4:01 am

I was surprised when I awoke, mostly because I had fallen asleep in the first place. I had tossed and turned the whole night, plagued by despair, and I hadn't expected to drift off, albeit fitfully.

After a disorienting moment, I identified the noise that had woken me. There was a tapping at my window.

Dismissing it as a bird or some other form of nature, I snuggled tighter in my blanket, trying to return to unconsciousness and the reprieve that I was granted within it. But as the tapping grew more insistent, I could avoid it no longer.

Stepping out of my bed, I winced. The floor was like ice, and my feet were bare. That might have been strange, considering I was still in my clothes from yesterday, but I am incapable of sleeping with socks on, regardless of my mental state.

Hopping to the window, I pushed open the window, squinting into the darkness. I saw nothing that could have caused the noise.

About to dismiss the sound as my imagination, I heard a whisper. "Hey, Rapunzel!"

Stupidly, I looked to the sky, where Orion shined down on me.

"Down here, Care Bear."

Care Bear? It couldn't possibly be...

"Jamie?"

"Who else?" Jamie chuckled, and my heart burst.

"What... what are you doing here?" I choked out, overwhelmed. It suddenly seemed too much, my heart too freshly broken for him to be laughing below my window.

"I'll explain all that later," Jamie said cheerfully. "Now come on, my car is outside and we are losing precious seconds."

I hesitated, then told Jamie I'd be down in a few minutes. What could I say? If he said jump, I'd say how high. I suppose that was love.

I went to the bathroom and tried to brush my teeth as quietly as possible, so as not to wake my parents.

Afterwards, I changed into a comfortable but cute outfit and added a thin coat of makeup. I grabbed my purse and phone on the way out my room, but something made me stop. Ripping a blank sheet of paper from a notebook lying on my desk, I scribbled that I'd be out all day. I folded the paper and put it in my bed, before leaving.

Stepping out into the foggy early morning air, my heart beat erratically and my hands shook. Jamie looked up when he heard the door, and smiled. As he leaned against his car, I couldn't help but compare him to a glowing angel, halo and all.

Jamie opened the passenger seat door for me, and I climbed in. When he got in after, I suddenly felt nervous to be in such close proximity to him. I tried to tell myself I was being silly, that this was my best friend, but nothing helped ease my nerves.

Jamie must have seen me fidgeting, because he said, "I'd get comfortable if I were you. We've got a long drive ahead of us."

My eyes flickered to his face for moment, then back to in front of me, terrified of making eye contact.

To busy my hands, I checked my phone. 4:23 am. Despite the time I was wide awake. As it turns out, uncertainty acts as a pretty good energy boost. I had no idea where I was going or what I was doing or why. The road ahead seemed to be constructed of question marks rather than asphalt. I wondered if the beautiful boy next to me had any intention to answer them, and pondering over the possible answers kept me up.

I checked my phone again. 4:25 am. I had a feeling I had a long day ahead of me.