CHAPTER 6
By the early hours of the following morning, Grams determined I was fine and left me alone to rest. Once sleep finally got a hold of me, it didn’t want to let go. I slept the entire day away and woke as the sun was beginning to set.
I stumbled downstairs to find an empty house. According to the note Grams left me on the dining room table, Kendall was at Keith’s, Gabe was at football practice, and she had gone to Opry Land with her Red Hat Society friends for the weekend. She assured me she could be back in an instant if I needed her, but that was the last thing I wanted. After last night’s ordeal, I didn’t want anyone hovering over me, watching my every move. I needed normalcy. Time alone with my thoughts to convince myself I hadn’t gone completely loony.
I poured myself a bowl of cereal and thumbed through the packet of information that came in the mail from Rhodes College. The campus was beautiful. All the buildings were stone with elaborate archways and impressive moldings. They looked like undersized castles. I tried to envision what my life would be like there. Cramming for exams in the library. Meeting friends at the Lynx Lair for lunch. Taking in a little culture at the gorgeous theater. A wonderful adventure, far away from weird birds that cause hallucinations.
Halfway through my second bowl of Fruity Pebbles, my belly began to flutter. Worried the milk may’ve been past its prime, I took some deep breaths and gave my stomach a chance to settle.
Instead of the problem correcting itself, it got worse. My heart began to pound like a jackhammer. My pulse thudded in my veins. I felt…agitated. I was frustrated and angry for no reason whatsoever. I couldn’t sit still. I wrung my hands as I paced from the kitchen to the living room and back again. My jaw tensed to the point of pain.
The front door squeaked open. Hoping it was someone breaking in that I could unleash this fury on, I stalked toward the foyer.
Gabe intercepted me when he rounded the corner into the living room. “Hey.”
It hit me like a punch to the gut. The anger I felt was coming from him. I could feel what he was feeling, and he was radiating anger.
“Are you okay?” I snapped. At my abrupt tone, Gabe’s chestnut eyes widened and his eyebrows rose.
“Yeah…why?” He asked slowly.
“You seem upset!”
Gabe laughed while giving me a “my sister’s done lost her damned mind” look. “No. I just walked in the door. You, on the other hand, are wound pretty tight.”
“I’m fine!” I barked. “Did something happen at practice?”
“Nope. What’s with you?”
“Nothing’s wrong with me. What are you so ticked about?”
“I’m not ticked about anything.” His voice started to echo the emotion coming off of him. I briefly considered that I may be causing this.
“You’re obviously angry. Now what’s going on?” I blurted out, my hands balled into fists.
His wide jaw clenched