Out Of Place

“I’m going to bed Alex. Don’t stay up too late, you still have school tomorrow,” Mrs Gaskarth called before she headed upstairs.
“Night Mom,” Alex called back. He was sprawled out on the floor in the living room, in front of the TV while I was up on the sofa. He rolled onto his side and looked up at me. “So, Miss Megan, you want to watch a bit more TV or go to bed?” he asked.
“I am kind of tired,” I admitted. Alex got up from the floor and grabbed my arm to pull me off the sofa, then headed towards the stairs.
“You can sleep in my room. The bed’s more comfortable than the sofa,” he said.
“Alex, I'm fine on the couch. I really don’t mind,” I said softly, but Alex just shook his head.
“No. My mom will kick my ass if I let you sleep on the sofa. And anyway, I’m being chivalrous.”
I let out a laugh. “I'm not sure if that counts as chivalry.”

Alex opened his bedroom door and waved me in. “Just let me grab something to sleep in and it’s all yours. Do you want something else to sleep in?” he said, pointing at the basketball shorts and t-shirt I was already in.
“This is fine, thanks.” Alex nodded and started digging through the mess in his room, looking for appropriate sleepwear.

The room was probably the same size as mine, the double bed in the middle of the room, night stands on both sides. The walls were plastered with posters and photos. There were clothes all over the floor and bed and the desk in the far corner had a thick layer of dust over it. Obviously, it wasn’t used very often. The bookshelf had more CD’s in it than books and there was an assortment of guitars leaning on the wall next to it. Alex grabbed the pile of clothes from the bed and threw them into the closet, slamming the door shut to stop them from toppling out everywhere.
“Sorry, it’s a bit messy,” he said as he rubbed the back of his neck.
“It’s fine, this is nothing compared to my room,” I said with a laugh. Alex gave me a smile.
“Well, I’ll leave you to it. I’m gonna sleep in the spare room, it’s just across the hall. If you need anything let me know.” I nodded. He hovered awkwardly for a second before deciding to give me a hug. “Night Megs,” he whispered as he planted a soft kiss on my forehead.
“Night.”

Alex left the room and pulled the door shut behind him. I felt a bit awkward being in his room by myself, but tiredness had started to get the best of me. I pulled the curtains closed and flopped onto the bed. It was so comfortable. I couldn’t understand how Alex was so willing to sleep in another bed. I stayed face down across the bed for a few minutes before I decided to actually go to bed. I went over to the door and flicked off the light switch that was next to the doorframe.

Crawling into Alex’s bed, I wrapped the white sheets and dark blue comforter around me and the second my head hit the pillows, I was out.

I jumped off the bus the second it pulled into the stop, Nathan, Mark, Lake and Lake’s little sister Claire right behind me. Summer was almost over and school was starting in a few days. My first day of high school. As my feet hit the sand of my favourite place in the world, I dropped my towel, pulled off my sundress and kicked my thongs off my feet and made a beeline for the water. The water was perfect and I ran through the waves waiting for my friends to catch up. Mark was 30 seconds behind me and tackled me into the water. I let out a small scream and a laugh. I never want summer to end.

After building sandcastles and playing some beach footy, I decided that I wanted to swim again. As I got further and further away from the shore line, I managed to get myself caught in a rip. I knew that I could still reach the sandbar under my feet so I didn’t panic. Growing up on the beach meant I knew how to get out of this. Swim parallel to the shoreline until you can’t feel the pull anymore and make sure you don’t panic. Which was easy enough. I’d been caught in rips before. I must have been further out than I had realised though. I swam a good 20 metres parallel to the shore and felt the rip release its grip on me. I tried to put my feet onto the sandbar that I thought was under me. Well, it wasn’t there anymore.

My head bobbed under the water and I resurfaced, spluttering slightly and a little disorientated. I turned towards the shore and noticed just how far out I was. Before I could do anything, a wave came crashing over my head and pushed me under the water. I felt the salt water rush into my lungs and burn them. I tried to swim up to the surface but another wave must have hit the water and I felt myself being pulled further under the Pacific. I don’t know how, but I surfaced briefly, just long enough to get a little air into my 12 year old body before I was pulled under again. Struggling against the current, I tried to pull myself to the surface with no luck. My chest felt heavy as I kept breathing in the salt water. I was too tired to fight anymore. I closed my eyes and let myself sink, trying to let out a final cry for help.

I woke up to the sound of my own scream, sitting up in full force. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. It took me a minute to remember that I was in Alex’s room, in Alex’s bed. Breathing heavily, I laid back into the pillows and sheets, trying to regain some sort of composure. I glanced over to the clock on the night stand. 1:45am. I heard a knock on the door as it opened and Alex appeared, a panic-struck look on his face.

“Megan, you ok? Fuck, what happened?” Alex sounded sleepy but concerned, sticking his head into his bedroom.
“Nightmare,” I whispered back. I still felt short of breath and shaky.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Yeah, something like that,” I said under my breath. If Alex heard me, he didn’t acknowledge my comment. He came into his room and perched himself on the end of his bed, next to my feet, placing his hands on my legs, which were under the covers.
“What happened?” he asked softly.
“It’s nothing, I’m fine.”

Alex frowned but he didn’t press for answers. He got up off the bed and went to leave the room. He stopped at the door. “If you need anything, I'm just across the hall,” he reminded me and turned to leave.
“Wait. Uh, ok this is going to sound so weird, but stay with me. Please Alex?” I asked. Alex couldn’t hide the smirk building on his lips. That smirk made me feel nervous. He padded back across the room and slipped into the bed next to me. “Normally, it’s my brother doing this, after I have a nightmare. He makes sure I fall back asleep,” I muttered. I suddenly missed Nate.
“You have nightmares often?” Alex probed.
“Yeah, it’s always the same one. I’ve been having it for years.”
“Well I fight off the monsters for you tonight,” Alex whispered in my ear. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his chest. I placed my head on his t-shirt clad torso and listened to his heart beat. I felt safe like this with Alex, like he actually meant his words.

Alex started humming. I couldn’t place the tune at first but once he started singing actual words, I knew it straight away. His voice was so sweet and soft. It made me smile and sent me straight back to sleep.
“I'll be there, painting the town your favourite colour.”