I blinked, and all of a sudden, it was Friday. The week had gone by so fast and without incident. It seemed the meds the doctors gave me were actually working. I haven't had any hallucinations nor heard any voices, and it appeared my nightmares had gone away too. I was relieved.
The school had calmed down as well. Isaac was no longer the center of attention anymore, which he was thankful for. Jessica had been obsessing over my date all week. She even went out and bought me an outfit despite my protests. It was an adorable outfit. Isaac had moved from the corner of math class and now sat with us.
Jessica talked our ears off about the upcoming homecoming dance, trying to persuade Isaac to ask me.
"One thing at a time, Jessica, it's just the first date." I rolled my eyes, though the thought of dancing with him again made my heart frantic. Isaac's smile widened, and Jessica continued to talk about the dresses we would wear and how we'd do our hair and make-up.
She's always so animated; I wonder if she ever gets tired?
"Are you excited for tomorrow?" Isaac asked while we were finishing our assignment.
I nodded. "Yeah, It's going to be fun, and since this medicine seems to be working, I won't have to worry about having an episode," I said this, but my stomach still twisted into nervous knots.
"Even if you did, you know you're safe with me. Right? And if anyone tries to give you grief about it, they'll have to go through me."
I started to laugh, but I caught the seriousness in his eyes, and I blush instead. He was so kind and accepting, like Jessica... I hope everything goes well tomorrow.
After math class, my next few classes blurred together. I got excited to see Isaac again in AP history. Girls giggled about homecoming, and boys walked around nervously, wondering if the person they wanted to ask would say yes. I always attended dances with Jessica and Michael, forever the third wheel though they never made me feel like it. Jessica insisted I went even when no one asked me to be their date. She was always there for me. I wonder if she was excited for Isaac to take some of the load off her. I tried making friends throughout the year, but no one seemed to want to hang with the weird girl with the mental disease.
When I walked into the classroom, Isaac wasn't there. Maybe he was late? I sat, and I waited, but Isaac didn't show up. I wonder where he went. History was boring without him and seemed to last forever.
After school, Jessica said goodbye to Michael and followed me onto my bus. She wanted to come over and help me pick out what to wear. Jessica confessed that she was struggling in science during the bus ride and asked if I would help her study for the upcoming test. I agreed, we both could use more study time in science. Physics sucked, and I was terrible at it.
We hit a big bump, and everyone jumped in their seats. The bus driver cursed. I looked through the back window. There wasn't anything on the road... Wait, what's that..? There was a faint golden shimmer on the ground... Weird. I silently worried it was my medicine failing. The air around me felt strange and tingly.
When I sat back, Jessica was staring hard at me, her eyes squinting.
"What?" I instinctively reached for my face, thinking I had something on it.
Jessica shook her head and laughed. "Nothing! I just thought I saw your skin sparkle. It must have just been the sun. You are pretty fair-skinned." Relief washed over me. I was really pale; my dark hair didn't help much either. Make-up was always a pain, so I never bothered to use any.
We both ran into my house, saying hi to my father on the way up to my room. Jessica practically dove into my closet as I sat on my bed.
She started throwing a bunch of clothes at me. "I'm so excited for you. I remember Michael and I's first date. It was in the summer, and he asked me to go swimming with him in the river. Broughton Beach was so packed though we managed to find a spot close to the water. But a bunch of kids came by while we were swimming and decided to move our stuff too close to the water. All our things got wet, our towels, clothes, even the lunch Michael had packed for us." She chuckled fondly. "It made him so mad. We ended up finding this really nice mom-and-pop diner later. It was delicious and cheered us right up. Now it's our favorite place to go to."
I stared at her, not knowing what to say.
"I hope you find what I've found. Because Liz, it's really the best thing in my life... Now! Onto a less serious note. I want you to try these on, and we'll see if we can find a nice, comfortable movie outfit." She winked at me and held up some jeans, various blouses, and dresses.
After hours of trying on clothes and Jessica showing me how to put on a fair amount of make-up, we landed on a pair of dark leggings, a black tank top, a slightly oversized white knitted sweater, and knee-high brown boots. Since it was going to be chilly tomorrow afternoon, it was best to dress warmly.
We laid on my bed, staring out of my skylight. It was already dark out, and we had eaten dinner. Since she stayed over so late, her mom said she could spend the night. I was thankful. She could help me get ready tomorrow. Maybe give me some of her courage and confidence.
