The Not So Girl Next Door

Chapter 17: Childhood Memoirs

I WAS WALKING IN the hallway with Abby and Precious. It was strangely quiet. Huh. Usually, the students are so noisy, Principal Brown has to burst out of his office—which he RARELY leaves—just to yell at the top of his voice, “THIS IS AN ISTITUTIONAL PLACE YOUNG PEOPLE! NOT A MALL!”

But now, nothing. No lockers being slammed, no shoes hitting the granite floor, no rap music being played by the “COOL” kids—absolutely nothing.

“Why is it so quiet?” I asked Precious. I turned around but she was gone! Abby was nowhere to be found too.

What is going on here?

I tried to look for other people but the halls were deserted. I walked faster while trying to come up with a rational explanation on why my two best friends suddenly disappeared and why the school was in a muted silence.

Finally, I saw Chase’s brown hair and ran up to him. “Chase!”

He turned around and I was surprised to see that it was Jared!

I walked away, feeling stupid. Then I saw Jared by the gym and walked towards him. He turned around and he was not Jared but Chase!

I started running, unable to explain why but I just ran to no particular direction.

Suddenly, I saw a hundred Chases and Jareds fill my vision. Not one Chase and one Jared, but HUNDREDS! Like they were cloned or something. I ran faster but only to realize that they were EVERYWHERE!

“Hi Kelsie!” They kept saying again and again. I covered my ears and tried to clear out their deafening voices as I flew through the halls.

My eyelids fluttered. It was just a dream, Thank God! I was sprawled awkwardly on the leather couch with my laptop on my lap. I must have fallen asleep during the elimination part of ANTM.

I got up and a wave of vertigo washed over me. I fell back on the couch and rubbed my head. Whoa. Must have been the CRAZY dream. Or maybe the pudding.

I got my cell phone and looked at the time. It was four in the morning. The TV was still on though I had no idea what show it was airing.

My eyelids drooped. I wanna go back to sleep but I’m afraid I might have that dream again. I got up (I wasn’t dizzy anymore), turned the TV off and went up to my room silently. When I got there, I grabbed a book from my shelf and made my way to my bed.

I didn’t realize that the book I got was the Eclipse book that I borrowed from Abby last summer until I saw my bookmark wedged inside the pages. I just remembered that I started reading this but got too lazy to continue. I turned to the page to where the bookmark was and started reading.

A few seconds later, the book was on the floor. I had thrown it there the second I read, “How did that work out for Jared?” I asked to break the silence.

I had forgotten that one of the book’s minor characters was named Jared. Though it wasn’t really an important part but still.

I rested my hands underneath my head and closed my eyes. When I opened them, light was streaming out of my windows. I must have had a dreamless sleep then. Good.

The smell of bacon and eggs wafted in my room. Since all I ate was pudding and ice-cream last night, my stomach grumbled. Ugh! I’m so hungry I bet I could scarf down Danny’s breakfast as well!

I got up and grabbed the book from the floor. I turned to the page again, and read what I had left off before throwing it.

“No drama there. It was just a girl he’d sat next to in school everyday for a year and never looked at twice. And then, after he changed, he saw her again and never looked away. Kim was thrilled. She’d had a huge crush on him. She’d had his last name tacked on to the end of hers all over her diary”