For Rylie

Chapter 11

I could almost picture Max frowning on the other end of the phone. "Because I s-stutter," he said, as if it were a known fact.

I couldn't help but laugh. "So let me get this straight. Max Harris, most popular guy in school, who got that title in a week might I add, stutters?"

I laughed again. Maybe it was just that he was drunk and talking to someone at 2 in the morning.

Wow, I was talking to Max at 2am.

What is wrong with me?

"No," Max sounded confused. "Max Harris, nerdy, normal guy who is t-talking to his best friend, I m-might add, stutters."

I was the one that was confused this time. "How can you choose when you stutter?"

It didn't make sense. You couldn't pick when you stuttered. It wasn't a choice.

It was silent for a moment and I thought that maybe he disconnected.

"I d-don't stutter in front of many people b-because I act like a cocky asshole."

I had never heard anything more true.

"Also if y-you rememember," he said sounding very, very drunk and silly, making me laugh.

Wow, he really shouldn't talk when he's drunk!!

"I sometimes stutter in f-front of you." He continued.

"You're still a cocky asshole around me though!" I exclaimed happily. "And you need to sleep!"

"No I have an excuse, I'm d-drunk!! You d-don't have an excuse," he told me just as happily.

"I have an excuse," I defended myself. Which was completely true.

"Oh yeah?" Max asked and I could picture that stupid, drunken face of his raising an eyebrow and smirking. "And what is your fantastic excuse?"

"Sleep deprivation is my fantastic excuse. Now I actually need to try to sleep or I'll pass out from sleep headaches so bye!"

I hung up, not wanting to answer any questions on this topic.

When I first started getting sleep deprived everyone would worry over me. I mean, look what happened with Kye the other day! I got a sleep headache and he was worried and wouldn't let me do anything but sleep.

That was the entire two years when I was sleep deprived and I don't want other people to do that. I'm not that fragile and I hated being seen as weak and pathetic.

I went back to Leah's room and slipped into the room, ignoring the silent calls that came through the phone.

I switched my phone off so that I wouldn't be tempted to answer another phone call from a drunken Max.

I lay in bed until the sun rose and waited for Leah's alarm to go off.

No sleep for me, yet again.

Yaaaaaaay.

I got up at seven and walked to the bathroom, getting dressed and getting my phone so that I could play games until Leah and Tessa woke up.

I was sitting in the lounge room when Leah walked in sleepily, her hair sticking up.

She frowned when she saw me wide awake on the couch, now sitting cross legged.

"Did you sleep at all?" She mumbled, rubbing a hand across her face sleepily.

I had the urge to laugh when Tessa came down and collapsed into the couch, looking a lot like Leah.

"Yeah! I slept til 1. Or was it 2?" I paused, taking out my cell. I went to recent calls and saw Max's number - now labelled with his name - at 1:53am. "Quarter to two, ish."