Chapter 6: Mornings & Messes

I jolted awake, breath caught in my chest, staring at the cracked ceiling of my room.

“Jason…”

I touched my damp pajamas. I was soaked through, hair stuck to my forehead, skin clammy. My face burned hotter than a July sun as I dodged Jason’s gaze. I suddenly realized how I must look—flushed, restless, like I’d just come back from a fever dream.

“Hiss hiss—”

The little black snake stretched on my pillow, body coiling like a lazy kitten. Its eyes were bright, watching me with curious intensity.

My cheeks went from pink to full-on crimson. I looked away, pretending to fuss with my pile of laundry.

I grabbed my towel and some clean clothes, needing to cool down. The bathroom in my room was still out of order—stupid leaky faucet—so I had to use the big one down the hall.

As I padded down the hallway in fuzzy slippers, arms full of clothes, I almost crashed into Jason coming out of the bathroom. He was wearing nothing but a towel. Water beaded on his chest, hair tousled, a living echo of my dream.

I stared, mouth dry. “You, you, you—put on some clothes!”

Jason rolled his eyes, but his cheeks were tinged red too. “You peek at me every day, and now you want to act shy? Should’ve thought of that sooner.”

The comments reappeared at the edge of my vision:

[Guys, why couldn’t we comment at all last night?]

[Yeah, when the bad snake hypnotizes, we can’t see a thing.]

[Isn’t the author, why can’t us VIPs see? Bad review.]

Clutching my stuff, I mumbled, “I’m going to shower. Go away.”

Jason gave me a sly look. “So sweaty—did you dream of me last night?”

“Get lost.” My face burned. I darted into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me, heart thudding.

For once, Jason didn’t keep up the teasing. Instead, his voice floated through the door, surprisingly soft:

“Are you still scared of snakes?”

I paused, dream-images flashing through my mind. My voice came out small: “Yeah. Scared to death.”

As I shut the door, I thought I heard him sigh, something in it breaking my heart all over again.