Chapter 8.22: Dear Diary, the Best Night Ever

An Excerpt from the Diary of Georgia Seaforth:

Dear Diary, one thing I’ve learned at this dreadful school is that even if you don’t feel like making friends, you still need to. For instance, there’s this girl named Darcy who knows this school like the back of her hand. From what I hear, she has a good grasp on when the hallways are watched at night, and when they’re vulnerable.

If I want to see my sister Sophie, I need Darcy on my team. Problem is, she’s a bit selfish, wanting an arm and a leg in return.

“Come on,” I said, “I need to see my sister.”

Darcy only pretended to half hear me as she ran her forefinger across a row of books on the shelf. Finally, she turned toward me.

“Give me your desserts for the rest of the week, get me out of Mr. Lang’s class tomorrow, and I want you to bring me with you.”

I sighed as loudly as I could in a library. “Fine, but then you have to get the key for the door leading to the playground.”

She rolled her eyes so hard, I’m sure she was able to check out her own ass. “That will cost you extra. You’re gonna have to cover my dish duties for the week, too.”

This was getting old, but I needed to make sure Sophie was okay. There wasn’t any extreme I wouldn’t go to for her.

“Fine!” I said through clenched teeth.

“You’ll get caught,” Meredith said, her voice pitchy, her eyes large.

“I thought you were coming, too.”

She shrugged at me, then chewed on her fingernail. “What’s the plan again?”

“I’d repeat it for you, but I’m all out of crayons and finger puppets.” I like Meredith, don’t get me wrong. It’s only that one tires of the constant repetition. That was the umpteenth time she’d wanted it all laid out for her.

“Ouch,” Darcy giggled.

“Are we good, then?” I asked.

Just then, a man with a deep voice cleared his throat behind us.

We turned to face Father Burnside. His cheeks were bright red, his lips clamped shut.

After a moment, he said, “Do you ladies have work to do, or do I need to find some for you?”

“No, sir,” we said in unison, Darcy and I hurrying off to gym class, and Meredith practically tripping over her own feet to get to her special math class.

Today, our physical education was in the swimming pool. I didn’t enjoy swimming very much because I wasn’t good at it. We were supposed to swim laps, and I could barely tread water.

“Three more laps,” Mr. Lynd called out. “Except Georgia. You have four more because you’re so slow. Pick it up!”

I’ll pick you up and throw you right in the pool, I thought. There was so much I wanted to say to him. It physically hurt right where my heart is, holding it all in.

“Follow me,” Darcy called, turning to help me out.

“I suck ass,” I lamented.

“Oh, boohoo,” she said, “suck it up!”

Every time I heard someone tell me to suck something up, I wanted to break their legs and tell them to walk it off.

“Less talking, more swimming!” Mr. Lynd barked.

Finally, I was done. The other girls enjoyed swimming, so they stayed in the water. I got out as soon as I’d finished.

Grasping the ladder, I felt the familiar pull of gravity when you’re wet and heavy, trying to heave yourself upwards. My limbs felt heavier than usual. All at once, something weird happened. The room seemed to darken. My vision left me. Grasping the ladder with everything I had, I tried to call for help, but my voice was gone.

Little beads of sweat broke out on my forehead as I tried to move, but couldn’t. What was wrong with me? Was I having a seizure?

Slowly, a blurry vision appeared. It was all I could see as it came into focus. It was some strange house I’d never seen, and my dad was there!

As I watched, he raised his hand and waved hello, then beckoned me inside.

The room tilted, and I still could not see. I tried to move, to yell, but nothing worked.

Then, I felt lighter than I should. It was like I was now floating near the ceiling. I saw myself, down below, frozen in time while the other girls splashed and played in the water. Mr. Lynd hadn’t noticed me there, clinging for my life to the ladder.

In an instant, my vision was gone again. I was still floating upwards, out of the school. I was unable to find my balance as I reeled this way, then that.

Then, the house was in front of me again, but this time I didn’t see my dad. I was haphazardly hovering above, peering through some kind of mist.

My body back at the pool was forgotten…

…as I entered the house and lingered in the living room.

Warmth engulfed me, starting in my stomach, then radiating throughout my entire body. This was home.

I was home.

