Forgotten

Chapter 2

"Alright Neona, what's wrong? And don't say nothing because you have been sitting there staring out the window for almost fifteen minutes."

I focus my eyes on Lucas who is sitting across the table from me. He is watching me with suspicious eyes. We are sitting at the corner table of a little café not to far from Peak 8 Imports. I had lost track of time trying to rationalize the things that I was seeing. I mean there had to be some sort of explanation. Maybe my mind was making up some sort of way for me to escape senior year and going to college. Let's pretend that a boy you have never seen is telling you to run across the country! That's perfectly rational. I sigh and take a slow sip of my coffee. Finally I look at the table.

"Just one of my anxiety things. It's ok."

Lucas sighs and looks up at the ceiling, probably saying a silent prayer right now. Why should he be so surprised, he has witnessed plenty of my anxiety attacks throughout our friendship. I usually get like this, don't I?

"Yeah I don't buy that. Something is really bothering you Neona. You know you can talk to me, it's ok. I don't bite. I'm here for you. That's what best friends are for, aren't they? Hearing out all your crazy theories and ideas then bringing you back down to reality and the rest of planet Earth."

He smiles at me encouragingly. What have I got to lose anyways? I take a deep breath and lean forward so that I can speak in a low voice,

"That Trent boy. He was in my dream last night."

"You are imagining it Neona." Lucas says flippantly.

"No. He was in my dream and he said something bad was going to happen to me. That there was someone coming for me and that I should run so they can't find me. And now he is missing. What does that suggest is going to happen to me?"

Lucas's eyes flash with alarm and he leans closer to me, his shoulders growing tense. I take another deep breath but I can feel my heart beginning to race. Not here. I silently plead. I get up and throw some money on the table before quickly walking outside. My breaths are coming in quick rasps now. I walk around the side of the building and sink to the ground, burying my head in my hands in efforts to calm myself down.

"Neona!"

Lucas calls. I can hear his shoes scuffing across the cement as he runs around the corner to find me. He sinks down in a crouch in front of me,

"Neona, hey, look at me."

He takes my small hands between his. I look up at him. My face is streaked with tears and I am still breathing too fast,

"Hey calm down, I'm here for you ok. Just take some deep breaths like you know how. You've gotten over plenty of these things."

I nod and take a deep rattling breath, slowly exhaling it through my nose,

"There you go, see that's it."

Lucas helps me to my feet and wraps a protective arm around my shoulders as I take a few more shuddering breaths. My heart rate is slowly climbing back down from the panicked state it had been in earlier. I hate these damn panic attacks. I always feel so foolish after them. Lucas sees them way to often. It seems that they have been happening way more often lately. The mess I had been on had done such a good job of preventing them too, why had they suddenly stopped working? I wipe under my eyes with my sleeve as Lucas opened the door of his jeep for me and helps me in before shutting the door firmly and walking around to the drivers side. As soon as he is buckled and wraps his hands around the steering wheel and sighs.

"Are you feeling better?"

he stares straight out the windshield, his eyes troubled. I take one last shuddering breath before replying,