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Chapter 5

‘Oh, you’re awake then,’ the guy said when he noticed that I was staring at himAnd then he smiledAnd I knew exactly what it must feel like to reach level sixty at Journeyquest Suddenly, it was a little hard to breatheAlso, it wasn’t at ALL annoying that one of thelike MAD in tiuy said, the slanced at the ?’‘No,’ I assured him in uy was a hallucinationBut one that I was going to enjoy as long as I couldI sone back to nor!), ‘Are those forbouquet of red roses Like his presence wasn’t enough of a treat He’d broughtdown at the roses like he’d only just remembered they were there He laid them down on the bed beside me ‘Yes, they are Do you rerand opening last uess I seastore I definitely reht I did That dark hair and those piercing blue eyes – those I knewJust not the name that had been attached to them Or how I knew the ht ood to know,’ Gabriel said, sh my heart didn’t speed up (thank God), I felt it h he was handsome, he wasn’t Christopher ‘I wasn’t certain you would Couldn’t have been the best day of your life’What was he talking about? I had no idea‘Ha ha,’ I said, s back at him I reached over to touch one of the rose’s silky crimson petalsWhich is when I noticed my handwasn’t my handI mean, it was, obviously It was attached to my argedy fingernails (I’m a hardcore nail-biter), I saw that I had what appeared to be a grown out, though perfect-except-where-the-cuticles-needed-to-be-pushed-back, French manicurepink on the bottoers lookthinner than before? Could you lose weight in your hand? I suppose so, if you were unconscious long enoughBut still How long had I been sleeping, anyway?Then I realized: long enough for Frida to glue on those Lee Press On Nails she was always threatening toto– well, all sorts of things about you I didn’t knohat to expect No one would tellvisitorsI had to sneak on to this floor –’He snuck on to my floor to visit ?’ he asked, actually sounding concerned‘Fine,’ I replied ‘A little sleepy’‘Then you rest,’ Gabriel said, looking slightly alarmed ‘I didn’t mean to wake you ’‘No, it’s OK,’ I said, fearful he was preparing to leave My hot-guy hallucination! It couldn’t end so soon!But the truth was, I was having a hard ti closed, no matter how hard I tried to keep theo,’ I said to him It was just an inch or two fro his hand And before I could stop ? I mean, me, touch a boy’s hand? Especially the hand of a boy as cute as Gabriel Luna Not that any boy as cute as he was had ever coh to me before in order for me to reach his handI mean, obviously there was Christopher, who I considered cutebut I knew the rest of the world – or at least Frida and the rest of the Walking Dead – didn’t technically agree with ain, Christopher had never brought me ROSES before Christopher hadn’t come to visit me in the hospital (don’t think I hadn’t noticed) Christopher had never stroked the back of my hand with his thumb, as Gabriel had just done The few times I’d ever touched Christopher’s hand withfast speed, thinking it was an accident (it so wasn’t)But the thing was, none of this was really happening anyway, since it was all a hallucinationso what did ita boy’s hand so that, when the opportunity with Christopher actually arose – and it was going to have to soht? – I’d knohat to doThelike he was getting ready to get up and leave Instead, his face kind of softened a little, and he even turned his hand over to hold , said, in that deep soothing voice of his, ‘I’ll stay until you go to sleep ’Wow That sounded nice Super niceAnd exactly what a hallucination should say I could only hope Christopher, when the tiuely wrong So from my perfect-boy-hallucination scenarioThen I realized what it was‘Will you singout of’ Where? I didn’t even knohat I was talking about All I kneas that I’d heard hisomewhere I was pretty sureHe s,’ he said ‘I thought you didn’t show up until afterit for you ’What was he talking about?But then he started singing, super softly, and it didn’tsoon lulled me all the way to sleepbut not before I heard, way off in the furthest reaches of my mind, a voice that sounded a lot like that of the lady with the bun in her hair going, ‘Hey, you there! What are you doing in here?’And the singing stoppedBut by that tiuy nauy nauy named Gabriel Luna had held my handIt had to all be a dream The most perfect dream I had ever had Or would have been, if it had been a different boy, and not Gabriel LunaI never wanted to wake upExcept that of course I did Wake up, I ainAnd sitting in the chair beside , ‘Nikki! Nikki, wake up Wake UP!’Then, when she saw that my eyes were open, she went, ‘Oh, thank God What are they puht you were in a co ’I just blinked at her She looked faure out how Was she so to eous – perfectly seboy, collarbones so sharp they looked like they could cut through tin cans, like those knives on TVAnd the gorgeous girls at Tribeca Alternative do not speak to et out of their way‘You have no idea how long I’ve been trying to track you down Do you know they’ve got rent a cops at all the elevators, to keep people fro in to see you is harder than getting a table at Pastis for Sunday brunch,’ the girl prattled on ‘I had to sneak up the stairwell, then hide in the ladies’ room until the coast was clear Thank God I had a copy of the newest issue of Us Weekly to throw on to the head nurse’s desk in order to distract the Britney’s on the cover again, or it never would have worked ’Slowly, I realized how I knew this girl Not because I’d been asked by her to move out of the way in the hallways of my school, but because she’d been on the covers of sohter of Tim Collins, the famous film director whose cinematic adaptation of Journeyquest had ame forbesid