But how could it be when I’d never seen it before?

Suddenly, Mr. Lynd grabbed my arms, and it was like my soul crashing inside my body as I came to.

“Are you okay?” he asked, still holding my arm.

I was no longer on the ladder, but standing by the edge of the pool. He must have pulled me out.

It was difficult finding my voice after what I’d just experienced. “Y-yes.”

“Okay, hit the showers.”

The rest of the afternoon, I didn’t feel like myself. The other girls spoke to me and around me. I merely nodded, not even hearing what they said. I’d seen my dad, and it had felt so real. Why had this happened, and whose house was I seeing?

As I got ready for bed that night, I gave myself a firm talking to. Yes, it was a strange thing that happened, but it wasn’t reality. I wasn’t at some homey house with my dad. He was dead and all the adults in my life had failed me and Sophie.

Tonight was supposed to be special, and I was aching to see my sister. So buck up, I told myself.

All the girls were sleeping, and the clock had struck two in the morning. Darcy, Meredith, and I met in the darkened hallway.

“Did you get the key?”

Darcy nodded, showing it to me briefly before shoving it back into her pocket. “No sweat. Iron Tits is so easy to distract.”

I smiled to myself like I did every time someone called our principle Iron Tits.

“Who’s monitoring the halls tonight?” I whispered.

“That would be Mr. Saul. We need to hoof it because he’ll be by here in exactly three minutes,” Darcy said. “If one of you gets caught, I was never with you. And if I get caught, I’m just sleep walking while you guys run.”

“Ooooooh, I don’t like this at all,” Meredith fretted, her voice rising an octave.

“Shh,” Darcy and I both said, waving our arms for her to be quiet.

“Look,” I told her, “you don’t need to come if you are afraid.”

“But I want to. I’m just worried.”

“You wouldn’t be you if you didn’t worry,” I agreed, holding her hand.

“We’re in extra luck tonight. Sophie’s roommate went home this morning for a family visit. So there’re no worries about waking her roommate up.”

I sighed with relief, wondering for a moment how Darcy came by her information.

Darcy pushed us into a doorway and pointed down the hall. We all pressed ourselves against the wall, hoping Mr. Saul hadn’t seen us.

He continued by us, but stopped at the corner of the hallway, speaking to someone in voices we couldn’t make out.

Please keep going, I plead to myself. I held my breath, waiting.

Finally, he continued past the hallway, away from us. We had approximately four or five minutes before he would turn and come back.

Stepping as quietly as we could, not making a sound, we crept through hallway after hallway, until we reached a part of the building I wasn’t familiar with. Darcy led the way, dodging this way and that, miraculously avoiding all hall monitors.

I was careful not to make any noise as I stepped into Sophie’s room. Sure enough, it was just her.

She looked so sweet sleeping there. I hated to wake her. But we’d waited long enough for our reunion.

I bent over her, stroking her hair. “Sophie, it’s me.”

She awoke almost instantly and hopped out of bed. “You’re here! You really are here!”

“Shh,” I said with a smile. “I’m really here!”

It tickled me when we did our special handshake thing at the same time.

Taking her hand, I said, “Come with me but be quiet as a mouse. We’re going to have some fun for a little while.”

She nodded and did just as I said.

Soon, Sophie, Darcy, Meredith, and I were unlocking the side door, and free to play on the playground.

You might say it was juvenile. But what I can say is that we had fun for the first time in forever. Sophie’s giggles and promises to swing higher than I ever could were enough to cleanse my heart.

I think I’ll always be hardened and suspicious because of what we’ve been through. What I can say, though, is in that moment, we had a blast.

Meredith sat on top of the slide, looking at the stars, and seeing how far she could see.

“I can almost see the town!” she said, excitement in her voice.

The school was in the middle of nowhere. There was no use running away, according to Darcy who was the expert in that department, because the town was small and any girls who turned up there were promptly sent back to the school.

We were far from caring that night, though.

Meredith grinned wide from her perch atop the slide. “This is the best night ever!”

Thank you so much for reading, liking, lurking, and commenting! I hope you enjoyed today’s chapter!

See you Wednesday for… uh, something! LOL Then, Saturday at 10am (EST) for the next chapter of Noble Doubt!