Chapter 36

Zach woke up drenched in sweat from a dream that felt totally real. When he opened his eyes, he was still feeling sad about losing Madelyn.

He felt like his heart was being squeezed and he couldn't really breathe. He never thought a dream could make him feel like this. And what was even weirder, in the dream, Madelyn died, and he felt like he was broken too. It didn't make any sense.

"Zach, you're up!" someone said softly next to him.

It was Jadie.

Zach looked at the clock on the wall and thought to himself, 'It's afternoon already? It's getting dark outside. How long did I sleep?'

Jadie's eyes looked a bit red, like she had been crying.

"Jadie, aren't you supposed to be at school?" Zach asked.

Jadie sounded a bit sad when she said, "Zach, remember? You said you'd pick me up after school on Friday. I waited, but you didn't come. I called Kevin, and he said you were sick. So, I came here as soon as I could."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I totally forgot," Zach said, closing his eyes for a mo