02:10

♫

"Nova! What are you doing here?"

"Just climbing to your room, no biggie," she said. "Can I come in?"

"What?" I was so confused. I must have looked like a deer caught in headlights, except instead of headlights it was Nova's smiling face shining in through my window. Who even knocks on windows anymore? Bassists with curly hair and leather jackets, maybe. With a cigarette between their lips.

"I can't stay here, my legs would cramp." I peeked outside and saw that her other leg was only barely hanging from the roof.

"Oh!" I ran towards the window, almost slipping because one of my plushies was on the floor. "Shit, okay, sorry, of course, I was just . . . stunned to see you, I didn't-" I kept on stuttering and I couldn't even complete a coherent sentence as I was unlocking the window in a hurry, my shaking, wet palms struggling to open the lock. I felt so embarrassed to be seen in such a state - and I'd just woken up, too - I probably must have looked like an idiot. "Oh, my God."

"Wow, Miss Cheerleader - did you just curse?"

"You're worrying about that - you're hanging from my window!"

"I've taken rock climbing classes."

"You mean house climbing classes," I said, finally opening the window.

"I have great arm strength." Her voice was starting to sound quite strained and shaky, so I hurried up and grabbed her from her forearm, pulling her into my room.

"Are you trying to be Superman or something?" I said, breathing heavily.

"Close."

As soon as she had swung her legs inside, she dusted off her jacket and gave me a smile, like an innocent smile, as though she hadn't just climbed into my room in the middle of the night. I noticed a leaf on her left shoulder and a few strands of cat hair on her shirt from beneath her jacket.

"Hey," Nova said suddenly. She looked me up and down. "Nice nightgown."

Hotness rose to my cheeks. "Nova! What brought you here?"

She heaved a deep, dramatic sigh, and shifted her weight on her right leg. "About that . . ."

Nova looked awkward all of a sudden. She looked around while scratching her forehead, looking like she was trying to gather her thoughts. I could have waited forever if it meant looking at her face for a little longer.

Then she sighed very deeply and looked straight into my eyes.

"Would you be so kind as to lend me your trusty seed?"

A smile tugged on my lips. "My what now?"

"Your car, silly," she said. "As you know, we've got a gig tonight. You see, my bandmates are stranded at the venue and they can't pick me up. I don't have a car. Too broke for a taxi. No buses anymore. My motorcycle is in the repair shop. My skateboard is at my other friend's house. You're the closest I can go to that has a car."

Nova's eyes were pleading, almost like that of a puppy who was asking for their millionth treat. It was hard to say no, but first I weighed my options: either tell her to leave because I really have to sleep or, just maybe, say, sure, why not, as if you're not someone I've had a crush on since literally two years ago, and give you a ride while we have a super awesome time together.

The idea of spending alone time with Nova, no matter how short, was too tantalizing to resist. But could I even handle that?

"Fine," I said, as though I didn't need less than a heartbeat to decide that. "I'll give you a ride."

Nova grinned even wider. "Great! Should we go, like right this moment?"

"S-Sure, but I'll get dressed first-"

"Oh!" Nova slapped her mouth as if she had forgotten I was still on my nightgown. Then she rambled off. "Of course, Cora. Sorry for barging in, I definitely wasn't thinking, like who still climbs houses and knocks on windows nowadays?"

"No, it's totally fine," I said, waving my hands dismissively. "If you'd just . . . turn around so I can, like . . ."

"Fuck," she said. "Of course. Sorry, of course I meant to turn around . . ."

"It's okay, it's fine. I mean, well, it's supposed to be," I said. "Me and my cheerleaders always get dressed together," I said with a chuckle. "So it's supposed to be okay right now because - we're both girls so-"

"Yeah, I mean, I'm a lesbian, so-"

"Oh."

"Yes, it wasn't a secret, but . . ."

What the hell. Nova was facing my door now. I just knew I was blushing like crazy as I got undressed. I quickly grabbed a crumpled dress from under my bed I still hadn't folded, put it on, and told her I'm good.

"You wore a dress," Nova said as soon as she turned around. She ran her fingers through her hair and smiled. "It suits you."

I touched the edge of my dress, blushing, and I looked around, thinking about how to shift the subject. "I didn't know you were . . ."

"Sorry," she said, rubbing her chin now. "For blurting that out."

"What? No, it's fine - it's okay, I don't find that weird or anything. It was just kinda nice to hear that from you," I replied, opening up the window. I would be sneaking out.

"We're going through there?"

"If Mom finds out I'm leaving, I'd be dead."

She clicked her tongue. "Damn, Cora. Sorry. I didn't know how much trouble I would cause. I was just really . . ."