e my hospital bed?‘Anyway’ she went on, ‘Since no one would tellon with you, I just tookto beto keep fro on with my best friend Also, to tell you the truth, I couldn’t take the whining any more You wouldn’t believe how ht her to see you I know it’s against the rules, but whatever, some rules are just stupid ’And without another a word, Lulu Collins reached into her colossal tote bag, and pulled outNikki Howard’s fluffy white dogWhich she pro went mental forperson I ht it was a great idea for us to have pets, given their wacky living situation (Dad in New Haven, Mo lovedwires –‘Oh!’ Lulu cried as one of thecrazily ‘What the – how do you reconnect this thing? Oh, herestick it back on STICK IT BACK ON!’I didn’t knohat she was talking about Apparently, the wire had been connected by a stickertostopped Lulu immediately relaxed‘Phew,’ she said ‘Ohthis place like it’s the freaking front door to Cave And for once, I am so not on the list Which, whatever Did you know Kelly won’t say what’s wrong with you? The press is having a field day You should see what they’re saying, Nik, it’s unfreakingbelievable I’ no comment cos of what happened last time But you look way better than you did then Seriously Even though you’re doing the no-ed to pry the dog away fro that distracted irl I had neverlike she knewon the sill – along with about a million other bouquetsBut none of the others was red rosesWait a minute Had my hallucination been real? Had Gabriel Luna really coyou out of here?’ Lulu wanted to know ‘Also, what do you wantby the loft nonstop He’s the one who figured out where you were And, oh ? That British guy, the singer, what’s his naave a thud at the mere mention of his name Man, I was in trouble Especially since I didn’t even like hiht, Gabriel,’ Lulu said ‘Anyway he sent a whole BASKET of roses to the loft Seriously The whole place stinks of roses now That guy’s got it bad for you Anyway, Brandon saw the he’d catch you at home, which, you know, as if – and now I think he thinks there’s souy Which is good, right? Brandon totally deserves it I saw hiain at Cave, don’t be mad, but you’ve been kind of MIA, and – Cosy, stop it ’ She tried to pry the dog’s tongue off ood For such a s possessed a surprising aht her ’‘No,’ I said, reaching up to stroke the little dog’s soft, curly hair ‘It’s OK It’s just that’Lulu had taken a can of energy drink from her enormous tote, and now she cracked it open and took a sip ‘Sorry,’ she said, when she noticed I was looking at the bright pink can ‘I’ht, all I had was a PowerBar for lunch and then some popcorn and like twenty mojitos and, ooooh, did you see this?’ She waved an enorot it for me Pink sapphire What do you think? I’o there What aonna squeeze out a couple of spawn like Britney? No thanks But I’ it anyway, because it’s so pretty ’I blinked at her Was any of this really happening? Was Lulu Collins really sitting inme that Gabriel Luna had sent a basketful of roses tooff a ring given to her by someone named Justin (she had to mean Justin Bay, star of the movie version of Journeyquest That’s who she was ru to Frida’s latest copy of Us Weekly, which I’d just happened to pick up and read Cover to cover)? What was going on?Maybe this was a continuation of the dream I’d had about Gabriel LunaExcept that hadn’t been a dreaht there on the sillAnd what about this dog? This dog wasn’t a hallucination I could feel its little heart pounding next to ueNo, I’m awake I’m definitely awakeWhich hy I said to Lulu, ‘I’htest idea what you’re talking about I don’tI mean, have wemet?’Lulu’s little rosebud mouth fell open And when it did, I could see she had a wad of pink gu on? Do you have amnesia? Because you hit your head pretty hard when you passed out, Nik Although Gabriel was all over you in a second, and so were the parairl the TV fell on—’‘That’s another thing,’ I said ‘My name’s not Nik—’Lulu’s mouth closed with a snap Her eyes narrowed And suddenly she was on her feet, her hands onme, while ‘Cosy’ barked with alarm‘What have they done to you?’ Lulu shrieked ‘Who was it? Who did this? Was it the Scientologists? I told you to stay away froh it was by a tiny girl who looked like a walking toothpick – was causing all theAlso, I can’t say it felt all that good‘Ohbesideat me ‘Your best friend! Your room-mate! Or loft-mate, because, you knoe never could share a bathroom, let alone a bedroo on in here?’ demanded a shrill voice fro at us in horror‘Get away from her!’ the nurse yelled ‘Orderly! Orderly!’And the next thing I knew, a shrieking Lulu was being yanked off rabbed the little white dog – as snarling pretty ferociously for such a powder puff – and was carrying it out ofinto it, both looking white-faced and concerned‘Nikki,’ Lulu screamed as they carried her off ‘Don’t worry, Nikki! I’ll be back! I’ll get to the botto I do –’Then a door slaone The only sounds were thefroht, honey?’ Mom asked me, her eyes ith alar his wires ‘But what’s going on? Why did she think she knew me?’‘We’re very sorry about that, E offof my heart monitor ‘The nurses are supposed to keep out non-family members’‘But I don’t know Lulu Collins,’ I said ‘Why did she think she knowson?’‘Doctor,’ Mo she only did when she was seriously upset about so back to Manhattan in time for one of Frida’s clarinet recitals or my science fair ‘Shouldn’t we—’‘Absolutely not,’ Dr Holco around with a needle ‘Emerson needs rest ’‘But, Doctor—’?

??The best thing for her is to’I didn’t hear the rest of their conversation That’s because Dr Holco – even though I didn’t feel a thing – and the next thing I kneas dozing off again, way too sleepy to keep listeningIf I’d known that that sleep was the last truly restful one I was to have for a long, long time, I’d have tried to enjoy it more