Insomnia by J. R. Johansson Page B

shoulder hurt where it’d been scratched against the rough tree bark. “What do you mean? What’s his problem?” I nodded my head toward Thor and he growled.
    Jeff stepped forward and pulled me a few steps farther away from the small crowd that was gathering nearby to watch us. He ducked his head, forcing me to meet his eyes. I thrust my hands in my pockets, mostly to keep myself from strangling him.
    “Look, can’t you see you’re scaring her? You need to lay off, man. I think everyone is a little tired of the way you’ve been acting lately.” His eyes flashed but he kept his voice low. I could see another emotion in them, something darker, but it was gone before I could place it.
    “Jeff, it’s not that big of a deal.” Mia’s voice came from behind him. I looked for her but found Addie first. She’d never looked at me like this before. With disgust. With her gaze on me, it was hard to remember to breathe.
    Shaking her head, Addie turned and stomped back toward the fire. It took me a second to remember to look for Mia. I met her eyes for one life-saving instant before she looked away.
    Jeff waved his hand at her. “Go home, Mia.”
    “Fine, I was leaving anyway.” Mia huffed. “Not that anyone asked my opinion, but I wish all of you would leave me alone.”
    She walked away. I’d have to leave soon to avoid eye contact with anyone else. The anticipation of another night of Mia’s dreams was sweet, and I was desperate not to lose it.
    For a moment, no one spoke. Jeff shrugged and watched Mia’s truck pull out of the parking lot. I kept my eyes carefully trained on the ground. The small crowd at the edge of the beach was getting larger, watching us in silence. When I saw that Finn had joined them, I decided to try and smooth things over with Jeff. Besides, Thor could probably break most trees in half. Who wants trouble with someone like that?
    “I didn’t mean to cause a problem, man. It was a misunderstanding.” I stared at a spot just to the side of Jeff’s eyes and shrugged.
    “No worries,” he said, loud enough for everyone to hear.
    As Thor walked away, Jeff gave me a lopsided grin, flopped one arm across my shoulders and whispered in my ear. “Just chill it, okay?” Then he released me and jogged back toward the fire.
    The others followed Jeff. Before he was even halfway back to the bonfire, his arms were around two giggling girls and he was joking loudly with Matt.
    Finn was the only one who didn’t move. He stood staring at the ground, and I waited. I was rooted in place, torn between missing him and my overwhelming desire to bolt from the parking lot before Finn could look up and ruin my chance to sleep tonight. But he never raised his eyes. After a few seconds of awkward silence, he just turned and walked back toward the fire. I hated myself a little for feeling relieved.
    I started back for my shoes but froze when I noticed that same leather jacket guy, the one who was blocking my view in the parking lot the other day. He was wading up to his ankles in the edge of the water—totally insane. It had to be ice cold. I wondered who was that crazy, but it was too dark to make out his face.
    He turned and my skin prickled. In the darkness, I could feel his eyes on me.
    Thor stoked the fire with a long stick. Several big sparks soared up in the air and pulled my attention away. The jacket guy didn’t move from the water, but he watched me while I grabbed my shoes and walked to the parking lot, until I was out of sight.

eleven
    Over the past three weeks, I’d gotten more sleep than I had in years. Mia wasn’t exactly making it easy, but it was worth the trouble. I’d awaken with my mind filled to the brim with images and memories from my own dreams, which I hadn’t been capable of for years. I felt whole in a way I’d never believed possible. Funny dreams, bizarre dreams, even nightmares—I loved every one of them. Mia had opened up a new world to me, a world of my own creation, and