger management class." I joked as Dalton and shook our heads and laughed our way into the recenter.

A small round table sat in front of the office doors, which happened to be our sign in. Dalton went first, finding his partners name and scribbling down his signature. "See you upstairs?" he added. I gave him a short ok, before leaning over to find Dana's name.

I scrolled down to the V's, looking for Vaughns, but it wasn't there. Well it was, but it had a large black line scratched through it. "What the hell?" I muttered.

"We're not going to the recenter today." A deep voice echoed throughout the silent room.

Dana stood, propped up against a beaten up soda machine. He kicked the bottom edge of it slightly, then hit the middle with his fist, as the gears loudly clanked and whirred. A few seconds later, two coke bottles fell out the bottom of the machine. With a grin, he picked them up, taking a sip.