The Many Faces of Tully
Refuse To Sleep

It’s midnight already and I’m opening my second energy drink. I have a bag of puffy Cheetos on my left and some napkins on my right to wipe off my fingers. I don’t want to get Cheetos all over Jace’s laptop. The first thing I notice when I start using his laptop is that his background picture had changed. It is now just a picture of random scenery. I don’t know what to make of the change.

I’m in the lab. I don’t want anyone walking in on me in the living room. It’s too in the open and the only person who comes into the lab really is Jace. I won’t be bothered tonight, which is a good thing because I’m going over videos.

I’m watching all of Jace’s videos. Any video he’s in actually. If he ever talks in it, I watch it. If he hurries into the practice room to heal someone, I watch it. If he’s in there alone, running his own practice, I watch it. I watch all of them and take him in.

He’s perfect. I thought Peter was perfect, I mean I still do, but Jace is perfect perfect. I haven’t found a single flaw yet. I mean, I don’t know how he sleeps or brushes his teeth or anything so he might have flaws there, but everything I know about him now is flawless. I want to know how he sleeps. I want to know how he brushes his teeth. I want too much. Too much will get him killed. I don’t want to see him dead.

I’m too obsessed with him. I’m falling way too fast for him. Falling in love with him is too easy. He’s everything I want to be, and he makes me feel like I can be like him. Peter made me feel like a good person, but he didn’t know all about me. Jace does, and he still thinks I’m a good person. I would think it was stupidity that made him think that, but I know he’s not stupid. He’s smart and he’s always right about everything.

He really is the kind of person I need in my life. Maybe I should go up against him. Looking at all of his videos has proved to me, slightly, that he can heal from practically anything. He always returns to perfect health, no matter the wound. If I know he can survive my explosion, then maybe I’d let myself be with him. Could I risk losing him just at the chance to be with him? I ponder this for the rest of the night.

The next time I check the time it’s 6:30 in the morning. That means Jace is up. I consider going into the kitchen but I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to see anyone else. I’m completely absorbed in myself right now. I’m not good company.

I hear the lab door open then. I lean to the side so I can see around the wall. Jace is walking in with a mug of coffee and he’s wearing his glasses already. That means he’s planning on doing research.

“Oh, hey.” He smiles at me. “You are up. What are you doing in here?” Then he notices the mess around me. The empty energy drinks and Cheetos bag.

“Good morning.” I don’t answer his question.

“Have you been up all night?” He walks forward and brushes off Cheetos dust from the couch. He sits down next to me with his leg up on the couch so he can face me.

“Yeah.” He’s wearing a dark blue shirt today with his dark blue jeans. His hair isn’t gelled to the side so it hangs over his forehead slightly. I like it better when his hair isn’t gelled. It makes me want to run my hands through it.

“Why did you do that?” he questions me skeptically. I just shrug. I don’t want to admit that I don’t want to sleep. “Okay, are you still using my laptop?” he asks then, turning to it.

“Nope, it’s all yours,” I say to him.

“Awesome.” He starts clicking away.

I leave to go change into fresh clothes. I don’t like being in my room. It’s the scene of the crime and it just brings back my nightmare. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to sleep in there for a while. That nightmare was the worst ever.

I spend all day in the lab with Jace. No one bugs us and one of us would only leave to get us food or to go to the bathroom. The lab is a mess by the end of the day, but neither of us seems to mind.

At 9 o’clock Jace says goodnight to me and leaves the lab. I decide to go into the kitchen and hunt down the booze. Energy drinks won’t do it tonight. Tonight is just one of those nights you need to just get lost in alcohol.

I replace some rum and make myself a very strong rum and Coke. I go out into the living room with it and sit in one of the squashy chairs. Haides, Mirage, Toshi, Nash, the twins, and Gunther are all out here watching a TV show.

“Hey Tuls, aren’t you normally in bed by now?” Nash asks me. Then he notices the drink in my hand. “Are you drinking?” Everyone’s head turns and stares at me.

“Yeah? What of it?” I say defensively.

“You just don’t seem the type to let loose.” Nash shrugs.

“Psh. I am twenty-three Nash. I do know how to party.” I roll my eyes.

“Oh, yeah? Prove it,” he challenges me.

I down my drink and then dig out my wallet. I pull out my debit card. “Someone, go buy some more alcohol.” I wave it in the air for someone to take. They all seem to look at each other for a second and then they start smiling.

“Woo! Party on Tully!” Haides shouts and hops over the back of the couch. He snatches my card and heads out the door.

We dig out a table then and replace red Solo cups. Toshi hands over three ping pong balls reluctantly. Someone digs out a deck of cards and we are well prepared by the time Haides gets back with a variety of everything.

“Let’s get this thing started!” I shout and they all whoop and holler with me. It’s probably been a long time since we all let loose like this. There’s nothing like partying with your friends.