I awoke with a hand gently shaking my shoulder. My breath was still in sync with the man under me. My eyes opened in lazy blinks until they grew accustomed to the light surrounding me. They looked round, finding that Eric was still sound asleep, but Emerson was no longer on the chaise lounge. Feeling the tapping on my shoulder again, I raised myself from the awkward sleeping position that had strained my back and neck as they stung in a sharp pain.
“Come on,” Emerson whispered as he helped me off the bed, “you need to get ready for school.” His eyes were hollow and red, and he seemed to whisper mostly for my sake rather than Eric’s.
“You didn’t sleep?” I asked in a yawn.
“Not really. I couldn’t with all that happened.” he said with a contemptuous look that occasionally directed itself
