Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Chapter 1 I jump as the wind rustles

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep 
Chapter 1  

I jump as the wind rustles the leaves nearby. I check my phone. 2 am, no missed calls, no new texts. He should’ve been here by now… I pull my hoodie tighter around me, shivering in the cold when his car pulls up. He’s with his girlfriend again, who kisses him before getting into her car to drive home. Neither of them notices me.

Todd watches her leave and sighs, turning to face me. Even without noticing me, he knew I was there. He knew he screwed up big time.
 

“Jade, I can explain…” he begins, but I drown him out and just stare at his shoes.
 

 I don’t want to hear what he has to say, and eventually he figures out that I’m not listening. He sighs again and reaches into his pocket, grabbing the keys to the house we share. I brush past him and to my room, sitting down on my bed and wrapping my arms around my knees.

“Jade,” Todd says softly, walking in the room and sitting on the bed next to me.

I get up and go into my adjoining bathroom, put on my pajamas, and start brushing my teeth. That’s what I always do when I’m mad: Brush my teeth.  Todd used to tease me about it, saying that I was just making my breath smell good for a make-up kiss. Hmph. Screw. Him.
 

“Jade, what’s going on with you?” Todd asks finally, concern evident in his eyes. Of course, he naturally assumes that something’s wrong. Can’t a girl just brush her teeth in peace?
 

“Go away. Just leave me alone, please,” I say softly, avoiding his gaze.
 

He doesn’t move a muscle, knowing that I don’t want to be left alone. I hate him for it. I hate him for a lot of things. I hate him for forgetting me tonight. I hate him for being in love with her. I hate him for being so freaking perfect all the time. I hate him for knowing me so well. The anger wells up inside me, and I lunge at him and start punching him.

“Go. Away. I. Hate. You,” I say with every punch, starting to cry.
 

He grabs my hands and pulls me into a hug, soothing me. He’s not even mad, just worried. I fight the urge to just sob into his chest, like he’s encouraging me to do. I hate that about him too. He lets me cry even if I don’t want to tell him what’s wrong. He lets me breakdown when I need to, and he always knows when I need to. He knows me too well, knows just what to do. Just what to do to make me fall madly in love with him while simultaneously breaking my heart. And suddenly, I can’t take anymore. I push him away and take off running out the door and down the street.
 

“JADE! JADE COME BACK HERE!” I hear him yell after me. There’s shock in his voice, and I can’t help but smile. I’ve finally done something out of character. I’ve finally destroyed the image he has of me. I’ve finally proved I’m not the same girl from his memory. I run blindly onto the road with him close behind me.
 

“OH MY GOD JADE LOOK OUT!” Todd yells at the top of his lungs.

Lights. Bright, blinding lights. A horn blares, time seems to slow so much that it all but stops. I'm aware of the little things, like the look of sheer terror on Todd's face, the color of the driver's eyes...Everything flashes before me. Memories start playing, and I fear I'm going to die.

Just as fast as it seemed to slow down, life speeds up again. I feel somebody jump on top of me, as if hoping to shield my body from the impact. I wonder briefly if it's my guardian angel, as that is their job, isn't it? With that slightly comforting thought, I allow the darkness to overcome me.

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White. All I see is white. But how can I see? My eyes are closed. I start freaking out, not knowing if I'm dead or alive. I think I hear a voice in the distance. It comforts me. It sound so...Familiar. It's calming. I decide to focus on the voice and find myself relaxing. 

After a few minutes, the voice stops. It must've realized that I've calmed down. Vaguely, I become aware of things. There's warmth on my face, and a gentle breeze is gently toying with my hair. If I'm dead, this must be Heaven. It's so peaceful. Someone flips the page of a newspaper and sighs. I wonder who's with me, if they're a boy or a girl, how old they are, how they died. I hear this strange beeping sound. It's constant, and makes me giggle. 

"Can you hear me? Tap twice if yes," the Voice instructs me.

Can I hear them? I realize that I can, so I knock twice. I can hear them breathing, and it's growing faster, as if they're excited. Why would someone be so excited about me knocking? Silly person.

"I need you to open your eyes," the Voice says softly. "Think you can try that? Tap twice for yes, once for no."

Open my eyes? I don't want to do that. I feel safe with them close. Somehow, I feel that if I open them, everything will come crashing down. I can't have that happening....But the Voice is so pleading...

"It'll be okay," the Voice whispered. "Just please, open your eyes...."

I see a light though. I can't open my eyes. The light wants me. I must follow the ligh-

Oww. MotherFatherDaughterMakerTaker ow. I open my eyes suddenly, the room spinning and going in out of focus. I feel like I'm going to puke. There's people surrounding me, shining lights into my eyes, stretching my eyelids. What they're saying doesn't make any sense at all, nor do their voices sound familiar. 

"GIVE HER SPACE, YOU'RE FREAKING HER OUT!" the Voice yells.

Todd. That's who the voice belongs to. But wait...

Who the heck is Todd?