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Chapter 14 – New Nightmares

I woke up gasping with fear and shaking with anxiety. I had just awoken from a nightmare, but this one was a bit different from my usual ones. I had dreamed of the day's events when the quarterback attacked me. Only this time Ike didn't come to save me. The football player took me away and tortured me. Even though I was awake, I could still feel him touching me, violating me.

Looking at the clock, I was horrified to see it was only 1:45. I was never going to get back to sleep at this rate. Shaking, I picked up my phone and called Henrietta. She would be the least likely to be annoyed with me for calling this late. She picked up immediately.

"Firkle? Why are you calling so late? Are you ok?" she asked in a concerned voice.

"H-Hey, um, were you asleep?" I wondered, not answering. If she had been asleep I didn't want to bother her.

"No," she replied, "I was busy reading. What's up?"

"Um, is it all right if I come over?" I asked nervously. I hesitated, but then I decided to just come out and say it. "I had a nightmare and I really don't want to spend the night alone."

I could almost see the sympathetic smile forming on her face. "Of course you can," she replied, "I don't mind at all."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you," I said.

"Do you want me to come pick you up?" she wondered, "It's pretty late, and I wouldn't feel right about letting you walk over here all by yourself this late at night."

Normally I wouldn't care, but she did have a point. Plus, I was still unnerved by my nightmare. "Yes, please," I answered.

"All right, I'll be there in a minute. I'll text you when I get there," she told me. We said our good-byes and hung up.

While I waited for her I grabbed a change of clothes for the morning. A minute or two later I got a text from Henrietta telling me she was here. As quietly as could, I snuck out of my house and went out to my friend's truck where she was waiting.

"Hey Firkle," she greeted as I got in, "All set?"

"Yeah," I replied, "Thanks again for letting me stay over."

"Of course. I've had my share of nightmares and I often wish I had someone there with me when I had them," she told me as she got back on the road.

"What about Michael?" I wondered. She shrugged.

"He comes over sometimes, but he never sleeps over on nights when I have nightmares," she said, "And… I kind of feel silly calling my boyfriend to come over because I had a bad dream. I barely like to admit I even have them."

Giving her a comforting smile, I leaned over and put a hand on her arm. "Well, if you ever do have another nightmare you can always come over to my house," I told her, "I don't mind at all."

She smiled at me but kept her eyes on the road. "Thanks Firkle. I might take you up on that some time."

After that, it didn't take much longer to get to her house. We quietly crept in, careful not to wake her parents, and tip-toed up to her room. Once we in her room, I set my clothes down on her dresser before getting ready to lay down on the floor. Henrietta gave me a confused look.

"Firkle? What are you doing?" she wondered. I looked at her.

"I-I was going to sleep on the floor," I answered, "I just figured it would be weird if we slept in the same bed. I don't mind, honest."

Henrietta let out a small laugh. "Don't be ridiculous," she said, "You're sleeping in bed with me. Now get up here."

I stood up and climbed onto the bed, but not without reprehension. "Are you sure?" I asked cautiously, "What about Michael? Won't he get mad if he finds out?"

"Well I guess we won't let him find out, will we?" she laughed. Then she gave me a serious look. "But all joking aside, we're friends, Firkle. We can share a bed together. And I don't think Michael would care at all."

"If you're sure," I murmured, getting under the covers with her. I felt her snuggle up to me, sharing the warmth of her body with me. Then I felt her lean over and kiss me gently on the cheek. I smiled at that.

"Good night, Henrietta," I whispered.

"Good night, Firkle," she replied.

…

With Henrietta by my side I slept peacefully the rest of the night. And when I woke up in the morning I actually felt well rested. It was nice.

Henrietta had, at some point during the night, thrown her arm around me and pressed me closer to her. I could feel her warm breath on the back of my neck and it made me tingle. I always felt loved and protected around Henrietta. She was like a mother or big sister to me. I think of my three friends I loved her the most. If I had to pick favorites, that is. I loved Pete and Michael, but sometimes Pete was a little too over-protective, and Michael seemed too indifferent. I know he cared about me, of course, but he never seemed to really start caring unless something really big was happening.

I felt Henrietta stir behind me as she yawned and slowly stretched out her limbs. When she thickly breathed on me, I shuddered again. Then she sat up and looked down at me.

"Good morning, Firkle," she greeted a little drowsily, "Sleep all right?"

"Yeah, much better," I replied, rolling over to face her, "Thanks for letting me stay here last night." She gave me a small smile.

"It was no trouble at all," she assured me, "Do you want to use my shower before I drive you to school?"

I shook my head. "Nah. I don't want to see what kind of weird girly things you might have in there," I replied, "I wouldn't mind borrowing your makeup, though."

"Sure thing, little girl," she said, smirking at me.

My comment about not wanting to see her girly things was immediately rendered moot when she started undressing in front of me. As I've stated previously, my friends and I were perfectly comfortable with each other's bodies, but a little warning would have been nice.

Henrietta took my clothes that I had brought over and dropped them on the bed. "Here's your clothes," she said nonchalantly, not caring that she wasn't wearing a top or a bra, "You should probably get dressed if you don't want to be late for school."

"Will you put a top on already?" I grumbled, pulling the T-shirt I wore for a night shirt up over my head. Henrietta smirked at me but did as I asked.

We both got dressed in silence before we headed out of the house. We drove back to my house first so I could drop off my clothes and pick up my school stuff. Then I was quickly back in the truck.

"Do you mind if I drive through Starbucks to get a coffee really quick?" Henrietta asked me. I shook my head.

"Only if you get one for me," I replied. She grinned at me as she got in line.

