Awaken (Awaken Series Book 1)

by Jaime Guerard

  "Sorry to hear that. I didn’t sleep well either. Too much drama in my life."

  Bringing her lips up into a half-smile, she muttered, "Yeah, well, I don't think our lack of sleep is the same thing. My reason is a little bit more…complex than that."

  That was odd. What did she mean by it?

  Beck and I exchanged a confused glance, but Beck went on. "Eve, so we both were wondering…if you don't mind us asking? Why is it that on the first day you only had one class with Bre, and now you’re in all of them?"

  She didn't even blink like she knew it was coming. "I’ve moved around so much and had already taken most of those classes, so I got a new schedule. I guess it’s just coincidence that I have every class with you, Bre."

  It sounded believable, but her eyes told me something different.

  Becka shrugged, clueless. "That makes sense, doesn't it Bre?"

  "Yeah…I see now,” I said slowly.

  "Thanks for clearing that up for us, Eve. We’ll see you later!" Becka started backing up.

  Not taking her eyes off of me, Eve responded, "See you in class, Bre."

  Eventually the day came to an end and I was really looking forward to work today. Anything would’ve sounded better than going home, even the most disgusting job on the planet. I didn’t want to go home and be anywhere near my mother. Plus, I really did like going to work. It was an exciting and friendly place to be, even though I knew it could be a little awkward with how obvious Austin was about his feeling for me. I still didn’t care. I decided not think about it.

  For the first half of the shift, Austin didn’t talk much. The restaurant was really busy for this time of day, which made conversation nearly impossible. He didn’t even have time to help me, but I didn’t mind. It gave me an opportunity to get to know the other employees.

  Jennifer was my age, seventeen and home-schooled. Stacy was a freshman in college, nice but intense. It could’ve been the café mocha with four extra shots before work that made her sound like an auctioneer, but she made me laugh and I knew we’d get along just fine.

  I only had half an hour left on my shift when Erik Smith, the boy Sarah was complaining about a few days ago, walked into the pizza parlor. I was the only one available to take the next order, so I took a deep breath as he walked towards the counter. I had noticed his creepy, obsessive stalking attitude towards girls in general. I knew sometimes he watched me at school. I desperately wanted him to leave, but I knew I was going to have to treat him like a normal customer.

  “Hello, Erik.” I tried hard not to fully look at him. His stare always creeped me out. He’d smile wide with his braces showing. The leftover food stuck in his teeth from lunch made me wonder if he knew what a toothbrush was. Right before he spoke, he’d lick his lips, leaving a white film on the outer rim.

  "Breanna Davis, well, well, well…this is a nice surprise. When did you start working here?"

  "My first day was yesterday. What can I get for you?" I quickly said, trying to get his order so he would leave.

  "That's great!" He was a bit too enthused, "I come here a lot so you’ll see me quite often. I just might come every day since I know you’re working here."

  I stared at my pad. "Your order?" I repeated again with a bit more force, hoping he would get the hint.

  But I guess I wasn't clear enough.

  He leaned one hand on the counter and put his other hand in his pocket, I assumed he was trying to make himself look cool, but it only made him look awkward and even that more creepy. He chuckled, "Oh Breanna, you’re so funny."

  What was so funny about taking someone’s order? Did I miss something?

  "Erik, what would you like?"

  "What would I like, hmm?" he smiled crookedly.

  I rolled my eyes, looking at Austin in the dining area. He looked a little too amused. I glared at him and looked back at Erik.

  "How about a date this weekend? You and me, what do you say?"

  "No way!" I blurted out, a little bit on the louder side.

  "Why not?" He was frustrated.

  "Because…because...?" I wasn’t mean person, but I was about to let him have it.

  "Let me guess, it's because of Josh, right?"

  "No. Josh and I are not together anymore. Not that it’s any of your business."

  He is so gross! Why can't he just leave me alone?

  Looking somewhat confused, he asked, "So the rumors aren’t true?"