"It's okay! I'm sure Mom wouldn't mind at least one rebellion per month."

Nova helped me climb down the house, and it made me think about nothing else but her careful hand on mine. She was looking at me intently, warning me about bushes or branches of the nearby tree that could scratch me. As soon as I got to the ground, Nova followed quickly. She was so skilled in climbing up and down of houses that it made me think about what kind of training bassists do. Perhaps she actually did rock climbing classes.

It was 11.50.

"We'd have to be really quick," I said. "We have like ten minutes left."

"There's no traffic tonight, they said."

"Isn't that good news?"

By 11:52 we're already inside the car. By 11:57 we were already moving.

She was in the passenger seat, I was driving, and she kept quiet as she sent messages on her phone; probably her bandmates, telling them that she was on the way because one random cheerleader from school had given her a ride. I wondered what she thought of me. Was I cool enough for her? Was I fine?

"Mind if I smoke?" she asked suddenly.

"It's cool," I said. "Just roll down the window."

"Sure," Nova said, and as soon as the window opened completely, she lit up her cigarette and leaned back against her chair, taking a drag on it, the lazy smoke framing her face. Nova rested her elbow on the window and looked at me. "So . . . Cora Flair."

"That's me," I said. I couldn't help but smile. I felt her eyes check me out again, the way she did back in my bedroom.

"Did I interrupt something with you and Kent back there?" she said. I really can't remember his name. The scent of her smoke, although the window was rolled down, lingered in our tiny space inside the car. I did not mind at all.

"No," I said, with an awkward chuckle, shaking my head so fast I felt my vision slightly turn. "He was just inviting me to come over and stuff. I didn't want to, so."

"Huh. Good thing you didn't come. If you had, I wouldn't have had a ride tonight."

I laughed. "Even if I could come, I won't."

"Why?" she asked, a spark of intrigue in her slightly squinted eyes. "Rumor has it you guys are dating."

I faked a vomit. "No, we're not."

"Kent said so himself."

I pictured Kent standing in front of me, and, in my head, I was punching the hell out of his face. I couldn't believe he'd spread rumors like that. "Well, he's lying, because we're not," I said with an unintentional scoff.

"Seems I've struck a nerve," Nova said and whistled. I glanced at her and she was still smoking. That might be her second stick that night. "Sorry."

"Kent's just so annoying," I said. "I'd told him I don't like him, and he's still after me. But I know he doesn't like me - like, really like me - he just wants to bag a cheerleader. Like a trophy."

"That's boys for you," she said.

"I don't like them."

"Boys?"

I didn't answer.

Being so close to Nova that way gave me butterflies in my stomach, and the sound of the car engine filling my ears wasn't enough for me to calm down the nerves that had been popping in me because I was in the same car as her. And not just that - I was giving her a ride. Giving Nova Turner a ride to one of their gigs certainly wasn't one of my daydream repertoires.

Could we also talk about her voice? Good lord. I really love her voice that sometimes I wonder why she hasn't sung on stage before. Hers was kind of deep but soft, just with a subtle rasp that had a sense of mystery and intrigue like every word she spoke had a mischievous secret stringing along with it. I can compare it to a scratchy vinyl record.

"You nervous?" I asked, breaking the silence, looking at her briefly.

"Well, always am. The nerves would always be there, unfortunately," she said, and there was a hint of humbleness in the way that she spoke. "It's like a constant battle between wanting to rock out and wanting to crawl under a rock and hide. But I guess that's what makes it all the more thrilling, right? The possibility of epic failure just adds to the excitement. Or at least that's what I tell myself to avoid a full-blown panic attack."

I studied Nova for a moment. She made it sound light, speaking with a smile and a nonchalant shrug, but I knew she was being honest, the truest she could be in front of an almost-stranger like myself. I felt like I was already starting to see her for who she was, like a veil had been lifted and another version of Nova Turner was beneath, but with new sets of lights.

I felt somehow closer to her, in a way.

I looked back at the road.

"Hey," I said. "Breathe. You're good, you know."

"I hope so."

And then I couldn't think again. I wanted to look at her more - I just couldn't help it - it was like she was a kaleidoscope of light and shapes and colors that made my head spin - but I needed to keep my eyes on the road. My palms felt quite sweaty on the steering wheel. The air coming from Nova's window was cool and sharp against my skin. I moistened my lips.

My mind drifted off to what she had told me in my bedroom - the fact that she was a lesbian. Of course, I had suspected that - perhaps even wished for that - but to hear that directly from her was especially something else, like a relief. I admire how she could say that so naturally, with the amount of nonchalance I probably could never muster in my life. I was right. Nova Turner really was the coolest girl ever, with her hair like that and with her voice and the rings on her fingers. I could melt in the driver's seat just thinking about her.

