The Girl Unnoticed

36. Are You Drunk?!

Chapter Thirty-Six: Are You Drunk?!

Thud.

Thud.

Ugh. What was that sound? Is this my dream? Am I still sleeping?

Thud.

Another time? I don't think it's a dream now. It's too realistic. My eyes opened slowly and my vision took a few seconds to focus onto my bedroom ceiling. I shifted my body in my blankets and turned to my side to glance at my clock. It's 1.00 a.m.

Wait. 1.00 a.m?! Why am I awake at this hour by these strange sounds? I sat up in my bed. My throat felt dry and.. I felt something tickling the side of my neck. A cold wave of fear ran through my body. I looked down slowly...

It's my earphones. Thank the heavens. Just then, I remembered. I had left them dangling from my ears since I slept with them on. There was no longer music playing in them. My playlist had only lasted for an hour.

I tugged them off my ears and got out of bed to put them on my desk along with my phone. After that, I sat back down on my bed. I heaved a sigh. Why was I scaring myself? I must also be hallucinating the sounds. Just because it's midnight-

Thud.

Oh no. What is that? I can't be hallucinating this again right? I felt my heartbeat quickening its pace and I was sure some goosebumps were already forming on my arms. The sound was from my window. They were soft thuds, like something lightly hitting the window pane. I stared at my window for half a minute, contemplating whether I should take a look at it.

It's been a minute and the soft thuds from before were gone. It was eerily quiet and I blamed myself for overthinking again. Why am I scaring myself again? There could be a strong wind out there and the branches of the tree outside my window could be the ones that were making the sounds. Yep, I told myself, most probably that. Perhaps I watch too many horror movies and scare myself too much.

As I was about to put my legs back on my bed and go back to sleep, there it went again. The thud sound. This time, a little bit louder than the previous. Okay. I had decided. I needed to see what was happening out there.

I stood up and walked towards my window. One step, two steps, three steps, four steps, five steps.. my window was in front of me. I sucked in a breath and pushed the curtains aside gradually. Today might be the last day of my life...

I expected to see my worst nightmare-maybe a man with no face staring right back at me or worse, nothing at all. The tiniest hopeful side of me would wish it was a stupid branch that was making the sound because of the wind so that I could go back to sleep in peace. But none of my expectations were right.

Well.. there was a figure. Of a boy, to be exact. He was standing there on the ground of my house compound, looking up to my window. I recognised him immediately. What in the world... This is not who I think it is right?

Quickly, I opened my window wide. I put my head outside and faced down to take a closer look. It was really him.

It's Jackson freaking McLean. He saw me and a big goofy smile appeared on his face. He was wearing a blue hoodie and jeans but something else caught my eye. One of his hands was holding a few pebbles. So that was it. He was the one throwing pebbles at my window. At midnight.

"Jackson?" I managed to croak, with my throat feeling so dry. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Jackson, is that you? Umm..what the hell are you doing here?!"

The big goofy smile was still there on his face. Something was definitely off. What was it with him?

"Hey Leighton!!!" he shouted. "Did I wake you up?"