Page 15 of The Ring
Chapter 8
TJ
I’m kissing her neck, moving slowly up and down. I kiss the back of her ear like I know she likes it, and Cornelia lets out a soft moan. She flips me over on the bed, getting on top, and as she is about to lean down to kiss me, her face twists—becoming someone else. Vict…
I panic. Can’t breathe. Try to move to push her off. My arms feel heavy, useless. Pressure crushing. Darkness pressing in. Just movement. A harsh knock. Loud. Jolts me awake. My heart is pounding. Sweat is soaking me.
I bolt upright. Disoriented. My eyes dart around the room. Black headboard. Grey bedding. Brown hall panels above me. Low black platform bed I’m lying in. I’m in my room. Not hers. Not trapped.It was a bad dream.
I force myself to breathe. In. Out. In. Out.
It was a dream.
It was a dream.
It wasjustthat fucking dream again.
My chest heaves, but slowly the rhythm steadies. Bit by bit, my body unclenches.
A light kick in the leg reminds me I’m not alone. On the other side of the bed lies a girl with light brown hair, sleeping on her stomach, but it isn’t Cornelia—just the best knockoff version I could find last night. She was a big disappointment. They all are, to some degree. After all, no one is like Cornelia. Being with Cornelia was like driving a Porsche, and being with other girls felt like being suddenly downgraded to a Toyota, but with this girl, it was like I was in a tractor.
Maybe it’s because I was Cornelia’s first, and every time I entered her, it felt like she was perfectly moulded to my body. I like to think it was because we were always meant for each other, but I wonder if now that she has had sex with other people, she would still feel the same? Also, there is this thing she does with her legs that drives me insane.
I keep hearing noises from behind my bedroom door.Fuck.I thought that was part of my dream. Begrudgingly, I drag myself out of bed to see what’s going on.
I open my door, and the first thing I see is Laurie and West standing there. I step out and slam the door. First, to avoid the awkwardness of introducing the girl in my bed, especially since I don’t remember her name. And second, while West already knows about my tendency to bring home girls who look like Cornelia, I’d rather not have Laurie find out and psychoanalyse me too. I already know it’s messed up; I don’t need more people telling me.
But it was too late, as Laurie inclined his head and peeked inside as I closed the door.
Laurie frowns, confusion written all over his face. “Is that… Cornelia?”
For a moment, I feel insulted that he confused Cornelia with the girl in my bed, who doesn’t even hold a candle to her. But Laurie hasn’t spent as much time memorising every corner of Cornelia’s body like I have. And I can’t deny there’s aresemblance—after all, that was the only reason I had sex with her.
“No, but he wishes,” West answers.
Laurie laughs hysterically, and I glare at both of them.
Ugh.I need coffee to continue this interaction. I walk to the kitchen, and they both trail behind me.
“What are you doing here?” I ask Laurie, flicking on the coffee machine.
“Brunch with Mum, Aunt Clarisse, and Nate? Does it ring a bell?”
Shit, is it Sunday already? I could have sworn it was Thursday, but I’ve spent most of the week drunk, so it’s entirely possible I lost track of time. Mum has hosted brunch every Sunday since Laurie and I moved out, but I tend to miss most of them. I had promised her I wouldn’t miss this one since I haven’t been to one in ages.
“You forgot,” Laurie answers his own question.
“I didn’t forget; I just forgot what day it is,” I mumble.
He rolls his eyes. “Same thing, but I knew this would happen, that’s why I’m here.” He points to my room. “So get dressed and let’s go.”
“Do I really have to go?” I ask as I finish making my coffee.
“Yes. You promised Mum.”
“But that was the old me, the one who didn’t know present me would be so hungover,” I reply, rubbing my eyes. “I’m not exactly good company right now.”
“I can testify to that,” West chimes in.
