5 Days of Summer

Chapter 22: Thursday

I woke up inside the car. I can hear the engine's hum, and feel its vibration. The air conditioner is on; I peek in front and found my dad gone. I glance at the time on the car's miniscreen, and it was already two in the afternoon. I click my tongue and scoff as I rest my back on the backrest.

Yes, dad, you should leave your daughter inside the car while she's asleep.

He could've just wake me up! It's a good thing the aircon was on, or else I would die from suffocation. I'll be one of those ghosts who haunts this school, and I'll scare the life out of my father. I stare into nothingness while I'm still disoriented. I don't want to go out and deal with life while my mind's still somewhere outside Earth.

I lean in front and switch off the engine before going out; the car keys going 'round and 'round as I twirl them in my index finger. I still have an hour before our practice, so I decided to go inside the library and finish Line's book.

Mrs. Cherry, the cheerful librarian, greeted me with a smile when I entered. I sit on my favorite spot and open the book, picking up where I left off, sniffing it in the process, making me smile. Nothing smells better than books.

"Found you," Justin's deep, hush voice makes my hair on my nape stand up. My heart suddenly stopping, then went back to beating — only a little faster than its normal pound. How come I didn't notice him entering? I casually take a deep breath before looking up, seeing his timid smile plastered on his face as he looks down on me, both his hands holding the backrest of the chair where I was seated.

"It's quite unusual to see you here. Library work?" I ask. During my stay here, I never saw him entering the library. I only saw him once, and that was the time Line lent me his book.

He frowns and shakes his head.

"I'm fetching you, you're five minutes late already," he says, making me frown also.

"What do you mean?" I ask, my brows still furrowed. I just got here, and the last time I check, it was still two in the afternoon.

He leans closer to me, making me sink deeper into my chair. I let out a sigh of relief when he stands straight as he fishes his phone out from his pocket. He turns it on, showing me the time. I gasp when I saw the time, it's already 3:05 in the afternoon. I glance at the clock hanging on the wall as well as on my phone — they tell the same time, mine's just two minutes advance.

"Let's go, they're all waiting," he says, ruffling my hair in the process. I frown while fixing it, and hit his back as hard as I could, breaking the silence inside the library — even Mrs. Cherry glances at our direction when she heard the noise of my palm landing on Justin's back. He would've fallen face-first had it not been for the table beside him, and friction. He turns his head behind and glares at me, which makes me stick my tongue out in return, before heading out first.

The closer the distance between me and the music room, the faster my heart is beating. I have never been late during practice, so I don't know what's waiting for me inside, especially Line. Geez, that guy is scary in all aspects; the only time that he doesn't give off this "fear me" vibe is when he smiles. I still remember Line and Maddy's fight and the way he spats venomous words towards her.

Justin opens the door, revealing Keith doing some riffs on his bass, Ivaun hitting his cymbals with a bored look, and Line, in front of his keyboard doing nothing but staring into space. As soon as I set foot inside the room, I bow my head and blurts out some nonsensical apology.

The room got quiet as they stare at me like I'm some sort of ghost; Justin, on the other hand, is trying to stifle a laugh, which earns him an elbow on his stomach from me. I even hear him cuss as he clutches his tummy, making my soul happy. Serves you right!