"How are you, Liz? Really? I never ask enough. It may seem like I don't notice sometimes, but I do. Living with schizophrenia must be so hard. I was so worried that night. I thought I lost you... you know you can talk to me about these things? I may not fully understand, but I can listen and maybe relieve some stress." She shifted to look at me, her blue eyes lit up by the moon.
"I'm fine. Really. I'm much better now that I have medicine that actually works. I'm even sleeping better. I don't want to worry everyone."
"Well, you can't help that either, hun. People who care about you are going to worry. But it's just because we love you so much." She hugged me tightly and then rolled over, yawning. "I'm gonna go to sleep; you have a big day tomorrow."
I laid there for a while, looking up at the moon. It was full tonight. It looked so beautiful. What did I do to deserve such a good friend? I hope she knew that I would be there for her whenever she needed me to. My eyes started to drift closed. I rolled, pushed the button to close the skylight, and fell into a deep sleep.
I woke up to the sound of birds chirping. It was an excellent start to the day, and then I remembered I had a date today. Butterflies swarmed in my stomach. Jessica came jumping into my bedroom from the bathroom, her hair wrapped in a towel.
"Good morning, sunshine! You have a date to get ready for!" She clapped her hands and tossed me a towel and my clothes. "Get in there and get a shower. It'll help with the nerves; I'll help you with everything else once you're done." She pulled me out of bed and pushed me towards the bathroom.
I laughed, but she was right. The hot water did help with my nerves and helped me relax a bit. I stepped out into the warm steam that now filled the bathroom, clearing my head. I dried off and pulled the outfit we picked out yesterday on.
I started to feel really light-headed. I gripped the counter taking in several deep breaths. I felt a strange sensation in my eyes. I wiped away the fog from the mirror, and my head started pounding. My eyes seemed to glow a vibrant purple, and my body shook. What was happening to me? Looking back up at the mirror, I jumped. The cloaked figure was standing behind me. My body ached, my heart sped up; I spun around and collapsed.
I woke up to my dad and Jessica hovering over me. They both looked worried; the guilt ate away at me. I'm the cause of their constant worry; why was I like this? Jessia was fanning me; my body felt like it was on fire.
"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Dad asked, helping me up.
"Y-Yeah, I feel fine. I guess the stress and nerves of the date were a bit too much for me." I lied. I still felt a bit dizzy, but the worst was over.
"You don't have to go on this date if it's going to trigger these things, Liz. I'm sure Issac doesn't want you passing out during your movie." Jessica laughed nervously. She's never seen me like this, and neither have I.
"I'll be fine. I want to do this. I already agreed to it, and I kinda like Isaac." I blushed.
After a few more reassurances, dad finally left Jessica and me to finish getting ready as long as Jessica and Michael came with me on the date. I didn't mind. It would help ease the butterflies in my stomach. Once my hair had dried, Jessica went to work with the curling iron. She effortlessly tamed my unruly hair into soft, silky beach curls.
I don't know how she does it all.
Next was the make-up; Jessica hoisted up her huge make-up bag and smiled at me. I nervously smiled back; I have never seen so many bottles and brushes, palettes, and compacts. It's a miracle it all fit in her bag.
Twenty minutes later, Jessica was finally satisfied with my look. She went with a light smokey eye, with a hint of silver and purple to bring out my eyes. She finished off the look with dark lipstick and a smidge of cherry blossom perfume.
She gave me a once-over, then patted herself proudly.
"If Isaac doesn't fall over from your beauty, the man has no taste, and you're better off without him."
I laughed. "You did amazing, Jess. I could never accomplish this in the amount of time we had. You look good too." Jess had raided my closet since she was coming with me. Her blonde hair was set in a loose french braid, and she wore dark jeans and a blue long sleeve off-the-shoulder sweater.
"I got a text from Michael. He's out front. We're going to stop by my house on the way to the theater. See you later." Jessica grabbed her bag and hugged me goodbye.
I nervously paced in the foyer and jumped when I heard the doorbell a few minutes later. I took a deep breath and answered the door. Isaac's eyes widened, and I could see him start to blush. "Wow! Elizabeth, you look beautiful!" He held out his hand for me; I took it, and an electric shock ran up my spine. "Are you ready?" He asked.
