Lainey
When I wake up it's not because of my alarm or my cat, but the sun that was coming in through my blinds.
I roll over and my clock on the wall says that if I get up now, I will have five minutes to get ready.
I see Jeremy walk past my open door and I yell, "Why did you let me sleep in, Jere?"
Either he doesn't hear me, or he decides to ignore me because he walks right past my door.
"Okay, be a jackass then," I say loudly.
He still doesn't respond, and I know he heard me. I jump out of bed and stomp across the hall to his room.
"So, are you just ignoring me or did you wake up deaf?" I snap.
Jeremy shoves a book in his bag and walks right past me as if I wasn't there.
After last night's events, I'm really not in the mood to deal with Jeremy's crap. "Stop ignoring me!" I shout.
He doesn't so much as flinch, and I yelled loud. Like loud enough that Mom should have shouted at me from downstairs.
Now with rage and a small dose of worry, I run downstairs and into the kitchen. Where I find everyone is going about their day like nothing is wrong and I'm not standing in the doorway panting like an excited dog.
"What the hell is going on?" I yell.
Still, no one responds, not even my mom who just continues pouring her coffee.
With panic rising in my chest, I take a fork lying on the counter and jab it into my arm.
A sharp hiss breaks through my lips from the burning pain. "What is going on?" I gasp.
Since no one responds I run out the front door just in time to catch Maize jogging to Trey's truck. "Wait, sorry I'm late," I yell as I run across the street.
Neither of them hears me and they both jump into his truck. I franticly wave my arms in an attempt to get the truck to stop, but they don't notice me.
At the last second, I jump into Trey's truck bed as he backs into the road.
A loud thump rattles through the truck and neither Maize nor Trey seems to notice it, or my flailing body.
I lay down flat to keep anyone from seeing me in the back of Trey's truck.
But I doubt anyone would, it seems as though I'm invisible this morning.
I pat my side and realize I forgot my phone and I'm still in my sleep shorts and an oversized t-shirt that I stole from one of my brothers.
Great, just great.
~~~~
After a bumpy five-minute ride, we arrive at school. When I sit up it's like Trey nor Maize can't see me as they get out of the truck.
And no one notices me as I walk towards the school. And believe me when I say I should be getting tons of looks for what I'm wearing.
It's as if I'm...
Invisible.
Nah, this has Huntley written all over it, I tell myself as I march into school.
I bet after last night he sent out an email or something asking people to pretend they can't see me.
I get zero looks as I storm through the halls even as I keep pulling at my shirt because I may have forgotten to put a bra on this morning. Not like there is much to look at, but it's still uncomfortable.
Finally, I find the devil himself and march right up to him, anger fulling my every step.
"What the freaking fuck is wrong with you?" I yell.
Owen slams his locker and a smirk forms on his face as he takes in my clothes. "Nice outfit, really taking the whole comfort clothing to a new level," Owen says.
I shrug, "Who cares it's not like someone is going to say anything since you told everyone to act like I don't exist."
Owens's smirk disappears and he tilts his head slightly. "Did you say what I think you just said?"
I roll my eyes, "Cut the crap, Huntley, I know this is your dumb way of getting me back for the whole waking up in your bed thing."
"Lainey, I really don't know what you're talking about?" Owen whispers.
At this point, I've had all I can take. "Owen Huntley, no one can see me!" I scream in the middle of a crowded hall.
~~~~
Owen
When Lainey yells and no one so much as flinches, my paranoia rises. "You're messed up Lainey, I didn't do anything."
I slowly back away from her. "If this is some waked-up version of a prank then you're messed up in the head."
Lainey's face hardens. "You think I'm making this up!" She yells hysterically.
I simply nod and walk to my next class. As I walk away no one pays her as much a glance.
Lainey really went all in on this prank. She convinced everyone at school to pretend to not see her.
I could see her going to that extent to get me back, just like climbing into my room the other night.
