THE NIGHTMARE

Chapter 20

I responded, "Yes, I appreciate it."In five, I'll be gone.

He advised, "Take your time."I'll be present.

As I changed into my new clothes, I wondered how anyone could be so considerate.He treated me with such kindness.Eden had asked me to be his girlfriend while we were eating lunch together three days earlier.He had explained to me that he liked how he was around me and how much he enjoyed being with me.Additionally, he had reiterated what he had said to me that morning in the hallway, expressing his fear that he would one day arrive at school to find me absent.without any hint or explanation.“Gone with the wind,” he had said with a low chuckle while, as he always did when he was nervous, running his hand through his hair.I was dressed to the nines and looked in the mirror at my own green eyes as my damp hair fell down my shoulders.I remember wondering if he would ever realize how accurate his fears were as I watched his face as he spoke.However, I had politely declined because I was