"Ah," Nova suddenly said. "I really don't want to play tonight."

Suddenly, I felt a wave of unease. Like something was off. I looked at her and she was still smoking, her eyes set outside as the lights cast shadows on her face. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel like it could disintegrate at any moment. What is it? I thought.

Something was wrong.

"Nova," I said. "Should we turn back . . .?"

"Why would we-"

It all happened before I could even breathe or blink. In an instant, like lightning.

A truck swerving into our lane. The screeching tires. A scream released in panic and in horror. My body was thrown forward due to the impact, and then shock bolted through my skull and through my bones, pain coming not until a few minutes later as my whole body felt a very sharp ache, a throbbing sensation spreading through my muscles. And then there was blood.

So much of it.

It was all a blur but in my very faint consciousness, I can remember the sound of metals crashing against each other, along with the glasses shattering in split seconds - a few had pierced through my skin, but I was too numb to even feel them. There were also flashes of lights. A searing pain coursed through my limbs and neck, and the coppery taste of blood coated my tongue. That strong taste had given me the gravity of the situation.

My hand mindlessly reached for Nova's arm.

"Nova," I choked out. She did not respond. I had some trouble with it, but through my foggy vision, I saw her body twisted and mangled, her head at a very odd angle. Terror and gut-wrenching dread washed through my body when I caught sight of her neck, gushing with blood. I once remembered a nurse-teacher telling us just how much blood we're supposed to lose before dying, and seeing how completely covered Nora was with her own blood, I was beginning to wish for that nurse-teacher to be incorrect.

"Nova," I said again. I reached for her hand. There was blood on her rings, too, especially on the spiky one on her middle finger. It was my favorite. Nova's unfinished cigarette was on the car's carpet, its flame slowly dying.

I reached for her pulse.

A cry was stuck in my throat as I realized that Nova was already dead.

♫

My eyes shot open.

I gasped for air as my body jolted upright, my heart racing a mile a minute as the clear images of Nova's dead body flashed across my mind. The dying cigarette on the floor, the blood on her spiky ring, the blood-soaked hair across her face. I combed my fingers over my body, scouring for any signs of pain or injury. My hands brushed over my scalp, searching for any trace of blood. Nothing. There was no blood, no sharp ache on my bones and on my skull. I'm alive. I'm on my bed. I'm breathing. I'm safe.

What is happening?

A dream? A premonition? What was it? I felt groggy as I reached for my phone. I saw that the time was 11:30, and I felt a wave of disappointment wash over me. Nova's free gig would be at 12:00. If I sneaked out from the window I might be able to make it, but I knew that was wishing for miracles because my mother wasn't an idiot.

A notification popped up. Something about a Hollywood celebrity getting married.

It was 11:32.

I stood up and checked my face in the mirror and much to my surprise, I saw that I had forgotten to wash off the mud mask I put on four hours ago, so I went to the sink and rinsed it off quickly, the cold water waking up every single sleeping cell in my bones.

Wait . . . this has happened before.

Weird. Was that a dream I just had? Come to think of it - I felt very weird too, like there was this sense of doom sitting on my chest. People say that sometimes having a bad dream could determine your mood for the rest of the day - well, in my case, for the rest of the night. What did I dream about? I closed my eyes and thought very hard. It was a bad dream, I'm sure . . . like I'd lost something very important. And it also felt very tragic.

What was it?

I snapped back to my attention when I heard the weirdest knock on my window, ever. Tick tick, tick, tick tick, tick. Then I got scared because there are two kinds of window-knockers in the world: the stupid people and the people that murder you in your bed. I wondered which one was it.

When I turned to look, I saw Nova Turner's face from the window, with the same fantastic smile on her beautiful face. I felt my heart skip a beat as I looked at her face in shock and confusion and then, all of a sudden, my head throbbed. My palm slapped to my forehead, as memories began setting in again.

Nova. My car. The cigarette between her fingers.

"I don't really want to play tonight . . ."

This has happened before. This has definitely happened before! What is going on?

"Hello? Cora to Earth?" I looked at her, still shocked. "Just so you know my arms are barely hanging now and - oh, my god!"

Before I could even catch my breath, Nova had fallen from my window and I heard a loud thud on the ground from outside. I screamed and ran towards my window, peeked outside, and I saw, on the ground, Nova's dead body with blood pooling around her head.

Then, for the second time, my eyes shot open and my body jolted upright, my heart racing quickly and my chest tightening with every breath I took. I grabbed my phone, and the time was 11:30. Again.

And then the realization hit me like a ton of bricks.

♫