  I placed the pen and pad on the counter and folded my arms. I took one more glance at Austin and saw that his expression was different than before. He was more concerned now. He stood at one of the customer’s tables not taking their order, just listening to us.

  I sighed. "What rumors?"

  "That you and Josh are back together, of course!"

  "What! Where did you get that?" Okay, so yelling at him probably wasn't the nicest thing to do because he was just the messenger, but why would he say that?

  "It’s all around school. Josh told everyone you’re a couple again."

  “Erik, we’re not together, not in the slightest.”

  Liking this news, Erik smiled wider and placed both hands on the counter, inching his body toward me. “So how about that date then?”

  “She can’t,” Austin spoke up suddenly next to me.

  Bringing his body into an upright position and attempting to look intimidating, like a poodle pretending to be a bulldog, Erik said frostily, “And why can’t she?”

  Austin smiled at me as his hand glided over my shoulders. “Because she’s going out with me this weekend.”

  Erik was crushed. His head slumped toward the counter and he didn’t say anything. I almost felt sorry for him.

  “What can I get you?” Austin asked, grabbing the note pad and pen from the counter.

  Taking a second of silence to let the rejection sink in, Erik finally looked up and mumbled out, “Nothing. I’m not hungry anymore.” Then he turned with his tail between his legs and slowly sulked out the door.

  The morning came and with it brought a certain discomfort that I had hoped would depart with the midnight air. It hovered in the room, bringing the reality of what I was to face today to the forefront of my thoughts.

  Getting into the shower seemed to help my nerves die off a little. When my muscles eased and I was more awake, I had more clarity about how to handle Josh and this new rumor. For one, I had to do this on my own. Deep down I wanted to be friends with Josh someday and bringing Austin or Rebecca along would make it harder to talk to him. Knowing Josh, he’d get defensive and not listen. So I had to be brave.

  I was certain I didn’t want to be with him anymore. The only thing I wasn’t so sure about now was Austin. I couldn’t get Rebecca’s comment out of my head. If I was honest with myself, I was starting to think about him a lot. I loved the time we spent together. In fact, I craved it. But the more I thought about us together, the more it didn’t seem right. I just couldn’t see us being more than friends and it was killing me. So the big question was, how would this weekend go? How could I guarantee this was not a date and not hurt Austin’s feelings? I felt a little sick thinking about it.

  Showered and dressed, I headed for the kitchen. To my relief, Caleb and Dad were making breakfast, Mom wasn’t in the room.

  “Morning, Breanna,” Dad greeted me.

  He looked horrible, like he hadn’t slept or showered in days. He had on the same greasy, navy- blue work shirt and dirty jeans, and he reeked. He smelled like old sweat and greasy tires.

  My nose wrinkled. “Morning, Dad. It’s good to see you back at home.”

  I tried to sound as chipper as I could, wanting to break the dark cloud of depression that hung over him. But it didn’t seem to work. He just sat at the counter, zombie-like, eating a donut and reading the newspaper.

  “Yeah,” my dad muttered.

  Caleb was sitting next to him, ignoring that I was even in the room. His headphones were on and he was inhaling a bowl of cereal. After getting a b
owl down from the cabinet and pouring cereal for myself, I realized my mother wasn’t home. From the kitchen window, I noticed her car was gone.

  “Dad, where’s Mom?” Not that I cared. I was just happy she wasn’t here.

  That got his attention, but not in a good way. He looked up at me with such anger and rage, that I instantly regretted it.

  “She’s not here and that’s all you need to know,” he said darkly.

  I didn’t push for more information. When he went back to reading the paper, Caleb mouthed the word “later” to me.

  Taking a spoon full of cereal and eating it, I looked at my Father again and decided to change the subject. “So, work is going good.”

  “Mmmhmm.” His eyes never left the sports section.

  “My boss Jim is really nice and all the other employees seem really nice too.”

  “I knew you would like working there.” He picked up his cup of coffee and sipped it, the exhaustion on his face easing a little.