"Three creams one sugar, right?" she clarified.

"Yerp." Even though all four of us drank coffee, we all had our different preferences when it came to cream to sugar ratio. Pete liked a lot of sugar and one cream in his coffee. I obviously preferred more cream and less sugar. Henrietta took hers with equal amounts cream and sugar. And Michael was the weirdo in our group who took his entirely black.

We once read this stupid study that said that people who drunk black coffee were more likely to be psychopaths, and we liked to mercilessly tease Michael about it. We didn't actually believe that study, it was obviously bullshit, but still it was just something to hold over our friend.

Once we received our coffees we were back on the road heading towards the school. When we arrived, just like Pete, Henrietta insisted on giving me lunch money. This time I accepted it without complaint. I knew she was going to make me take it whether I wanted it or not. Plus, I had forgotten to take money from my parents before I left the house.

"Thanks for everything, Henrietta," I said as I got out of the truck.

"No problem, sweetie," she replied, "You know I would do anything for you." She blew me a kiss and I blushed before shutting the door and she drove off.

I headed into school with my coffee and slowly falling apart bag. I would probably need to get a new one soon, but that would require money that I didn't have. And I hated asking my friends for money. I already felt like I was holding them back, I didn't like mooching off them either.

In homeroom I took my usual place in the back of the room and took out my ruined notebook and a new notebook I had bought for really cheap. I was trying to transfer what I could from my old notebook into the new one, but it was rather difficult due to the water damage making most of the words illegible. I was still working when you-know-who came in.

"Hey," Ike greeted quietly as he took the desk next to me. He still seemed to be tense from our encounter from yesterday. "Um, how are you today?"

I let out a sigh. "I don't know," I replied honestly, "I had a nightmare last night so I went to stay with Henrietta. She helped me sleep better so I'm pretty well rested this morning. I don't know why I'm telling you all of this."

Ike gave me a small grin. "I won't judge," he assured me, "You saw me break down and cry. I figure we're even now."

Scoffing lightly, I turned back to my notebooks. There wasn't much to salvage from my old stuff which really saddened me. All that work wasted. With a huff, I closed the old notebook and got up to throw it in the trash. No point in keeping it anymore.

When I returned to my seat I saw Ike staring at me from my peripheral. I sighed.

"What?"

"Are you all right?" he asked me, "You seem upset."

"Then I should seem normal to you," I scoffed, "That's my default emotion. That or irritated." Which I was quickly becoming.

Ike frowned. "Did I do something to anger or annoy you?" he wondered, "Because if I did I'm really sorry."

His pitiful face and sincerity made me sigh. "No, it's not you, Ike," I assured him, "I'm just having a difficult week. It's not your fault." He looked relieved to hear this.

Before homeroom ended I leaned over to Ike. "Hey, can you come over after school and help me with my homework again?" I requested. He gave me a small smile.

"Of course," he replied.

Later in the day I had a class with the quarterback, which was not good because it meant I couldn't focus on what the teacher was saying. I sat in the back of the class as I always did, but after today I was considering moving to the front of the class. The quarterback sat next to me, punching me, kicking me, nudging me, rubbing my leg, and doing anything he could to make sure I was uncomfortable. And, as much as hated to admit it, I didn't have Ike to help me this time.

As the teacher lectured the class, the quarterback leaned over and hissed at me. "Where's your little boyfriend today, Dorkle?" he asked in a menacingly low voice, "Is he not around today?"

"You know he doesn't share this class with us," I quietly replied, trying to remain calm. I definitely wasn't going to call him out for calling Ike my boyfriend.

The bully laughed silently. "You'd better hope his class is nearby," he warned, "Because the moment I get you alone, you're dead." He straightened again and pretended to pay attention to what the teacher was saying.

I was trembling softly in my seat as I stared at the clock. Only five more minutes until class ended. I knew where's Ike class was, so if I could just dodge this blockhead long enough to get to him, I would be safe. I didn't care if his class was out of the way of this one; we shared the next period so I could use the excuse that I wanted to walk with him.

Out of my peripherals, I could see the quarterback reaching for me, ready to grab me as soon as the bell rang. Thinking quickly, I grabbed my stuff and quickly stood up and headed towards the front of the room.

"Excuse me, teacher," I said as she sat at her desk, "My next class is on the other side of the school, and I forgot to grab my textbook for it, so I leave when the bell rings and go to my locker I'll be late for class. May I please leave now?"

The teacher looked up and gave me a warm smile. "Why, of course you may, Georgie," she replied, and I had to stop myself from cringing.

"Thank you, miss." I tried not to look back at the quarterback as I bolted from the room. I didn't actually have to go to my locker, so I headed straight to Ike's classroom, making it there just as the bell rang. It was a good thing too; I could swear the football player would be on me in an instant if I hadn't.

Ike was rather surprised when stepped out of the classroom and found me waiting for him. "Firkle? What are you doing here?" he asked.

I blushed slightly, but I chose to believe it was because of my dash across the school rather than embarrassment. "Um, I was wondering if you wanted to walk to class together," I said. God, I sounded lame.

"Uh, sure," Ike replied. He looked like he had a few questions for me but decided not to ask them as we started walking to class. He also didn't question it when I nervously pressed against him.

I really need to make an outline for this story. It usually helps me know what I should do next. I mean, I know where I want the story to go, but sometimes I have no idea what I want to do with a chapter. Luckily, that's not the case with the next chapter. I kind of know what I want to do. Kind of. Anyway, please leave a comment and look forward to more Firkle/Ike adorableness/awkwardness that's definitely coming next!