tossed the covers from her face with a groan.
She sat up and took a tentative sip. Her mouth had been seized by a dry, sour rot, a taste which mingled unpleasantly on her tongue with the plasticky lukewarm water. After downing the remainder of the bottle, Alessa lay back in bed and draped an arm across her eyes. She’d known last night that she was going to regret all that beer, and she’d been right.
Alessa cringed as her memory of running out on Nikhil surfaced, the flush returning to her cheeks as she recalled his dismayed expression. How could she ever explain her behavior in a way that didn’t seem absurd or ridiculous? He would never understand.
She was glad, though, that she’d decided to go to the library last night. Knowing that the ghost was Isaac Mason had at least answered some of Alessa’s questions, and she no longer felt the same compulsion that she once had. If Isaac had lost his entire family in some tragedy, it certainly explained why he hadn’t moved on, and as long as Alessa understood where he was coming from, she thought she would eventually be able to peacefully coexist. She just needed to figure out how to block out the feelings he incited in her, and then she’d be able to ignore Isaac during their little encounters the same way that he always ignored her.
Alessa fetched the box of cereal from on top of the fridge and tumbled back into bed. She would have preferred something hot and greasy, but unfortunately dry corn flakes were the best she could do without slogging to the cafeteria. She munched away, breathing slowly, staying as still as possible to avoid jolting her aching head.
She lay back down after consuming a satisfying amount of cereal and felt immediately relieved. She was able to take a 20 minute nap and felt significantly better when she woke up again. Not back to normal yet, but better.
Being a Sunday, Alessa could at least stave off any possible encounter with Nikhil by staying in her house for the day. She was sure Janie wouldn’t mind bringing back some real food from the cafeteria whenever she ventured over that way, so Alessa decided to stay put and focus on getting some work done, namely an upcoming term paper for her ethics class. Despite the sustenance and rest, though, she still felt gross. She needed to brush her teeth and shower before she could even think about being productive.
Alessa felt disoriented when she finally got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. Her equilibrium was off, and she felt like she was wandering in a daze. This hangover couldn’t wear off soon enough.
When she got to the bathroom, she found that both showers were occupied, and neither of them had freed up by the time she'd finished brushing her teeth. She decided to swing by Janie’s room to wait.
Janie was awake, barely. She had been half-dozing, watching an old movie on her laptop in bed when Alessa entered. She scooted over to make room for Alessa to sit adjacent to her. “Morning, sunshine. You look almost as good as I do.” Even with a hangover, her sarcasm was unrelenting.
Alessa just moaned in response and rested her head on Janie’s shoulder.
“I know, I know.” Janie patted Alessa’s leg sympathetically. “Do you want to talk about what happened with you last night?”
Alessa moaned again.
“It seemed like things were going well with Nikhil…” Janie prodded. “Why did you freak out?”
Rousing her head from Janie’s shoulder, Alessa released a long sigh. “I don’t know… We were about to kiss, and then I looked up and all I saw were Isaac’s eyes, and I just couldn’t go through with it.”
“Isaac? The ghost?”
“Yeah, I went to the library last night and confirmed that it’s him. Isaac Mason, 17 years old when his family died in 1917.” Alessa dropped her hands in her lap definitively. Looking at Janie, she qualified, “At least I think. The records aren’t exactly
She sat up and took a tentative sip. Her mouth had been seized by a dry, sour rot, a taste which mingled unpleasantly on her tongue with the plasticky lukewarm water. After downing the remainder of the bottle, Alessa lay back in bed and draped an arm across her eyes. She’d known last night that she was going to regret all that beer, and she’d been right.
Alessa cringed as her memory of running out on Nikhil surfaced, the flush returning to her cheeks as she recalled his dismayed expression. How could she ever explain her behavior in a way that didn’t seem absurd or ridiculous? He would never understand.
She was glad, though, that she’d decided to go to the library last night. Knowing that the ghost was Isaac Mason had at least answered some of Alessa’s questions, and she no longer felt the same compulsion that she once had. If Isaac had lost his entire family in some tragedy, it certainly explained why he hadn’t moved on, and as long as Alessa understood where he was coming from, she thought she would eventually be able to peacefully coexist. She just needed to figure out how to block out the feelings he incited in her, and then she’d be able to ignore Isaac during their little encounters the same way that he always ignored her.
Alessa fetched the box of cereal from on top of the fridge and tumbled back into bed. She would have preferred something hot and greasy, but unfortunately dry corn flakes were the best she could do without slogging to the cafeteria. She munched away, breathing slowly, staying as still as possible to avoid jolting her aching head.
She lay back down after consuming a satisfying amount of cereal and felt immediately relieved. She was able to take a 20 minute nap and felt significantly better when she woke up again. Not back to normal yet, but better.
Being a Sunday, Alessa could at least stave off any possible encounter with Nikhil by staying in her house for the day. She was sure Janie wouldn’t mind bringing back some real food from the cafeteria whenever she ventured over that way, so Alessa decided to stay put and focus on getting some work done, namely an upcoming term paper for her ethics class. Despite the sustenance and rest, though, she still felt gross. She needed to brush her teeth and shower before she could even think about being productive.
Alessa felt disoriented when she finally got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. Her equilibrium was off, and she felt like she was wandering in a daze. This hangover couldn’t wear off soon enough.
When she got to the bathroom, she found that both showers were occupied, and neither of them had freed up by the time she'd finished brushing her teeth. She decided to swing by Janie’s room to wait.
Janie was awake, barely. She had been half-dozing, watching an old movie on her laptop in bed when Alessa entered. She scooted over to make room for Alessa to sit adjacent to her. “Morning, sunshine. You look almost as good as I do.” Even with a hangover, her sarcasm was unrelenting.
Alessa just moaned in response and rested her head on Janie’s shoulder.
“I know, I know.” Janie patted Alessa’s leg sympathetically. “Do you want to talk about what happened with you last night?”
Alessa moaned again.
“It seemed like things were going well with Nikhil…” Janie prodded. “Why did you freak out?”
Rousing her head from Janie’s shoulder, Alessa released a long sigh. “I don’t know… We were about to kiss, and then I looked up and all I saw were Isaac’s eyes, and I just couldn’t go through with it.”
“Isaac? The ghost?”
“Yeah, I went to the library last night and confirmed that it’s him. Isaac Mason, 17 years old when his family died in 1917.” Alessa dropped her hands in her lap definitively. Looking at Janie, she qualified, “At least I think. The records aren’t exactly
Similar Books