She must have deemed that prank unsuccessful since I didn't fully believe her sleepwalking story.
But to go as far as pretending to be invisible is a bit extreme, even for Lainey who put fake love letters in my locker for a month and I was dumb enough to fall for it. I even went to a restaurant and waited two hours for her to show up.
When Lainey finally did, I was so pissed and she still teases me about it.
But still, this is a stretch.
~~~~
After my class, Lainey is waiting in the hall.
"Still don't believe me?" She snaps as people walk past her as if she's not there.
"No," I snap in return.
"So, you're still not going admit to it," Lainey draws from behind me.
I slam my fist against my locker, "Lainey, what do I have to do for you to leave me the hell alone."
Lainey simply smiles like I didn't practically growl at her. Behind her, I see her brothers and I get an idea.
"Alright, I'm going to prove to you that I didn't tell the damn school to pretend they can't see you."
Lainey has officially stepped off the train into looney town, and gone off the deep end.
I walk right up to Jeremiah. "Hey man, where's your sister?" I ask.
They both give me an odd look. "You haven't heard?"
"Heard what?" I ask.
Jeremy gently shakes his head, "She's in the hospital, she got into a car accident yesterday."
I feel my mouth drop open. "I'm surprised you didn't know, the whole school was talking about it yesterday," Jeremiah whispers.
I wasn't at school yesterday, after I took Lainey home my little sister was awake and her blood sugar was sky-high, so I stayed home with her.
The bell rings and they both give me a small smile and walk away. I turn around to find Lainey staring at the ground.
Before I can say anything she suddenly turns and runs away.
I just continue standing there utterly confused.
If Lainey is in the hospital, then how come I can still see her as if she's right here, alive and breathing.
This could still be part of her stupid prank. Not wanting to leave anything to chance I pull out my phone and search Lainey's name.
An article comes up from yesterday with a picture of a car at the top. It looks similar to Mazie's car.
I read further and learn that Lainey was in a car accident. It says a car t-boned Maize's car and Lainey was in the passenger side.
The article also says that it put Lainey in a coma, and they don't know if she'll wake up.
"Shit,' I mumble as I shove my phone into my pocket and run through the halls.
So, if I can see her and no one else can then it can only mean one thing. Lainey died and she's a ghost.
But she can't be dead dead. Maybe she is brain dead.
After ten minutes of searching, I find her on the bleachers overlooking the football field. "Hey, Lainey, we need to talk."
She looks down at me with a dead look, "Still think I'm lying?"
I shake my head and climb my way towards her. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you," I whisper.
She buries her head into her hands. "I'm not here, am I?"
I don't respond. Seeing her scared and vulnerable is weird when she is always snarky and crapy.
"I'm a ghost stuck in pajamas." She looks up and scoffs, "I don't even have a bra on."
I chuckle and she shoots me a look that has me abruptly stopping. "Maybe you're not totally a ghost since I can see you," I say gently.
Lainey looks at me and there is so much going on in her eyes that I don't know what emotion she is feeling. "Owen, I'm not dead."
I open my mouth, to disagree, but Lainey grabs the front of my shirt. "Owen, I feel alive, I can feel things." She says frantically. "I'm sitting on this bleacher and I didn't fall through it."
I pry her hands off my shirt as I say, "But you just said you were a ghost."
She waves her hand through the air as if she's brushing off my comment. "It was a figure of speech."
"So, if you're not a ghost then what are you?"
She shrugs, "I don't know."
I watch her pick at a string on her shirt, "Today is just not going my way," She mutters.
A laugh bubbles out of me, and Lainey just gives me another dirty look.
"Look, since you're not a ghost what if I take you to the hospital so maybe you canâ" I run my hands through my hair as I take a moment to consider the rest of my thought. "I don't know, reconnect with your body or some shit."
That is officially the weirdness sentence to ever come out of my mouth.
Lainey slowly nods her head as if she's considering what I said. "Okay, I'll try it."
I jump up, "Lets go."