  Taking another bite, I decided to bring up this weekend. “So Dad…I was wondering. Saturday, Austin wanted to take me to Medford?”

  “Medford, huh? What are you kids gonna do there?”

  “I’m not sure. Maybe go to the mall or see a movie, anything to get out of the house for awhile.”

  “I guess I can understand that one,” he agreed. I knew without him saying it that getting out of the house these days was a good thing for everyone. “Sure, I don’t care.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you.” He set the newspaper down. “You’ve been spending a lot of time with Austin these days. Where’s Josh?”

  “We broke up.”

  “That’s too bad. I liked him.” Taking one last sip of his coffee, he got up. “Well, I’d better get in the shower so I can get to work. Busy day. I had five cars come in yesterday and that doesn’t count the three from earlier this week.”

  “See you tonight then.”

  “Yeah,” he mumbled.

  “Oh and Dad, thanks for fixing my car for me.”

  I remembered seeing it last night in the driveway when I came home from work. Austin wasn’t as excited as me.

  “You’re welcome. If you have any more problems with it just call me at the shop.”

  “I will.”

  Listening carefully for the water to turn on, I turned to Caleb. “So, where’s Mom?”

  “She went out to find a new job,” he sighed, pulling his headphones off and placing them in his backpack.

  “That’s great!”

  This was terrific news! The faster she got a job, the faster she’d be out of the house and out of my life. Again. But Caleb didn’t have the same enthusiasm as I did. He stared down at his backpack, his face longer than the longest winter day.

  “Caleb, this is a good thing, right?”

  “No.” His eyes dropped to the counter. “She has a job interview in Medford today…and it isn’t a job where she travels.”

  “Oh.” The joy from a moment ago vanished and I stood there feeling the same disappointment I felt when I found out Santa Claus wasn’t real.

  “Yeah,” he said dimly.

  “Then why was Dad in such a bad mood when I asked where she was? I thought this was what he’d been waiting for?” I asked, confused.

  “Well, they kind of got into another fight this morning. When I came out of my room, they were in the kitchen bickering about Mom getting a job offer out in Texas. That would mean we’d have to move and Dad told her that we weren’t doing that.”

  “So, that’s why she’s going for the job in Medford?” I asked.

  “Yep.”

  The room fell silent and I noticed the water wasn’t running anymore, so I didn’t go on with the conversation.

  I stepped out into the crisp morning air and down to my multi-colored hunk of metal. As much as I was fed up with it, I was truly thankful to have it back again. Driving myself to school would give me more time to think about what to say to Josh, and the silence was a nice break. Sliding into the front seat, the smell of old tires and oil hit me in the face and the cold seat sent shivers up my spine. I put the key in the ignition and turned it, a bit of fear that this piece of junk wouldn’t start ran through me, but disappeared when the car roared to life. At least it works, I thought, turning the heater to full blast. I sat back in my seat, letting the heat warm me before heading out.

  The little bit of silence was so comforting that I closed my eyes. I tried to bring my thoughts to something positive and that took me to Collin, which in turn got me thinking about the amazing dream I had of him last night.

  It started out the same as always, but it seemed longer than usual. Instead of just seeing him by the water, I also saw him at school, at my house and a few other places I didn’t recognize.

  I exhaled, opening my eyes, letting my head fall back against the headrest. Beck’s voice echoed in my memory. ‘Bre, that’s insane! Do you hear yourself right now? You’re dreaming about a guy who doesn't exist. But here you have a wonderful guy who’s into you. So stop thinking about Collin and focus on what's in front of you.’

  Maybe she was right. Maybe I needed to focus on the people in my life right now. I sat up and pulled the car out of the driveway, depressed. At school there was no big mob of people waiting for the saga to continue, no Josh…nothing. It was like any other day at Rogue River High.

  Something wasn’t right. It was odd that Josh wasn’t making a big deal to get back together. I got out of the car and locked it. Maybe he was inside by the doors.

  Walking toward the school, no one looked at me. It was like I was invisible. Walking up the steps and in through the big double doors, I was amazed that everything was so normal and Josh was still nowhere in sight.

