Awaken (Awaken Series Book 1) Read online

“Before I tell you, just let me remind you that you stole my car and I had to take a cab home…a cab, Bre!” she looked up to me through her eyelashes.

  “I know…again, I’m so sorry.” I tried to be sympathetic, but I was impatient. “Alright, let’s have it.”

  We lingered outside our first period classroom.

  Leaning forward, Becka whispered, “Well, I kind of told her that you thought you might be…” She bit her bottom lip before continuing, “pregnant.”

  “What!” my eyes widened, my jaw dropped open in shock.

  “Yeah, and that you needed to go see a doctor to make sure.” her shoulders melted into her neck as she cowered.

  “Rebecca!”

  “I know I’m sorry but I swore I wouldn’t say anything about what really happened. With all the celebrities getting pregnant, it was the only thing that came to mind. So that’s what I told them. It just kind of came out.”

  “Tell them?” I growled, “Who’s them Beck?”

  “Well, Stephanie and…Katie,” she whispered, turning her body a little to the right and scrunching her face.

  “Beck,” I groaned as my heart sank.

  “I know it was a stupid thing to say, and I knew it right when I said it but…”

  “Oh, my gosh.” I buried my head in my hands, thinking about how this was going to spread like wild fire.

  “I know. I’m sorry,” she pleaded.

  I looked up at her and took a deep breath, analyzing the situation. My brain was whirling as I put together a case for myself. “I can redeem myself with Stephanie. But Katie is another story. She’s been waiting for something like this, something that could destroy me. Even if I did come up with another story she’ll hold on to this. She’ll savor it, especially since it came from a valuable source, my best friend. She’ll gladly dole it out in parcels to obliterate me and anyone else who stands in her way! Not to mention this involves both Josh and I, the two people who hurt her in the first place, and the whole reason why we aren’t friends anymore. Wow. I don’t know what to think. Beck, this could ruin me.”

  “I know.” She hung her head ashamed.

  I peeked in the room to check the time.

  “We have to go in. The bell’s gonna ring in a minute. We’ll talk about this later,” I said sternly.

  Walking into the classroom, I took in every face. Katie was sitting two seats up from the back staring straight at me.

  “Beck?” I whispered in her ear as we made for the last two open seats close to Katie. “What do I say?”

  “Don’t say anything. Let me handle it. I was the one who did this, so let me fix it.”

  Almost to my seat, Katie began in a mocking tone, “There you are, Bre. We were all so worried about you last Friday night. I hope you’re feeling better. You know, with everything you’re dealing with right now, it must be really hard on you.” Her smile was vicious. Her words hung in the air like thick, black smoke, choking me.

  I looked around and stiffened. Everyone was looking at me. Everyone heard. Katie wasn’t quiet about it. No. She wanted everyone to hear her loud and clear.

  Sarah, who had a reputation as a gossip, was sitting in front of me. She turned in her seat, nosily intruding on the conversation, “Bre, what happened to you last Friday night?”

  Becka broke in, “Nothing, Sarah. Bre’s just having some family problems.”

  “If that’s what you want to call it, but you know it will have to come out sooner or later.” Katie patted her stomach, surreptitiously congratulating herself for her “job-well-done.”

  “Wait…” Sarah started to say, but she was interrupted by Mr. Wright entering the room to start the class.

  I saw Katie’s pleased face out of the corner of my eye. I couldn’t focus on anything that the teacher was saying. How many people around me got her full meaning? What if this got out? What if Josh heard, what would he think? I couldn’t tell the truth. I felt cornered, not knowing which direction to go. Was I supposed to stand up and blurt out the entire story? That would bring Mr. Anderson and his wife a target of even more gossip. What about Austin? That would also affect him. And then of course there was me. With all revealed, I would be in the center ring, like a circus. Should I stand up like a rat cornered in the barn by the farm cat and fight, or slink quietly away like a little mouse in the night?

