I couldn't sleep. I stared at the dark ceiling, hoping that sleep would come to me. I knew it wouldn't. This has happened every time I went to someone else's house, ever since I was seven. It was strange because I could sleep through my tire getting fixed but not on a large couch.

Defeated, I took my freshly revived phone off of the charger Cece had let me borrow. Several missed calls from my mom and dad popped up on my lock screen. Swallowing my guilt, I swiped past the notifications. I would call them in the morning, they were probably fast asleep by now.

I scrolled through a few social media sites for a while, but the images pained me. It was filled with my friends' and family's documentation on how they were spending their last few days. Some of them were posing at the beach, while others were at home spending time with each other. Each caption was the same: "Ending my life with a bang!" or "YOLO everyone!!". They all seemed to have slathered a thick layer of glitter and shine on a harsh and unbelievable reality: we all may not be alive for long.

It didn't feel real. I was still waiting to be hit with the realization that it was true. I hadn't yet, though. How could I believe that it was true? That in a week, everyone I knew and love would be gone?

I checked the news. There had to be an article on it that I trusted. I needed something, anything to make me think that it was true.

Everything written was about the asteroid. I could have closed my eyes and picked one. I chose one from a reliable source that wasn't too long and started reading.

"Two days ago, NASA researchers announced that an asteroid seventy-miles wide and moving at 30,000 miles per hour is anticipated to hit Earth, ultimately wiping out every living thing on Earth. In perspective, the asteroid thought to have lead to the extinction of dinosaurs was seven to eight miles wide. This asteroid is ten times the size of that.

NASA confessed that they first discovered this asteroid years ago, but didn't predict that it would travel as quickly or get as close to our planet as it would. After the transference of ownership of NASA and the deep recession the United States endured in 2021, funding and programs in which would have helped to stop this asteroid years ago were cut back. Now it may be too late to stop our ultimate demise.

Nonetheless, a team of astronauts is being sent up as quickly as possible to try to break it up into smaller pieces. Though they still have the risk of hitting Earth, the damage may be less than what it could have been.

Though this idea is comforting, the launch has yet to happen. Was this plan ever intended to be executed, or were they trying to comfort citizens so that we don't erupt into complete chaos?"

The kitchen light turned on. I turned my head, surprised. Cece was still awake. She saw me and gave me an apologetic look. She ducked into the kitchen. After a minute she reappeared, holding two mugs.

She came into the living room. I sat up and made room on the couch. She sat next to me and handed me the mug. From the tower of whipped cream on top, I could only assume it was hot chocolate.

"Can't sleep?" she asked. I shook my head. "Me neither. Mind if I keep you company?"

"Not at all."

Cece took a slow sip of her drink, staring ahead. I watched her silently. Why was she still awake? Was she just a night owl, or was something else keeping her up that night?

She glanced down at my phone. She immediately looked away, embarrassed. I looked down at the news article. "Do you think that the asteroid thing is true? That it'll actually hit Earth?"

Cece looked at me, surprised. She set her mug down on a small table next to her. Then she looked up at the ceiling, pondering the question. Weird, had she not been thinking about it?

"Yes, I do," she replied, smiling.

"You do?" Her confidence startled me. She didn't respond like Collin had, who had made me feel like his answer was the only correct one. Cece replied as if her mind could be changed if someone convinced her.

"Well, when I was younger—oh, what was I, twelve?—an asteroid passed by Earth. It was only a few miles away from the moon. NASA knew that it wouldn't hurt us, though. Do you know when they told us about it on the news?"

"When?"

"Never. I found out by reading a random article years later."

Never? I couldn't believe it. Even if it hadn't ever planned to hit Earth, it still had been close. Shouldn't they have told us just in case? What if their calculations were wrong and it suddenly changed track? Another asteroid could have hit it or something.

"Why didn't they tell you?"

"Because it would have caused unnecessary panic," Cece explained. "In order to keep society functioning, there can't be random chaos."

What she was trying to tell me finally hit. They wouldn't have ever told us about this asteroid if NASA thought that we would have been fine. We would have gone through these ten days like they were normal. They had gifted us the opportunity to do anything we wanted before it was too late.

"I'm surprised they gave us so many days in advance, honestly," Cece said. She took my mug from the ground (which I hadn't remember putting there) and placed it next to hers. I waited for her to expand on what she had said, but she didn't. Instead, Cece said, "I'm glad that Collin is spending his last ten days with someone. I was so afraid that he'd be alone."

My cheeks grew hot. I shook my head. "It's only for a few days."

"Any is better than none. He's been so sad lately, it's nice to see him with someone again."

"Why has he been sad?"