  But something in the air just felt different, strange. Like sensing a rainstorm before the clouds rolled in.

  “Bre!” Becka called from behind me.

  “Hey, Beck.”

  Without a pause, she dove right into telling me about her evening last night with Trevor. “So, you won’t ever guess where Trevor took me last night.” I was about to respond, but she was so excited she cut me off, “Okay, I’ll tell you! It was the most romantic date ever!”

  Something caught my eye over by the first class room door on my right, but when I saw that it was only Kevin, another football player, I sighed and returned my attention to Rebecca. She kept going, talking faster the more excited she got.

  “First, he picked me up at my house in his parents’ beautiful car. I don’t know what kind of car, but it was red and that’s all that matters! Anyway…” She rolled her eyes. “He brought me a dozen long- stemmed pink roses…Ahhhh!” She sighed, thinking about them. “And he also brought me a present. At first I thought it was chocolates or something, but I didn’t see a box with him so I knew it was something else, something…better! And when he reached into his pocket, he pulled out a small black box with a white ribbon around it! Do you what to know what he got me?” She jumped up and down with anticipation.

  She was going to tell me anyway, so I just smiled and waited.

  “These!” she exclaimed, throwing her brown hair to one side and flashing her ears. They were beautiful blue topaz earrings. “Aren’t they gorgeous!”

  “They are very pretty.”

  “No, pretty isn’t the word for it. They’re exquisite,” Becka said with an air of feeling like a queen showing off her crown.

  Getting a little impatient, I nodded while circling my hand. “Sooo?” I tapped my foot on the ground.

  “Oh yeah…so he took me to dinner at a really expensive restaurant in Grants Pass right on the river, and paid the hostess twenty bucks to have a window seat. I think we could’ve gotten the table by the window without him slipping her money, but it was cute. And after dinner, we went out on the deck and danced slowly in the moonlight!” Eyes closed, she held her hands over her heart and rocked back and forth with such a love-sick sappy expression I wanted
to slap her.

  “Your parents actually let you go out on a date on a school night?”

  “No…but they’ll never find out about it because they went on a cruise for two weeks and left me home alone! And that’s one of the reasons why I needed to talk to you.”

  This can’t be good. “Home alone for two weeks…what are you planning?”

  “Well…I was thinking, big empty house, no parents…I’d say it’s party time! Tomorrow night!”

  I gave her a doubtful face. “A party?”

  “Yeah! So I need your help tomorrow. We have a ton of things to do. We need to get food and drinks. I was thinking about getting a DJ.”

  “A party sounds like fun Beck, but…I don’t think I can help you with the set up part.”

  “Why not?” she whined. “What’s more important than my party?” her eyebrows creased and she threw me a pouty face.

  “I kind of already made plans.”

  “With who?”

  I paused, biting my bottom lip, not wanting to tell her.

  “Wait! Is it?”

  I grunted, giving up. “Yes, with Austin.” Not that it mattered. We were just friends.

  As her face relaxed and her mouth curled up on both ends, I could see she liked this way too much. “I guess that’s a good enough reason. When did he ask you out?”

  “Yesterday. It’s really nothing, just two friends hanging out. It’ll be nice to get out of the house since my mother is staying…permanently.” I shifted my weight to my other leg still impatiently waiting for Josh to appear. It was really crowded, students at their lockers or heading to their first period classes. And I still didn’t see Josh.

  “Wait, I know we haven’t really talked in the past couple of days, but Susan’s here?” Becka asked.

  “Yep.”

  The more I heard it, the more misery I felt. It was like I was sinking into the ground and my Mother was the one pushing me under.

  “She’ll be here every day? No business trips, no nothing?” Becka questioned.

  “That’s right,” I answered without emotion. Now I felt like I was pushing up daisies.

  The horrible fight when Susan came home started to replay in my head. All I could hear was, “I wish I wasn’t in this family. I wish you and that brother of yours weren’t even born.” The aching pain swallowed me up again.