  After an excruciating hour, class ended, but it wasn’t over just yet. Katie would be waiting for the bell to ring so she could push the subject further. I watched the clock closely and as the bell rang I was out of my chair and out the door before anyone could speak to me. The rest of the morning went well, considering. I didn’t have any classes with Josh, and Katie wasn’t in PE or my Home-Ec class. But I still had English and History, and I dreaded it.

  Walking into the cafeteria, I sat down at an empty table and took out my sack lunch.

  “Hey, Bre!” A grinning Austin startled me.

  “Oh, hi, Austin.” I knew I’d see him sometime today. The whole morning I was a little nervous. Now, face-to-face, I actually felt comforted being around him, someone who knew where I really was last Friday.

  “Sorry if I startled you.” he sat down.

  “No, it’s okay. I just thought you might be someone else, that’s all.”

  “Who did you think I was?” he raised one eyebrow.

  “Josh.”

  “Your boyfriend, Josh?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  “How are you guys?”

  I debated what to say. It was strange talking to Austin about my boyfriend, since we had stopped being friends such a long time ago. At the same time, it was kind of nice. It almost seemed like no time had passed. Now I was regretting that we hadn’t stayed friends.

  “To be completely honest, were not doing well,” I said slowly.

  “Sorry to hear that,” he replied compassionately, shifting in his seat.

  “Thanks.”

  His face grew serious, and I braced myself for what was coming. “So, Bre, I have to know again how you knew about…well, you know…” he said quietly.

  I took a deep breath. “I had a…” I stumbled for the right words not knowing if I should tell him. But looking into his eyes it felt safe, so I went on, “kind of like a dream, but I was awake, like a vision one day. And in that vision I saw everything, from Paul and Kim at home getting ready to leave, to them getting on the plane, and then, to them being gone, dying with everyone else.”

  “You mean, in your vision you actually saw them get on the plane and never come back?” his eyebrows rose.

  “That’s right. I saw this vision before it actually happened. It came to me in pieces. The first time I was in my room. Then I saw another part of it when I went to the festival in the park. Then last Friday, the day everything happened, I saw it again. That was when I realized Friday was the day it would all play out. If I knew ahead of time what day, then I would’ve been more prepared, but I didn’t.”

  “And me? You saw me talking to them?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s unbelievable!”

  “Austin, why were you at the airport anyway?” I opened my bag and took out my sandwich.

  “I was going fly to San Francisco to visit some family before school started. But that didn’t happen.”

  “Why?”

  His eyes were full of compassion and something else, and I knew the answer before he spoke the words.

  “Because of you, and the Andersons. As crazy as it seemed at the time, I knew that I needed to do something to try to help you.”

  We fell into an uncomfortable silence, staring at each other with a mutual understanding, a shared experience.

  Then as luck would have it, Josh came up with Trevor and Tim. “Well, if it isn’t my girlfriend, who doesn’t seem to think, she has to return any of her boyfriend’s calls,” he said sarcastically.

  “What do you want, Josh?” My tone was ice.

  “I want answers,” he demanded. “You’ve been avoiding me for
two weeks.” Defiantly glaring at Austin, he continued, “Austin, do you have anything to do with my girlfriend’s sudden disappearance?”

  I crunched my lunch bag in my hands, “Leave him out of this, Josh. He has nothing to do with why I’ve been avoiding you.”

  “I don’t think you’re telling me the truth, Bre. I seem to remember at the park you pointing out Mr. James in the crowd, just to throw him back in my face.”

  My eyes widened at his surprisingly good memory. I glanced at Austin, and as I suspected, he looked completely confused.

  I didn’t want Josh to keep going, so I tried to explain quickly, “Austin, I saw you that day, right as…”

  Josh cut in, “Austin, should I have a reason to be concerned here, or are you going to leave my girlfriend alone from now on?”

  “Josh, like I said before, he has nothing to do with this.”

  “Really, then tell me why, when I walked up to the two of you just now, it looked like you both were having some kind of intimate conversation?”

  “Josh, you have no idea what we were talking about,” I snapped.