I nodded and yelled to my dad that I was leaving, hurrying out the door before he could see Isaac. The last thing I need is my dad embarrassing me by asking him a bunch of questions again.
Isaac drove a nice black Cadillac with leather seats. The air was thick with nervous tension. Mostly mine, really. Sensing this, Isaac reached over and grabbed my hand, squeezing gently.
"Everything is going to be okay, Liz; I promise no harm will come to you. Besides, Jessica seems like the kind of girl you do not want to piss off." He smiled sweetly and took a turn onto the highway.
I felt myself relax slightly and stared out the window. The roads were surprisingly busy, considering the past catastrophes.
"It seems like our town is back to normal after last week's craziness. I wonder what caused all that." I said. Isaac shrugged and just sped up, zipping through traffic with ease.
I turned to look out the front and felt my heart leap into my throat.
Right in front of us was the cloaked figure from earlier. The wind and passing cars blew their cloak around wildly. Before I had the chance to shout, I blinked, and they were gone. I looked over at Isaac, but he didn't seem to notice my panic. I tried to calm my breathing; I was getting tired of all these hallucinations. Why couldn't they just go away?! Isaac took an exit and turned into the movie theater.
"Are you excited about the movie? It's a Pixar film, so it's bound to be good." He stepped out, rushed over to my side, and opened the door for me.
I smiled at him. "Thanks, I love anything from Disney, Pixar especially. Though, with that in mind, I should have brought some tissues. Hopefully, Jessica has some with her." Isaac laughed and pulled me close. His hand sent tingles up my spine. He led me into the theater, stopping to hold the door open for me. After buying popcorn and drinks, we caught up with Jess and Michael, who were waiting for us outside the auditorium. Jessica couldn't contain her excitement as she pulled Michael into the dark room. She almost tripped over several other guests, but she insisted we get seats in the middle. I was more into seats next to the aisle, but I didn't want to be too far from her if something happened.
Isaac took it slow and made sure I was comfortable. We held hands, and when I had the courage, I lifted the center console and leaned into him. My nerves from earlier slowly drifted away. The movie was an absolute tear-jerker. Jessica and I both lost it when the boy sang "remember me" to his grandma. Luckily Jessica had thought ahead and handed me a bunch of tissues. I even caught Isaac shedding some tears.
After the movie, we all gathered in the lobby and talked about what parts were our favorite. Jessica was still tearing up from it, and Michael looked like he was holding back tears as well. We thought about going out to eat, but Jessica was starting to get tired, and I was full of all the popcorn.
"I really enjoyed myself tonight. Thank you for taking me." I smiled shyly.
"I'm glad. I would love to take you out again. If you want? Maybe dinner this time?" he asked and stepped closer to me. I looked up at him, wondering what it would be like to kiss him. I suddenly remembered my condition and stepped back. Do I want to drag him into this? Constantly worrying about my well-being.
"I... I don't know. Maybe."
He seemed to sense my hesitation and respectfully stepped back. "We can take this slow if you want. I don't want to push you into anything. We can simply go as friends for now, if you want."
"Ok. Sure. I want to get to know you better, too." And with that, he smiled and led me back to his car.
Isaac suggested some places he liked to eat on the way home, but I was too tired to really pay attention. I started to drift off when a bolt of lightning struck the road in front of us, scaring us both. I heard Isaac curse as he swerved a bit, and then the ground started to shake violently. Isaac quickly drove off to the side of the road, away from all the panicking cars. The shaking was so bad trees were toppling over. Isaac pulled me to him and wrapped his arms around me. The windows of the vehicle shattered and fell around us.
I could hear Isaacs's heart beating quickly in his chest, and his arms tightened around me.
"We're going to be okay!" He yelled over the sound of earth cracking and buildings shaking.
In the distance, I could hear car alarms going off and people screaming. I hoped my dad was okay. Suddenly a truck hit us with such force it launched us forward, and the ground under us split open. The car rolled, and we both screamed. I felt rocks hit my face, and I was flung out of Isaacs's arms. I hit the ground hard and rolled several feet away; the road still shook beneath me. My head hurt, and I felt light-headed and dizzy. There was chaos all around me. The sky was an angry gray and lightning was striking in the distance.
Before passing out, I caught a glimpse of a cloaked figure rushing head-on towards me.
©2021 Jessica Powell. All Rights Reserved
-Thank you to my wonderful editor Arco.