I was pacing back and forth.
How did this happen to me?
Why did it happen?
Who was that woman standing over me?
What does she want?
What did she do to me?
There were so many questions flooding my mind.
I looked back at my clock.
4:50
I ran to the shower.
I had a hard time scrubbing the dirt and mud off but eventually, I got it off.
I rushed to my room to get dressed.
I ran to my closet and grabbed some random sweat pants and a t-shirt.
As I get all my stuff on I look all over my room for some matching shoes.
Damn, I need to clean my room.
"AH!" I called out running towards the corner of my room to get my vans.
I grabbed my shoes and my book bag then ran downstairs.
The aroma of bacon filled the whole house.
"HEY, MOM!" I announced way too loud.
She looked at me puzzled.
"Uhh hi," she stated "Are you okay Dre?"
I grabbed a toast, put it in my mouth, and began hopping up and down on one leg as I tried putting on my shoe.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Well, you're eating for one and you acting like you've seen a ghost or something" she pointed out. "Also school doesn't start for another forty minutes."
I put my foot down and stomped on the floor trying to get my foot in.
"mmm," I mumbled with the toast in my mouth.
I took it out and placed it on the plate on the table.
"I am just trying to get to school early so I can join some—" I struggle to find the words "after-school activities."
Her face lit up.
"Are you serious?!?" She shrieked
I nodded mentally cursing at myself for not taking the time to come up with a decent plan.
"Oh my god you don— are you lying to me?" She asked.
"What? No. Why would you ask that?" I questioned.
"This doesn't make any sense. All of a sudden you're trying to go for after-school activities when you are grounded. I want the truth."
"Look I-" I started but she interrupts me.
"The truth Dre."
I take a deep breath "Mom I'm trying to get better for you. I mean that's what you wanted was for me to get better right? Now that I am trying you questioned me like I am a liar. You said I am only allowed to go to school, why would I lie about that. I've never lied to you before so why would I lie to you now?"
Her face immediately turned apologetic.
"I know, I know. I'm sorry it's just... what happened to you at Cascade diner—" I cut her off.
"I know mom. I am sorry for not telling you right away. But I am trying to make up for it by joining some stupid after-school activities."
she smiled with glee.
"Okay! Do you want me to drive you there or do you want to walk by yourself?" she asked.
"Walk myself if that's okay?"
"Of course. Just call me if you are staying after school today."
"You took my phone." I remind her hoping she'll give me my phone back.
"I'm pretty sure there is a school phone." She says catching on.
I groaned putting on my second shoe.
I picked up my bookbag and left.
***
I bolted to school the minute I closed the door.
I need to find Nathan and tell him what's going on.
I know for a fact that Nathan has football practice today because there is a game Friday.
The minute I get to school I run to the football field.
I stop at the gate and look around trying to find him.
I finally spot him running the track.
"NATHAN!" I scream run to the middle of the gate to open it.
"Hey, hey! Excuse you." The coach of the football team grabs my arm before I fully go inside the gate.
"Are you on the football team?" He asked.
"What? No." I replied.
"Are you on the cheerleading squad? Are you trying out?"
"No, I—"
"That's what I thought." He guides me outside of the gate.
"I'm sorry but you cannot be here if you are not on cheer or the football team." he points out.
"But I need to talk to Nathan it's important," I say as he closes the gate.
"I'm sure it can wait till school starts"
I look around the field one more time. Then notice cheerleading tryouts are today.
If I try out and make the team I could talk to him today and after school since I no longer have my phone.
"I WANT TO TRY OUT FOR CHEER!" I practically scream as he is walking away.
He turns to look at me. "Are you being serious or are you going to talk to Nathan?"
"I'm serious. I swear."
He sighs "they're over there." He points towards the cheerleaders.
I open the gate and run towards them.
When I get in the crowd I just stand there awkwardly.
Jenna stands in front of me with a clipboard.
"Name?" Jenna asked
"Jenna, we've had three of the same classes all year," I replied.
She looked at me like I grew a second head.
"Dude I don't even remember my parent's name half the time. Just tell me your name so I can write it down" she said with a dramatic eye roll.
"Andrea Renee Alston."
"Height?"
"five four."
"Weight?"
"Um, one hundred and twenty-five... I think."
She writes it all down then walks away.
"OKAY BITCHES GET IN A SINGLE FILE LINE!" one of the cheerleaders yell and we all get in a line.
"Listen up because I am only going to say this once" she puts her pointer finger up in the air "My name is Taylah, I am your head cheer. I am the one who tells you what part you have in this based on height, weight, balance, and skill. You will all listen to me and do as I say or there will be consequences. Now we had a coach but she is in the hospital so you guys might not see her for the rest of the school year."
"What happened to her?" One of the girls in the line asked.
"I don't know and I don't care," Taylah said.
That's harsh.
"What I do care about is this team. So this how tryouts are going to work, I am going to teach all of you the routines for the Friday's game. I am going to observe all of you and see who deserves to be on the team. If you embarrass the team or mess up or even make the wrong facial expressions you will be cut. So I suggest you give it all you got Friday. Now I want all of you to run the track for the rest of the time some of you are looking a little bloated."
She's gonna piss me off in the long run.
Everyone except the original cheerleaders starts running.
I run faster trying to catch up to Nathan.
"Nathan!" I half shout.
He looks around but keeps running.
Damn, I need to hit the gym.
"Nathan!" I yell again.
His head snaps towards me. I am only a few paces behind him.
He turns his head back forward, ignoring me.
I finally catch up to him and finally notice that he is not wearing a shirt.
I clear my throat, "Nathan I have to talk to you it's important."
"I don't want to talk to you," he states.
"Nathan look I'm sorry for what I said. It was wrong and bringing up your dad is low, even for me."
"Why the hell would I accept your half-assed apology, you made it clear that you don't want my help and that you want to be left alone so I'm going to stay away from you."
He starts running faster while I try to catch up to him.
"Nathan it happened again."
That stopped him which in return stopped me.
"What happened? Did you like blast someone or something?" he asked.
"Not exactly, when I was in the interrogation room there was this voice. A lady's voice to be exact and she was talking to me. She sounded almost snake-like. But here's the thing no one was there but me. It was like, it was in my head."
"What did she say to you?"
"I don't remember." I lied, I have no idea why.
"But that's not the only time. Last night I had heard a noise downstairs and found the door open. I walked to the woods, I'm not sure where. When I got there I heard her voice again I tried to go back home but it was like she yanked me and I slid across the woods. I couldn't see very well but someone was there walking towards me and then reached out to me then-" I stopped.
"Then what Dre." he prompted.
"Then I woke up."
"That's called a nightmare Dre," he said with an eye roll.
"That's what I thought until I saw myself covered with dirt and mud. Something happened to me and I am not sure what. Look I know I said I don't want your help but I don't know if I can do it on my own. I didn't mean the things I said to you and I will never say anything like that to you ever again. I came to fucking cheer tryouts. Please Nathan help me." I begged.
He looked at me for a short while then ran one hand through his hand.
"Let's go to the library after school."
"I can't I'm grounded. I don't have my phone either.
"Lunchtime we go to the school library. Okay?"
I smiled "Okay."
"PRICE!" His coach screamed.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? KEEP RUNNING." He shouted scaring me slightly.
Nathan looked at me one last time and continued to run and so did I.