  “Well, then tell me what it was. I would like to know.” Josh snickered, looking at Trevor.

  “That’s none of your business,” I hissed.

  “Oh isn’t it?” Josh said, stepping toward Austin.

  As Austin stood up and was about to get in Josh’s face, my Algebra teacher, Mr. Wright, walked up to the group. “Is there a problem here, gentleman?”

  Austin took a quick step back, still looking at Josh, “No, sir, no problem here.”

  Shifting his attention to Josh, Mr. Wright asked, “And you, Mr. Cummings?”

  Josh took a second, replying unconvincingly, “Nope.”

  “Good, now I think there are some empty seats over in the corner for you boys.” Mr. Wright pointed them out to Josh and the others.

  Josh stood there for a moment, eyeing Austin. He threw out one more comment, “You stay away from, Bre.”

  “That’s enough Mr. Cummings. Get going,” Mr. Wright stated sternly.

  It wasn’t until Josh was far enough away from us that I spoke again. “Austin, I’m so sorry you had to deal with Josh. As I said before, you have nothing to do with Josh and I. You didn’t deserve to be accused of anything.”

  I waited for Austin to get up and leave. I expected it. If it was me, I would have. Who needed to deal with this type of drama? But he didn’t move or look away. He sat there staring straight into my eyes, his body leaning in, his expression gentle.

  “Bre, is he always like this? He acted like he owned you.”

  “He’s not always like that.” I searched for words to explain, “He’s been dealing with a lot of stress lately, that’s all. I probably bring it on myself.”

  “Breanna, you don’t have to take that from him.”

  “I know. Things will get better once football starts. It always does.”

  Not looking convinced, he didn’t press the issue, although I could tell he wanted to. Maybe he thought it wasn’t his place.

  “So, what did he mean, you picked me out at the park and threw it in his face?” he smiled coyly but with a little fun-poking style.

  Of course, he would bring that up. I looked down at my hands, embarrassed. Not knowing what to say, and wishing I didn’t have to explain it, I looked around the room, trying to buy some time. As I was about to tell him, Rebecca and Stephanie walked up and saved me.

  “Hey, guys. Wow, Austin, it’s been awhile!” Becka said, sitting down across the table from me. Stephanie did the same.

  “Hey,” I replied, relieved they showed up when they did.

  “Rebecca, Stephanie,” Austin acknowledged them as he started to get up.

  “Austin, are you leaving?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I need to take care of something before I head to my next class. I’ll catch up with you later,” he said as he looked down at me.

  “Okay.” I smiled and watched him walk away.

  “So, what was that all about?” Becka whispered. Of course, she’d seen the whole confrontation with Josh. I swear the girl has instinctive radar, zoning in on anything she considers juicy. If there was anything worth seeing or hearing within a fifty foot radius, she’d know about it.

  “Josh thought something was going on between us. He was convinced Austin was the reason I’ve been avoiding him these past few weeks.”

  “Oh.” Becka’s face fell disappointedly. Apparently what I said wasn’t juicy enough for her.

  I heard laughter from where Josh and his little group had settled. I couldn’t help but take a quick glance to see if I was the subject of their laughter. As I scanned their corner, I saw Eve. She was talking to Josh and right as I looked at her she stopped talking instantly and looked at me. It was strange because it looked like it caught Josh off guard, as if she hadn’t finished what she was saying and he wondered why. His forehead creased, and he mouthed something to her before fallowing her gaze, until both pairs of eyes were glaring at me.

  “Beck, why is that Eve girl talking to Josh?” I asked, puzzled.

  “Oh, they met at the park that day you left,” Becka replied casually.

  My frown deepened. She looked like a normal enough girl, but I had so many unanswered questions about her. I couldn’t help but feel there was a hint of suspicion around her. She seemed to be attaching herself to my circle of friends. Then again, this was a small town and it was bound to happen with her being the new girl in town.

  “I wouldn’t worry about it. She seems like a nice enough person,” Beck said.

