Page 2 of A Storm of Nightmares

We started dating halfway through the school year, and I thought, for the first time in my entire life, that Betty really did have this whole high school thing figured out. But my big sister and all the good advice in the world couldn’t save me from dating a complete asshole. All he wanted was to get in my pants, and he made that very clear when he dumped me because I wouldn’t sleep with him after a month. Apparently, I put out anI’m so innocent that I’ll be easyvibe. I told him right where he could stick it. He called me a bitch. That sums up my first and last time getting dumped.

After I got a taste of high school boys, I have pretty much steered clear of them. I refuse to put myself through more torture than necessary. I stopped listening to Betty’s tips, and she stopped offering to help after a while. She was good at being bold and brave and finding the right guys. I wasn’t. So, I went back to my books, where I knew the men couldn’t hurt me. That’s where I’ve always been comfortable.

It’s been a whole year since my first and last attempt at having a boyfriend. Betty is a senior, I’m a sophomore, and I’m terrified at having to face high school all on my own when she leaves for college with her boyfriend in a few months. She’s been sort of shield for me. As long as she’s around, I get left alone. Once she graduates, I’ll be forced to fend off high school scum on my own.

I’m happy for her, though, don’t get me wrong. She met her boyfriend Dan at the mall two months ago, and they’ve been inseparable ever since. He’s from a few towns over, and he’s a senior too. They got into a few of the same colleges purely by coincidence and dumb luck since they applied to schools before they met.

They’ve decided to attend UCLA together in the fall. Los Angeles fits Betty. She’ll flourish in the big, busy city. But she’ll also be six hours away from me, so I kind of hate her at the moment. She got into plenty of good colleges in Northern California, and she would have stayed a lot closer to me if Dan wasn’t in the picture. But I can’t be upset with her forever, especially when she promises she’s madly in love with him.

It’s because of that love, or lust, that I’m ninety percent sure Betty will be sneaking Dan in through her window tonight, even though Mom and Dad won’t be here, and I couldn’t care less if he came in through the front door. Maybe they just like the thrill of sneaking around. Who knows what kind of stuff those two are into?

I will be happily locked away in my room for the entire night, reading about true love and eating an unhealthy amount of Hershey’s Kisses. I don’t have a body that I have to keep in cheerleading shape.

Mom and Dad have been gone for thirty minutes now, and Betty must think the chances of them coming back are slim to none. As if on cue, I hear her bedroom window slide open, and a burst of laughter floats down the hallway. And then a loud thud. And then more laughter. I try my best to stifle my own laughter as I picture Dan attempting and failing to climb in the window. My phone buzzes, and I roll my eyes at Betty’s name on the screen.

Betty:Ok, obviously, there’s no hiding the fact that Dan’s here. Don’t tell Mom and Dad.

Kat:I am truly offended that you think I would rat you out.

Betty:Just making sure! Love you, Kat. You’re the best. XOXO

Kat:Save your hugs and kisses for Dan. Sounds like he needs them after that fall.

Betty:Ha, Ha. Do not bring that up in front of him! He’s too tall to climb through my window gracefully, but he refuses to come in the front door like a normal person. Ugh, boys.

Kat:I wouldn’t know. I’m anti-boys right now... Stop texting me, weirdo. I’m literally in the room right next to yours. If you want to talk to me so badly, walk the five feet it takes to come see me. Otherwise, leave me to my books and have fun with your BF.

Betty doesn’t respond after that, so I put my phone down and pop another Hershey’s Kiss in my mouth. I don’t need a boyfriend. I have chocolate. I’m perfectly happy with the sweet, melt-in-your-mouth delicacy that’s keeping me company tonight.

I pick up my book and get lost in the Hawaiian Islands chasing waterfalls and zip-lining with a handsome man right by my side. I spend my evenings drinking strawberry daiquiris on the beach and wake up every morning to strong arms wrapped tightly around me. God, what a perfect life.

I finish my book and stand up from my bed to stretch. That has to be a new record. Checking my phone, I realize three hours have gone by. Nice. A whole book in one evening. I’m a proud bookworm.

Mom and Dad should be back soon. I go out into the hall and almost open Betty’s door out of habit but stop once I picture finding her and Dan in bed.Yuck. I would never be able to get those images out of my head. I’d have to gouge out my eyeballs and suffer through the rest of my life blind.

So instead, I lift my right hand and lightly tap on her door. “Betty? Mom and Dad should be back soon. Is Dan still here?” I wait a few seconds and try again, knocking a little harder. “Betty, if you guys fell asleep, wake up. Dad will kill you if he finds Dan in your room.” I wait a few more seconds. Nothing.

I open her door slowly and keep my eyes closed in fear of seeing my sister’s boyfriend naked. “Hellooooo? I’m coming in, Betty. Please, tell me you guys are both fully clothed.”

Again, there’s no answer, so I open my right eye to peek. And then I have both eyes open, and I find myself staring at her empty bedroom. Betty’s hot pink bed sheets are messed up, a few of her fuzzy white pillows tossed on the floor. I turn my head to the left and notice her closet doors are wide open, and there are several hangers without clothes on them. I look over at the open window. The white and pink striped curtains are blowing in the night breeze, and the room is cold. I suddenly feel sick.

I leave Betty’s room in a hurry and run downstairs, hoping to find them in the kitchen. But when I turn the corner at the bottom of the steps and scan the dark room, I don’t see anybody. I flip the lights on just to make sure my eyes aren’t playing tricks on me. They aren’t. She isn’t here.

“Betty?” I call as I walk through the kitchen and into the living room. No answer. “Betty, this isn’t funny! Mom and Dad will be home any minute, and they’re going to be pissed that you’re trying to scare me!” I continue through the living room, down the hallway, and check the guest bedroom and bathroom. Both are empty and untouched. “Betty! Where are you?”

Panic is starting to course through me as I make my way to the front door. I swing it open and run out with bare feet to the end of the driveway. Looking in both directions, I frantically search the street for Dan’s car. Since he sneaks in, he usually parks it a few houses down, but I don’t see it anywhere tonight. Did he leave already? Did Betty go with him?

I turn around, head back into the house, and up the stairs to my bedroom. I grab my phone, click on Betty’s name, and hold the phone to my ear. It rings once.Pick up, Betty.It rings twice.Come on, Betty!It rings three times.Where the hell did you go?It rings a fourth time and I hang up, letting out a frustrated grunt. I quickly type out a text to her.

Kat:Betty, where are you?

I sit down on the edge of my bed and wait. Five minutes go by. I start nervously bouncing my knee as I type out another text.

Kat:Ok, Betty, very funny. Come home. The joke is over.

My hands are starting to shake. I can’t just sit here and wait. I stand up and pace around my room. Checking my phone for the hundredth time, I see that two more minutes have gone by since my last text and still no answer. I try calling Betty again, and my heart stops dead when my call goes straight to voicemail. What the hell?

Just as I’m really starting to lose it, I hear the front door open, and I can suddenly breathe again. Betty and Dan must have just gone to get food and come right back. I freaked out for no reason. She always forgets to charge her phone, so I’m sure it just died before she could text me back.

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