Cece grew quiet. She lifted her legs onto the couch so that she was sitting crisscrossed. It was funny to see, for it made her look so small. She had to be middle-aged, nearly reaching her fifties, for she spoke with so much experience and had subtle wrinkles engrained on her face. Yet, at the same time, she looked and acted to be the same age as me. She was the definition of timeless.

Her face displayed her thoughts. Her lips trembled and her eyes gazed all over the room. There was clearly a battle being fought in her mind. I chewed on the inside of my lip nervously.  I had promised Collin to not question him anymore, but that didn't mean that my curiosity had diminished. If it came from Cece, someone he greatly trusted, then it was fine...right?

She sighed, defeated. She grabbed my hand and gently held it between hers. "Do you care about Collin?"

I hesitated. Did I care? I didn't think I had known him long enough to necessarily care. Though, if he were to get hurt, I would be worried. And I'd probably be disappointed if he left so...maybe?

"...Yeah."

She didn't seem to notice my hesitation. Cece squeezed my hand a little tighter and sighed. "Collin used to work at a gas station, just a few miles from here. It was, what, three years ago? He met a guy named Harvey there. I don't know any details, but Collin quit his job that day and got in the car with him.

"They came and visited a couple of times. I really liked Harvey. He was such a respectful young man. Really funny, too. I loved whenever Collin brought him over. He just made every room brighter."

The way she talked about Harvey in past tense made my stomach drop. The more she talked, the shakier her voice got. Tears welled in her eyes. "I remember the day, last August, when Collin came here alone. He didn't say much, just grabbed an extra change of clothes and went into his room. I asked what's wrong and he said...he said..."

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me," I whispered. I put my free hand over hers. She was shaking uncontrollably. Though it sounded like he had only visited a few times, this Harvey guy had an apparent place in Cece's heart.

After a minute, Cece recollected herself. She spoke again. "He was killed. Shot. Collin wouldn't tell me why or who and...oh..."

The words lingered in the air. My heart ached for Collin. I couldn't imagine having someone I was close to be killed. No wonder he was so hesitant to open up. He had gone through something terrible.

"I'm so sorry," was all I could say.

"You have to understand, Collin's life hasn't been...hasn't been easy." Cece wiped the tears away from her cheeks. "He never knew his parents, was raised by who-knows-who, then was on his own at fifteen. I remember when he first knocked on our door...he was seven and had just celebrated Halloween for the first time—thought that he could trick-or-treat every day after that." She laughed. I smiled. The image of a little kid going door to door expecting candy every day was adorable. "The older he got, though, the unhappier he was with his life. Found his circumstances to be unfair. Harvey...he was his happiness."

I looked down the hallway. Collin's room was close by. Was he listening to us poking through his past? I slipped my hands out of Cece's. Guilt settled in my stomach. "Do you think he'll be okay with me knowing?"

Cece smiled sadly. "I told you what I did because I know he won't. I think you deserve to know the man who you're planning to go on a road trip with."

Did I, though? This entire time I had been hoping to learn more about him, but now that I knew, I wish it could be taken back. It was far too much personal information. I had only known him for a day. Surely, with time, he would have told me when he was ready.

It wasn't like the information made me change my mind about going to Oregon. Now I was more determined than ever to get Collin up there. He needed an ounce of happiness. He needed to know that he had been fighting for his dream, even if it was near the end of his life.

"He sees something in you, Natalie." I snapped out of my thoughts. "He wouldn't have stayed with you this long if not. I hope you'll give Collin a chance."

I thought back to earlier that night. Collin had told me that he had been given the option to leave. He didn't have to keep me around, and yet he did. The thought brought a warm feeling within me. I bit back a smile.

Cece handed me back my hot chocolate. It had grown cold, but I drank it anyway. The distraction of doing something helped settle my mind. Cece got up, grabbing her own mug.

"Thank you for talking with me," Cece said. "It's been a while since I've chatted with someone besides my husband."

"Of course." I still couldn't fully process everything we just talked about. The flood of information exhausted me.

Cece lingered for a moment. She paused before saying, "Can you promise me that you'll stay with Collin? Just for a few days, it doesn't need to be the entire time. I just really, really don't want him to be alone."

That wasn't a question in my mind. Collin needed someone more than ever. My initial goal was to go and then leave as quickly as possible so I could go home, but that wasn't a thought I wanted to consider anymore. My parents would understand once I explained. They knew the importance of someone's happiness.

"I promise."

Wow, a lot of information was spilled in this chapter. How do you feel about Collin after knowing this? Do you think that it was Cece's place to tell Natalie? How do you think it will affect Collin and Natalie's relationship?

If you liked this chapter, make sure to vote for it with your blanket. Stay interesting!