The drive back home seemed longer and more lonely than ever. The car was silent, and even Liza was not in the mood for small talk. I was in an emotional whirlwind, having a hard time understanding what exactly I should feel.
Happy because I was going to perform, sad because I did not know what to do about Mr. Dimitri, scared because I feared this new side of my teacher, confused with why he did such a thing and lastly betrayal because I couldn't find words to express anything to Liza.
I sneaked a peek towards Liza and found her deep in thought. As if she was contemplating something. I decided that I should at least tell her that...
"Hey Liza, um today in music class something happened..."
"Yeah? What happened now? Did the hot teacher kiss you?" She smiled a little while her eyes were still on the road.
I was quite bewildered by her statement, and she noticed it. The silence was awkward, but I would prefer silence rather than sharing the embarrassing events.
"Rosie, is something wrong?" Liza's voice was laced with worry and her forehead had this little frown, making her look a little funny.
Small bursts of laughter came out of my mouth, while Liza's frown got larger.
"If I wouldn't have known you better, I would have said you have gone mad. So tell me, babe, what happened? One moment you are all gloomy doomy and the next moment you are happy wappy. Wanna share?" A small smile tugged on her lips while she parked the car into our driveway.
We both got out of our car and headed towards the door.
"You won't believe what happened! Lizzie, I think I am going to perform on stage!!" Liza's eyes sparkled with happiness, and she started jumping up and down with excitement. Somehow I too joined in and we both started screaming at the top of our lungs like mad women.
"I can't believe my girl is going to be famous! This totally calls for a celebration! Let's hit the club tonight! You know what? I know something better for this kind of celebration...."
*****
"No."
"Yes!"
"N-O"
"Y-E-S!"
"Nada nope!"
"Yada yes!"
"No means no, Lizzie!"
Liza had dug out all the popcorn she could find, along with all the horror movies found on Netflix.
"Yes means yes, Rosie! C'mon! Don't be such a chicken!" She made those puppy dog eyes with a cute pout that can melt anyone, but even that could not break through my fear for ghosts.
Yes, I am 20 years old, and I am afraid of ghosts.
"I don't understand! I thought we were celebrating. This looks more like a punishment," I whined like a five-year-old.
"Well, this is a celebration! It's been a long time since we had a girl's night, and I thought it is a great time for some bonding. You know...just you and me, on the couch, sharing a blanket, cuddling." She winked at me and pulled me towards the sofa to start the endless torture of a horror movie marathon.
*****
After many screams and shouts and scared jumps and debates like "that bitch is so dumb!" or "turn on the freaking lights!" or "don't leave her alone you silly bitch" or "Run!", it was decided that the movie-marathon-celebration be adjourned and both the participants may return to their rooms.
I was quite scared to sleep alone, so I thought I should ask Liza to sleep with me, but after being called a "chicken" I decided against it.
I switched up all the lights in my room and prepared myself for a sleepless night when my eye caught a piece of paper peeking from my crumpled hoodie on the floor. It was the same hoodie I wore to college.
I took out the piece of paper, which was actually an envelope. There was a small bump on the envelope, indicating that there was possibly something inside it.
I cautiously opened it and found an earring in it.
My earring.
It is quite strange because I am positive that I had lost the earring after Max and Liza's party. Possibly during the mishap which occurred after the party and whose memory I do not hold.
****
I was surrounded by fog and mist, lost in a forest. The moon was high up in the sky providing my blind surroundings a little light. The place was dead silent with no living soul in sight.
I slowly started moving forward and saw a house a few feet away. The bushes around me swayed a little as if they were blown by the wind but the silence still prevailed.
The house looked quite familiar to me, yet I could not remember where I have seen it before. I decided to slowly creep towards the house and peek inside the window where a bright yellow light was illuminated. The glass windowpane gave me a clear view of a room. A room with a fireplace, a couch, and other such furnishings.
Suddenly, the door to the room slammed open, and a small girl was pushed inside with such force that she dropped on the floor. Two men entered the room. The elder one had a wooden spatula in his hand, while the other younger one had a jug of water. It seemed to me that they were father and son.
They were shouting and cursing, yet I could not hear a single word they said. My ears were totally deaf. The small girl had curled up on the floor with her open dark night hair splayed like waves.
The younger guy came forward and splashed all the water on the girl and hoisted her up by pulling her hair. Yet the innocent girl didn't utter a word, as if her lips were sewn shut. The older man was still shouting when he raised the spatula high up and brought it down crashing on her head.
I woke up in a cold sweat with a scream trying to escape my lips. I clutched both of my hands on my mouth to stop its escape. My body was drenched in sweat, so I threw off the covers off myself and brought both my knees to my chest to bury my head in between.
My room was pitch black, with only the moonlight entering the room from the windows as a source of light. Everything was still and silent, as if my nightmare had not ended yet.
I slowly brought my right hand towards the top of my head and traced the dent on it, hidden by my hair.
I realized that the girl in the dream was me while my father and brother were beating me to unconsciousness.