The Yarian Chronicles: Second Life

Chapter 2

The next day started as all others did. I rolled out of bed sleepily and turned off my alarm, showered, and took the crowded bus to school. I sat through my first two classes, relieved that I had an hour for lunch. I met Kate as always on our Tuesday lunch breaks for lunch at our favorite takeout place. Kate was a vegetarian, so she got her usual tofu and she grimaced as I got my chicken salad. We found a table close-by and sat down. Kate studied my face with a look of serious concern on hers.

"Kendra, I hate to say this seeing how you're my girl and everything, but you look like hell." Kate was never one to sugarcoat the truth, she'd tell you how she saw things, whether you liked it or not.

"I know," I replied sleepily, yawning as the words came out my mouth. "I haven't had a decent night's sleep in a while. I'm surprised I'm not hallucinating yet. I hear that if you don't sleep for like 4 days that's what happens."

"I don't know kend, but you need some sleep. It isn't good for your health. Is it that weird dream again?"

"Yup," I replied. Kate was the only one I had told about them. She was the only one who listened and didn't try to take everything I did as a psychological projection of my past issues. She just listened, and I appreciated her for it.

"You know, you should see one of the psychic people. Sometimes they can look into those dreams and tell you the future. Ooooo." She made a weird wave with her hands, and then took a loud slurp of her organic apple juice. We both laughed at the idea.

"They'll probably just tell me that I'm crazy like the psychologist my parents sent me to. Besides I saw a report on psychics on the news, they say that they read you and the way you react, you know like body language, the way you dress, and that whole 'reading the future' thing is just a farce to make money."

"I don't know. But reading your body right now says you're just sick. Seriously girl, get some pills or something. Actually, you know my mom has this chamomile oil stuff that you burn, and it's really relaxing. You just start half an hour before you want to fall asleep, blow out the candle before bed and it puts you right out. And, it's all natural. No pills or anything"

"You and your natural" I giggled a little, "Anyways, the problem isn't getting to sleep. I DO sleep, it just doesn't feel like I am. Then I keep waking up in the middle of the night." I sighed. "Oh well"

"Oh well," she repeated. I heard a buzz and she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket.

"Who is it?" I mouthed silently to her, as she picked it up.

"Aiden" she mouthed and began texting her ex-boyfriend.

Aiden was this boy she began to see a few months ago. I personally didn't like him. There was something about him that I found phony and superficial. He also treated her like crap, constantly breaking dates, and standing her up. As of a month ago she caught him making out with another girl in the middle of the hallway. You would think he wanted to get caught. He should have taken her to the corner of the library where the rest of the school goes to hide and make-out.

She slammed her phone face down on the table, and sighed with aggravation. "I wish he would leave me alone!"

"What now?" I asked.

"He's begging me to come back... again."

"What can I say? I told you so!"

"I know, I know. I swear next time I'll listen to you when you say there's something wrong with them. What's this now, four for four? How can you tell these things?"

"I don't know. It's a gift I guess. I can sense a player a mile a way."

"I guess so," she replied and stole a quick glance at my watch, "so are we off to class?"