Apricity [a-PRIS-i-tee]: The warmth of the sun in winter
Briar Elizabeth Maddox
Became a social outcast over the summer and now her used-to-be friends treat her no better than the dirt under their shoes. But no matter what she's been through, she'...
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I jolt from my sleep, immediately thrown into panic and confusion about my surroundings. My breathing stays sporadic in the darkness as I search for a light.
I switch on the lamp and my room lights up with the soft glow of the bulb. That's right, I'm in my room. Because I'm with my aunt now. I'm in my room.
The events of my nightmare are still fresh in my mind. It was just a dream, I try to tell myself. But it wasn't just a dream. That was a dramatized version of my darkest memories.
I throw off my covers and hopefully the feeling of my discomfort along with them. Staying still becomes too restrictive for me, so I get out of bed and pace around, desperately trying to rub away the goosebumps from my arms.
It had been a while since I was haunted in my dreams. I thought I was getting better. Every time I think I'm getting better, the nightmares always come back to laugh in my face, to remind me of what it felt like when he was there.
It was two in the morning. I was asleep for three hours. There wasn't much sleep for the rest of the night.
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Briar isn't as talkative today as she usually was.
I wonder if she would say anything at all. Mrs. Jericho had already given us the lecture and we had been doing our independent work. Briar usually says something by now. All she's done is yawn.
I didn't know yet if I found relief in her silence or if it unsettled me. I didn't really have much time to ponder it when she finally spoke.
"I think it's cool that you help Julius at his shop," she says with her head still laying on her folded arms. "Do you know who else is a trained mechanic? Queen Elizabeth II."
All I do is look at her for a moment. "And do you know what helps people stay awake during class? More sleep," I deadpan to her as she sits up to rub at her tired eyes.
"I'm not tired," She says, but her words are broken by a yawn.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Yes, you are."
She shrugs with a small hum in response. Then, she drops her chin in her hands and says, "I just didn't get as much sleep last night. It's no big deal."