  “I can’t take it anymore!” Stephanie threw her hands up, “You have to tell me the whole thing. Have you told Josh yet, or your parents or anyone?”

  I forgot all about promising to tell Stephanie at lunch. I needed to tell her something, anything, but Stephanie is the type of girl who never lies, and the kind of person I strive to be like. How could I lie to her?

  “Steph,” I sighed, “I’m not pregnant. I could not be pregnant. Beck only told you that because she didn’t know what else to tell you.” That was the best I could do.

  “What? I’m really happy to hear this, but why didn’t you tell me what really happened, Beck?” Stephanie asked.

  “Well…” Beck started to say, but I interjected.

  “Steph, you’re my friend and I tell you just about everything, but this is something I can’t tell you. I’m really sorry, and I’m sorry you were lied to, but this is something that no one can know about, ever.”

  “Okay well, I hope everything’s okay,” she said, resigned to the fact that she would probably never know what really happened.

  “I promise everything’s fine. You don’t have to worry about me.”

  “Alright.” Stephanie had worry written all over her face, but I knew she respected me enough not to bring it up again.

  When lunch was over, Stephanie said her goodbyes, and Becka and I headed to our next class, Mr. Anderson’s. I was slightly comforted that Beck was in his class with me. I was also petrified of seeing him, of facing him not knowing how he’d react to me. There was the unknown of what to say to him; or worse, what he might say to me, and possibly in front of people. I was physically shaking and the anticipation was making my stomach turn. My pledge of keeping this to myself was weakening. I felt like I was hanging from a rope, high above the ground with only one thread remaining between me and disaster. One wrong move and it would be over.

  I stopped just outside the door, muttered hesitantly, “Beck, maybe I should try to switch this class.”

  “Bre, everything’s going to be fine. You saved this man’s life. I bet without even stepping foot in the doorway, you already have an ‘A’.”

  “What if he says something to me in front of the class?”

  “I don’t think you have to worry about that. If he wanted to tell the world about the girl who saved his life, he would have done it by now. I don’t think he’ll say anything. Now come on.”

  I wa
lked slowing into the room, putting my head down so that my blonde hair was shielding my face. Peering through the open slits in my hair, I could make out Paul’s form standing at the white board. He was flipping through a textbook.

  I stayed right behind Becka as she directed us to a couple of seats in the middle of the class. In my seat, I immediately slumped down to make myself invisible behind the red-headed girl sitting in the front of me.

  There was a lot of chatter going on in the room, which was typical. On any other day that would be fine, but today, the noise was so unnerving that it made me feel confined and claustrophobic.

  “Calm down, Bre, I don’t think he saw you come in,” Becka whispered.

  Taking a big cleansing breath, I looked over to a group of four girls in the right corner of the room. I tried to listen in on their conversation, hoping it would distract me while we waited for the class to begin. They were mumbling about how their day was going and how much they wished they’d gotten Mr. Hughes’ class instead. He was the new, young and hot English teacher who recently moved here from Seattle. In general, the topic of their conversation wouldn’t have bothered me, but the more they gushed over this hot teacher, the more aggravated I got.

  I thought, Here you are, talking about meaningless stuff when there are real problems in the world that you should be focusing your attention on! Maybe the problems in the world belonged to me at the moment.

  Their conversation made me more restless. This wasn’t helping. I turned to the other side of the room. Two boys - Sam, a really nice, stocky boy and Erik, a short, skinny guy known around school as the “know it all” - sat talking. They were discussing the recession and who the next president would be. From one extreme to the other, I thought.

  Still, with Mr. Anderson concentrating on the textbook, I was feeling more at ease. That was until Eve came through the door, her eyes targeted dead on my face. She didn’t even have to look around the room. It was as if she already knew where I was sitting and had isolated me from everyone else. She walked down the aisle and plopped herself right next to me.

  “Hi, Bre,” Eve said facing me. Her demeanor was disarming. Maybe talking to Becka eased the awkwardness I’d felt before.