Potentially You and Me (Two Truths and a Lie)

CHAPTER EIGHT: MIDTERMS AND NIGHTMARES

CHAPTER EIGHT: MIDTERMS AND NIGHTMARES

"Ugh," Savannah groans before slurping up the last of her black iced coffee. "Midterms can officially suck my—"

     "Savannah!" Stephanie yells and shoves her shoulder before she can finish her sentence.

     Savannah doesn't even reciprocate the shove but ends up just slamming her laptop closed and hopping off Stephanie's bed.

     I blink my eyes a few times before giving in and rubbing them. All the words sprawled out across my laptop screen look small, and when I pass a glance at the notebook on my lap it resembles alphabet soup more than any coherent information. The only midterm I've survived so far is for my lab class, and the weight that lifted from my workload was relieving, but minimal.

     I reluctantly bring my hands back up to my keyboard and attempt to keeping typing up my review sheet for my philosophy midterm tomorrow. It's an in-class writing, and he gave us six possible prompts. You would think that would narrow things down, and to an extent it does. But for my black and white, hypothesis and conclusion, this is this and here is the proof kind of brain, the possibilities when it comes to analyzing philosophical literature make my head spin just a little more than usual. 

     It doesn't help that during review last class Trent made it is goal to blow the biggest bubble gum bubble with the most silent pop. He failed miserably—so miserably—that I only had a second to choke down a laugh just as the whole lecture hall went silent, and everyone's swivel chair to swivel in our direction.

     "Sorry," Trent lifted his hand up in an apology to Professor Collins.

     "You should be," he bellowed back before continuing to lecture. 

     "Ugh." Megan sighs, not as disgusted as Savannah's groan, but just as tired. "I'm done, too."

     I see Savannah push Stephanie's desk chair in my periphery, sending Megan for a spin around. However, Savannah decides to keep pushing, and Megan squeals a little bit. I glance over my shoulder to find that Megan decided to grab her phone and begin filming herself. They're both laughing and squealing, and I question how she's not dizzy yet before Savannah pushes against the back of the chair too hard and it almost goes crashing to the ground. Almost since Megan throws her hand out to grip Stephanie's desk, and Savannah lunches forward and grips the arms.

     "All right, fools." Stephanie hops down from her bed. "Let's go get some food." There's some rustling as they all pack up their things before my laptop gets slammed closed in front of me. "You're coming, too."

     "But," I start to protest, but Stephanie grabs my notebook and chucks it on my bed.

     "No, buts we've been studying for, like, two hours."

     I throw her some half joking disbelief, and she laughs as she slaps my arm.

    "Okay, maybe only you've been studying for two hours, but whatever you still need food." She pulls me up, and that's when I realize just how numb both my butt and legs are.

     "Fine." I give in as I stretch my arms up. "But we'll still study after, right?" I send my eyes around to each of them as I throw my black windbreaker on over my long-sleeve shirt.

     "Right." They all respond in unison, but they all drag out the word like lying little kids and drag me out of the room before I can say anything else.

****

I suck in a deep breath as I remember where I am. My muscles are tense and weighted as I try to roll over with heavy eyelids. My heart is thundering in my chest, moving its way up in my throat. I try to even my breathing again, but as soon as my eyes close again all I see is black hoodies and a van. They still have their hands on my arms and my legs and around my neck.