As You Lay Sleeping - Katlyn Duncan

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all of this would have been for nothing.

      I flung the door open and ran for the phone. “Keep ringing,” I mumbled to myself.

      I heard Madison’s door open. “Can you—”

      “I got it!” I huffed, entering the kitchen. I flung myself over the counter and reached for the phone and pressed the talk button on the last ring.

      “Joe?” I said into the receiver.

      “Wow, finally,” he said.

      I scratched my forehead. “I was outside.”

      “I heard Madison talking to you,” he said.

      I bit my lip and tried to find some legitimate excuse. “She accidentally hung up?” I couldn’t help the statement coming out as a question. I was never quick on my feet.

      A female voice said something in the background.

      “Is someone there?” I asked.

      “If you bothered to call me back, then you’d know.”

      “Be serious.” Joe had been into many things, but I never thought he would cheat on me. At this point, I knew too much for him to do that without serious repercussions. We had been at a stalemate for a while now because of it.

      “It’s the TV. Relax, babe.”

      I cringed at the endearment. Joe took a long inhale, then exhaled, filling my ear with the sound of his satisfied breathing. I glanced at the clock. It didn’t matter to Joe what time it was. Any time was a good time to get high. He could be just as childish as Madison, though in more reckless ways.

      “Why did you call?” I asked.

      “Can’t a guy call his girlfriend? You’re still my girl, aren’t you?”

      He was taunting me. I’d made it clear many times over the last year that I wanted it to be over. But he held my reputation over my head, like a piece of meat above a starving dog. I didn’t give in this time. He would be away at college soon, and a mutual breakup was imminent.

      “What do you want?” I asked.

      “I want to see you. One last time.”

      I paused. “What do you mean ‘one last time’?”

      He inhaled slowly. I could imagine he was holding a joint or his pipe, blowing smoke rings into the air. An accomplishment he found as impressive as winning a gold medal at the Olympics. “I’ve decided I wanted to be free this summer.”

      “Free?”

      “Yeah, I’m going to Stanford in the fall. And I don’t want to be tied down to Chester Bay anymore.”

      I could have done a backflip if I wasn’t afraid of breaking my neck in the process. “When and where?”

      “I have something to handle this afternoon. How about tonight at my house around six?”

      “Done, I’ll see—”

      “And bring Thai food,” he added.

      I sighed. “Sure. See you, then.”

      “Bye, babe.”

      I hung up, not bothering with the fake pleasantries. I jumped up and down, pumping my fists into the air. With Joe breaking up with me, I could stay on Kat’s good side since he was the one to supposedly break my heart. I could see the girls’ nights in with tubs of ice cream and boy bashing. The girls were serial daters, and I would be able to partake in the fun at the multiple planned parties over the next few months. This was really going to be the best summer, I could feel it.

      After dinner with my parents and Madison, I drove to Joe’s house with Thai food in tow. I had my windows down to keep the airflow going so the sharp curry scent wouldn’t cling to the inside of my car. Joe knew I hated Thai food. He never made things easy. I blasted the air conditioning to the maximum level, though it barely reached me in the vortex created by all four windows being open. With the savings from last summer, I wondered if I’d be able to get enough for a car manufactured in the last two decades instead of the clunker Mom and Dad had surprised me with after I got my license. It was reliable but not very pretty.

      I blared the radio, clearing my head for what was to come. I sang along with the pop song that I heard at least five times a day on that station since its release several weeks ago. I was sure I’d hate it by the end of the summer. For now, I sang my heart out, distracting myself from the ball of nerves coiling in my stomach.

      The fifteen-minute drive stretched on as I anticipated getting exactly what I’d wanted for such a long time: an end to our relationship. It would open my summer and the rest of my life up to do what I wanted. I wasn’t sure how Kat would take it at first, though her previous snotty comments about how Joe and I needed to “get a room” made me think she’d be okay with the new arrangement. Out of all the crap I had to deal with from Joe over the years, becoming friends with Kat was a definite upside. She could be challenging at times, but at least she kept it interesting.

      The Blair estate overlooked the bay. I traveled down the windy road around the steep bank, the glare from the setting sun reflecting off the calm waters separated from my side of the road only by a slight decline and a wooden fence. The few homes that were on the level of the road were threatened with floods every year, but the view kept these houses in the multimillion-dollar ranges.

      I turned the car up the driveway, the entrance visible only to those who knew where to find it. Behind the thick hedge was a wrought-iron fence. I leaned out of the window and typed the passcode into the numeric pad. Everyone had their own passcode, so Kat’s parents were aware of the comings and goings of people through their house. I was not given my own number until after a year of dating Joe. It was probably a request from Mrs. Blair, who wanted to know the whereabouts of his son’s girlfriend. I didn’t mind: it was better than waiting at the gate for someone to buzz me through.

      I drove up the steep driveway. The familiar drive pinched at my heart a little. The next time I drove in, it wouldn’t be for Joe.

      A text lit up my phone. I used the side of my hand to balance steering and reading the message. It was a group message from Rachael and Brittany about a meeting time for the movies tonight. I hadn’t decided yet how to tell them the news. I did want to get the story straight before Joe somehow twisted this entire ordeal into something that was my fault. I’d have to see how the meeting with him went before I could come up with a detailed story, though I already had some ideas.

      The main house loomed in front of me. I followed the circular curve of the driveway. In the center was an ostentatious white-marble fountain with several half-naked cherubs continuously spewing water into the large basin. The piece was bigger than my car. And several times the cost.

      Lightning lit up the sky, illuminating the massive Blair residence. The forecast didn’t mention rain, and I didn’t have a chance to go home and change before the movie, so I grabbed the umbrella from the back seat and hopped out of the car. I tucked the umbrella under my arm and grabbed the Thai food bags. I left my keys and purse in the car since I knew I wasn’t going to be here long.

      I dashed around the side of the house, my flip-flops thwacking on the Belgian block walkway.

      I slowed when I reach the multilevel stone patio in the back. At the far end of the grounds, the underground pool was lit, and the water calmly lapped against the sides.

      A muffled thumping bass shook the windows of the pool house, which was closer to the size of my ranch-style home. I always hated being in there. It was a bachelor pad, even though Joe was in a relationship. Another reason added to the list of why he needed to be dumped.

      Safe from the rain, I dropped my umbrella on one of the chairs and opened the glass doors.

      Electric guitar and thundering drums blasted at me. Why did Joe

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