Talented Failure: The Works of A.T. Prenger

The hollow feeling returned. The rug underneath my world had been pulled out again. I didn't realize how excited I'd gotten myself planning to see Beth. Working up the courage and then having it fall through was devastating. It was like if you told a seven-year-old that Christmas was canceled. I hadn't gotten to see Beth. Probably never would. Before, it seemed that only circumstances kept us apart. Now I knew Wyatt was actively trying. He had the guards on his side, the law, he even had God damned super heroes backing him up. Compared to that I had very little. Almost nothing at all. I felt worse off than before. Ironically enough I felt lonelier. Sarah stopped texting me. Dana told me they had a talk. Kylie finally stopped talking to me except for polite niceties the few times we bumped into each other at work. I was glad for all that. They were both nightmares in my life who needed to go. Except I missed them because now I couldn't ignore the bigger problem...

It wasn't a particularly hot day, but I was still covered in sweat. Head-to-toe. Just drenched. I could practically smell the fear wafting off me. My hands gripped my steering wheel so hard my knuckles were perfectly white. I hadn't felt like this in a long time: it was a weird mixture of fear and anxiety and excitement. It didn't feel good at all. The entire ride out I felt nauseous. My stomach cramped up and refused to unclench. I would get too hot and turn on the A/C. The moment a blast of air hit me I immediately went frozen. Flip the A/C off and the car heated up to 1000°. I wasn't sure I would be able to stand up and get out of my car. My legs felt unsteady. I was sure the moment I tried I would fall on my face. That assumed I worked up the courage to even open the door. I'd been sitting in the car ten minutes already. I didn't know how much longer I could wait before I chickened out and left. I wasn't feeling too great about my courage levels. It wa...