Sleepwalker

Chapter Three

Courtney Fisher was his on and off again girlfriend. Or at least that was what she gushed about in class. It was funny when you were shy. Most of the time it was a negative. But when it came to sitting around some of the most popular girls in school they assumed I never listened in on their conversations. How could I not though? They surrounded me! I was right in the middle of their juicy talks, so of course I knew a lot more than I should have. Not to mention their definition of whispering meant talking at an average level.

"That fish? Whatever, she blows, and he knows that. Why else would he have came up to you?" She patted where I had hurt her, before adding, "And I like this version of you. Very unpredictable. So emotional. I dig that." 

I gawked at her. "J.K. are you hitting on me?" My eye lashes fluttered. "It is about time! I've been lusting over you for years." 

We laughed among ourselves, clutching each other's hands. It was times like those that made me feel the happiest. Jacklyn Kate was my best friend, and I could not stand the thought of us dividing after high school. Her parents were dead set on colleges out of state, while I was going to stay home due to my sleeping condition. Sure there were video chats but it wouldn't have been the same. 

I would still want my best friend at my side, ready for whatever sarcasm she had to say next. 

"Time to take you home so we can tell your parents we're eloping!" J.K. grinned down at me as she stood up. "I am so ready for the honeymoon." 

Oh how I would miss Jacklyn Kate Jensen. 

The rest of the day was just as emotional as before, but only in a different setting. J.K. and I had been locked up in my room for hours talking, laughing, and occasionally getting into heated fights. Yet like any other time we parted on a good note: with a handsy hug and wink. My parents laughed at us and bid J.K. farewell before shutting the door and turning towards me with a look of disapproval. 

"What?" I asked, rolling my eyes. I knew they were upset about me bringing J.K. here without their permission, but they were the ones telling me to be social. That would mean inviting people to my house, not just for my birthday.

Their expressions confirmed my thoughts. "All you had to do is give us a heads up or something. Maybe I could have cleaned the house up for company."

"J.K. doesn't care if your part of the house is dirty. My room is clean and that is where we go!" I bit down onto the sandwich I put together, gazing at them pointedly. "Not my fault you guys dirty up a clean house so fast." Pushing past them, I placed my plate down on the kitchen counter and opened the fridge to get the missing ingredient: mustard. 

"And did I hear correctly that you talked to a boy today?" My mom came to my side, her attempt at being quiet a failure. That instantly caught the attention of my dad, and soon it was yet another family gathering only in the kitchen. 

His face was priceless. "A boy?" 

"You were snooping again?!" I sighed, shutting the refrigerator door harder than normal. "This is another reason for me not to invite people over. You guys can't mind your own business."

These two were absolute pests when it came to my social life. When ever I brought friends over they coincidentally had to do laundry at the same time. That way they got to listen in on us. Yet the majority of the time my parents put out on washing clothes because they were lazy. 

"Uh, um. Excuse me young lady, but you are our business. Now who is this boy and should I go get mom's shotgun?" My dad placed his hands on his hips trying to look intimidating. Clayton Hugh towered over him, and the mere thought painted my cheeks. "Are you thinking about him right now? No, no, no. You are forbidden."

I cackled alongside my mom. "Forbid-dden?" I was starting to hiccup as I laughed. 

For the most part my parents were cool - too cool, so to have heard my dad so frazzled about a boy who I never had a chance at was amusing. He stood there with a frown, his hands firmly glued to his hips. He reminded me of a much, much tinier version of Wreck it Ralph. 

"I'm going to go and open up the presents I got in the mail today. . ." I shook my head, chuckling. "You don't have to worry about any boys, daddy. Boyfriends are overrated. I don't want or need one."

It took a while, but eventually his expression softened. "Oh okay. Okay- um, good. Good."

I was glad he believed that, because I sure didn't. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I still could not believe the birthday present my Aunt May decided to get me. 

It was was bed wear, but not exactly for sleeping. The short-shorts made me cringe as I tried them on, reminding me very much of my volleyball spandex when I used to play. They were tight in all the wrong places, had the accent of lace on the sides, then sported PINK in big letters on the butt. At least they told me where to return them to. 

If the bottoms weren't bad enough, the top was just as risky. It stopped just below my bellybutton, enough to show off a good two inches of skin, and had a deep v-neck that displayed what little cleavage I had to offer. 

This was meant for the opposite sex. Not for me to sleep comfortable in. 

I honestly had no idea what she was thinking when buying this. 

"What is wrong with it?" My mom asked, eyeing me up and down. I felt so exposed. "It looks cute to me!"

I gawked at her. "This is like. . . not for sleeping, mom." My attempts at sugarcoating never got through to my mom. "This is for girls with boyfriends, or something." Another blank stare. Then finally I huffed. "I have no one to impress, making sweats a great option right about now."

My mom tsked. "You have it all wrong, Lucy." She stepped inside of the room and towards me and my mirror. When she stopped behind me, and looked at her daughter through the mirror, her smile was light and airy. "No woman wears something like this to impress anyone besides themselves." 

It took me a for moments to digest this, and when I had, the corner of my lips quirked up. Barely. After forgetting how uncomfortable I was, my eyes scanned my body, and I found my mom's words to be true. When the bottoms weren't riding up, and my top was placed in the perfect spot, I was impressed. Impressed but very, very uncomfortable. How could anyone wear stuff like that every night?

So I hurried my mom out, exclaiming I wanted to head to bed. I didn't want her to call Aunt May and tell her I was changing out of her present, so that was the best I could do without drawing anymore attention to myself. She argued at first, saying we could hop in to bed together and watch movies, but eventually she got the message I wanted to be left alone. 

Once the door clicked shut I stepped back in front of the mirror, scanning over myself one last time. 

The girls used to always tease me then that I slept like a little girl in my pajamas. They would sleep in stuff like that - short-shorts with a tank top. I assumed they did it for their boyfriends, but whenever they rode the single train with me, they would not change their attire. 

So why couldn't I indulge myself with something different like they do?

Not wishing to think one more second over it, I crawled into my bed. It was cold at first, but once my body adjusted, sleep fell onto me quicker than ever before.