District - 17: Reunification

Paranoia Part One

SHE STIRRED AT his side, blinked open her eyes and turned her head left and right. She saw his stare, fixed on the ceiling.

"Trouble sleeping?" she asked quietly.

He made no reply. Breathed deep and tried closing his eyes again. They opened back up. He felt her caressing his chest, moving up to his face, then his hair. He was silent, unmoving.

"Go back to sleep, Jake," he finally said. She still had hold of him. Her hand was cool on his skin.

Jaketta breathed deeply then and rolled over. "OK," she whispered.

She pressed herself into the mattress. Fell back to sleep, while Ryder lay quietly beside her and stared at the ceiling. He tossed and turned then sighed. He was spent. He had given up and surrendered to it. There would be no sleep. Not even with Jaketta's nocturnal engagements prior he felt like a ball of electricity. Energy surged off of him. He slid out of the bed, quietly, so as not to wake her. He stretched and yawned then padded out of the bedroom and to the entrance. He slithered out of the door and into the warm morning air. It had to have been no later than five or ten past six o' clock in the morning. He felt good in the gloom of dawn. He stood leaning against the rail looking out. Out at anything.

In the bathroom he shaved and contemplated a shower but didn't want the sound of the water to wake Jaketta. He stripped and tossed his shorts and socks into the laundry basket. Turned the knob slowly to generate a steady stream of hot water without the risk of scalding. Peaked out into the bedroom. She was fast asleep.

He dried off and dressed rather quickly. Blue jeans, a white long-sleeved and he was out the door. He made an extra effort to close it gently. His mind was racing but his stomach was giving him issues. Ryder settled on coffee and light breakfast. There were three other people in the apartments mess hall: the cook, property manager Mercedes, and Franco. He was seated in the back with a book in his lap and a hot cup of tea resting by his elbow. He looked up and winked. Ryder smiled and nodded, collected his meal and made his way over to the upperclassmen. He shot Mercedes a 'good morning' and 'hello' and grabbed a seat opposite Franco.

"You look cooked and up," he jested. He flipped a page. "Can't sleep?"

Ryder shook his head. Franco was gleaming and fresh. He had surely just showered due to his damp red hair. He was moisturized and his skin was smooth and bright in the light. He sat there, calm, reading his book while actively listening. He smiled at Ryder. "What's going on? Talk to me."

Ryder leaned back in his seat and put his hands over his eyes. Groaned.

"Jake?" Franco asked.

"It's not her," he scoffed. "We went at it three times last night. Nothing is working. It's me."

The bright morning sun shone radiant against his white shirt. Franco looked out at the scenery over the rim of his cup. He loved the low hanging clouds above the high-altitude dawn. He sipped his tea and smiled.

"You're your own worst enemy my friend," he said.

Ryder stared at him, confused. He jabbed his fork into his meat and cheese omelette and ate. Contemplated. Cocked his head and swallowed.

"Jaketta and you are different from Donny and Drew. Hell, from me and Johnnie." He took a sip and flipped another page. "You two have history. Deep, serious history. Homecoming king and queen at Marquis High. Star football player with a cannon of a leg. No goals were denied you."

Ryder scoffed and almost choked on his fourth bite. Shook his head. "I wouldn't say star, more like second best."

"You take care of everyone around you. I've seen it. You're not some selfish champion going into the major leagues, no, Ry, you passed all that up. And you want to know why?"