Lana

I woke with a start. It was still dark outside.

Hm, that’s strange, I thought, I was sure that I heard a knocking.

I checked the red alarm clock sitting next to my bed to check what time it was. In big red letters it read:
12:37 am

Wow, that’s early. No one’s ever up this early. Whatever, it must’ve just been some bird flying into a wall again or something like that. I laughed to myself a little, remembering that day when Jake and I had been outside and he had been attempting to teach me to play football when we suddenly heard a “Thunk” and so we ran over to where we thought it had come from, and we saw about three birds lying there, all of which had flown into the building wall.
My stomach suddenly clenched into a tight ball. I squeezed it tightly, hoping to make the sensation go away. No such luck.

Of course, that’s just the typical thing to happen, I remember a good memory, and then my stomach starts to hurt, or if not my stomach, then some other part of my body.
I sat like that, on my bed clutching my stomach, for a few more minutes, when the sensation went away.

Good. Now I can get back to sleep.

I tried to go to sleep, I really did, but I failed. I just couldn’t keep my mind off of the odd knocking that I had heard. I was positive that it was something, but I just wasn’t sure what. That’s the problem with me, I thought miserably, I always over think things that are just simple things, nothing more. Just simple objects.

After half an hour of failing to fall asleep, I decided to play with my cat, Qigo, an orange tabby. I picked her up and started talking to her. Yes, you heard right, I started talking to her. Cats can be very good listeners, they never object to anything, they don’t talk back; they comfort you when you need comforting, and things like that.

“Did you hear that? Or was I just imagining things again? Have you ever imagined things? I do all the time.” Pausing for a moment, it felt uneasy when it was just my voice ringing out into the darkness. I started to think or Jake and how I imagined that he had never gone away, that I thought I saw him out of a corner of my eye, and that he’s just around the corner. My stomach tightened some more, making me stop stroking Qigo and instead squeeze him tightly. He didn’t seem to like this much, for just then he struggled in my grip. Finally realizing that he was trying to get away, I let him go for I had wandered off deep into my thoughts once again.

What was it that made me keep remembering him so much right now? It can’t be Rick, it just can’t. So if it’s not him, then what is it? Pondering this, I started to doze off.

***

I woke to find my eyes burning in the light. I had a thumping headache, but had not noticed it at first.

Great, this must be Monday. Something always goes bad on Monday’s, always, no matter what. Even if the day is going as smooth as can be, something will always go wrong with Monday’s. Stupid Monday’s.

I put my hand up to my head where it hurt, and started to push. Pressure almost always helped with headaches. Fortunately, it still did. After another minute or so of pushing on that spot, I went over to my desk and opened the second drawer from the bottom to find a bottle of Tylenol lying on top of my journals, books, pens, and pencils.

Good. I wasn’t sure if I was out or not. Happy with myself for finding them, I reached.
As I was reaching for them, I stopped halfway through the reach. I wasn’t sure why, but I did.
Just then Jazon walked in. “Hey Lana, I was wondering-“ cutting off when he saw that I was awkwardly positioned with my hand reaching down into my drawer while my other one was still pushing on my head with my back was only a little hunched over. I’m not surprised why he stopped in mid-sentence. “Um, Lana? What’re you doing?” clearly confused.

“Oh, uh, well.” I had to think of something to say, I couldn’t just stay here sputtering words like someone who’s deranged. “Um, well, I had a headache, and so I was going to get my Tylenol, but then my back cracked…” I finally said, leaving my sentence trailing off. Jazon just laughed.

“Okay, that’s good to know, but why are you still in that position?” He said with a laugh. I, on the other hand, had not noticed that I was still standing like that, and so I immediately straightened out, scowling, but not without first grabbing my Tylenol.

“There, all straightened out.” I stated, looking directly at him, as if to get some type of satisfaction out of this, which never happened. “Now, you wanted something?”

Jazon looked confused, saying, “Wha-? Oh yeah! Now I remember!” I just shook my head.
And he says that I have a short memory.

“Anyways, do you have the math homework from last night? I kind of forgot it.” He quickly added with a smile.

“Now, do you mean, ‘what was the homework? Or do you have the answers?”

Jazon made an incredibly cheesy smile; much too cheesy for anyone’s own good, and that answered my question right then. “Sorry, for once I can’t do anything for you. I completely forgot that we had homework, and so I didn’t do it.” He looked disappointed and turned to leave.

“Wait! Jazon!” he turned back as if somehow I was pulling his leg. “What day is today?”

He had a quizzical look on his face, as if this was the stupidest question in the world, especially coming from me. “Um, Thursday. Remember? We have a science test today, you’ve been studying like mad to actually understand what we’re doing in science.”

“Oh, yeah, right. I knew that.” I hadn’t actually. I had completely forgotten all about that.
If today’s Thursday, then why do I have a headache? That never happens on Thursday’s. Then, as if something had struck me, I remembered everything about the night before. What happened between Rick and I, how Jazon had saved me from my past, and the strange noise in the night. I gasped, as if realizing something.

I now know why I stopped midway to get my Tylenol. I thought quickly, processing my newly found thoughts through my head as if to see if they fit. Yes, they do. Good. I immediately got dressed in clean clothes, realizing that the only clean clothes that I had left were the ones that I happened to be wearing – a green t-shirt with a picture of an earth fairy on it, and a pair of navy blue jeans. I shrugged and told myself to do it later. I then rushed off to the library, hoping that no one else would be there.

Why are colleges so big? I can never find my way anywhere! The library especially! I thought miserably.

I ran into Rick once, but that just made me run even faster. If there’s one thing that I really don’t want right now, it’s to talk to him. A little while later, I saw Jazon. He asked me something, but I couldn’t hear him, I was running too fast. I turned the corner, making me breathe a sigh of relief.

Good, I found it. And no one’s in there, perfect! Happy with myself for just finding the library. I hurried inside as if someone was out to kill me and the library was the only shelter that there was.

I quickly walked over to the only section that I could think of that may help me with my thoughts. “Psychology.”

Oh god. I hate this subject, but I need to figure this out!

I gathered a bunch of books in my arms, hoping that one of them may hold an answer to my thoughts and questions. Bringing my armful of books over to a nearby table, I set them down and sat down, not realizing that I would soon need more than a few books to answer my many questions.