GIRL, UNPLUGGED
YA Novel Chapter 20 | 5 Minute Read
This is Chapter 20 of a YA novel. To see where the story began, check out the GIRL, UNPLUGGED table of contents post, or head to the GIRL, UNPLUGGED section of the Story Hoarder Substack page to see all the chapters.
This chapter is an 5 minute read.
CHAPTER 20: A New Day
Written in Natalie’s Notebook
So Dark, So Late 10/6…maybe 10/7
I snuck off to the bathroom to write by the candlelight. I’m tired, and I know sleep’s coming, but I needed to spill some more words in this quiet space of night.
I’m thinking of my late-night escapes to my backyard, my desperate attempts to find the quiet and the stars. I know they are out there now, but I’m afraid to go outside alone.
I’m afraid to be alone.
I thought I loved my “me” time, but I’m realizing now that I always carried a connection to the nearly infinite options of humans to commune with wherever I was. With the Internet in my palm, was I ever, truly, alone? Do I know how to be alone? How about this: do I really even want to be alone, ever?
I don’t think so. This notebook only makes sense because I believe you are going to read it… and I don’t even care who “you” are anymore — just someone who is not me.
Written in Natalie’s Notebook
Dark. How do I know when 10/7 begins?
I don’t even know how I slept on that cot. It feels like I slept for days, but it is still dark. I guess I’m just waiting for the sun to rise now.
No one else is awake.
This is boring.
I miss my room, my home, my family.
I’m going to try to sleep a little more…
“Natalie? You okay?” It was Russ’ whispered voice coming through the bathroom door as I closed my notebook getting ready to go back and sleep some more.
“Russ?” I asked, wiping my not entirely awake eyes as I emerged from the candlelit room. He was leaning against the wall outside the bathroom and, in the dim flickering light from the opened door, I could see that he looked as tired as I felt.
“I saw you get up again and I got worried,” he said. “Do you need anything?”
I smiled. Russ was sweet. It was like he always wanted to take care of someone. Looking out for his little sister and, by extension, my little brother, trying to help nearly everyone in our class free themselves from boredom tonight, and me — I genuinely felt like Russ wanted to take care of me. “I’m alright. I just can’t sleep. I’m sort of used to sneaking out into my backyard late at night to just hang out a bit — by myself.” I stuffed my hands and my journal in the front pocket of my sweatshirt that I put on when the night started to chill. I shrugged. “I guess I’m more used to that than I thought.”
“You can go out back if you want,” he said pointing in the direction he had taken us before.
“Yeah. I guess,” I said. “Seems a bit scarier than my backyard, though.”
He pushed off the wall using his shoulder. The distance between us shrunk immediately. “I can go with you. If you want company. I can’t sleep either.”
“That’s really nice of you, Russ,” I said. “Maybe just a little while. It’ll be nice to be in the quiet.”
“Yeah, I think so,” Russ said, then he cracked a glow stick and led the way out the back door again.
When we exited the museum I was relieved. I could breathe again. I heard the crickets so clearly and I realized that the quiet I craved was nowhere near the silence one usually associates with the word. I didn’t want quiet, I wanted to be outside.
There was a bench by the back of the museum that Russ led me to. I was so happy I packed my sweatshirt for the trip. The night air was a stark reminder that autumn was upon us and winter was coming. But even with the extra layer, I found myself leaning up against Russ, who had buttoned his own jacket all the way up, just to get some more body warmth.
“Do you ever think of leaving here?” Russ asked after what felt like a long time.
“It’s all I’ve thought about,” I said. “I want to get home!”
Russ laughed. “I mean the city. I mean away from all of this. Do you ever think you want to live anywhere else?”
“I never really thought about it,” I admitted.
“Me neither,” he said. “Not until tonight. Natalie, look at that,” he said pointing up to the sky. “Look at what we’ve been missing! What the hell are we doing here?”
I looked up. It was hard to believe that the vision before me was something that was always out there. How could something so magnificent be hidden by streetlights, by advertisements, by cars, by us? I felt honored that I had been granted this sight, but what Russ was saying was true — this was always out there. By staying in this city of electric extravagance I was willingly denying myself this view on a nightly basis. What was I thinking?
“Well — at least for right now — we are here and we are still seeing it all,” I said, unable to imagine myself moving so far from the lights that marked the home of my mother, my father, and mostly, Rog. As I thought about my family I felt warm inside, happy that I was getting closer to tomorrow, closer to when I would see them again, and be back in my home — with or without the star-stealing lights. As my mind drifted, so did my consciousness, without meaning to I fell asleep on Russ’s shoulder.
My cheeks grew warm and, behind my eyelids, my eyes sensed the day lightening. As my mind crawled back from whatever distant dreamland it had escaped to I began to hear songbirds, distant voices of people in an argument, a voice over what was either a megaphone or a loudspeaker, and car horns. I blinked rapidly and slowly processed the clues to reassemble the memory of how I ended up on a bench outside the museum leaning up against Russ Sandberg.
I sat up straight. “Russ!” I said, in alarm, even though he was already showing evidence of waking up himself. “We fell asleep outside!” I said, wondering if I had ever done that before. Knowing, full well that I had never done that in Central Park before.
“I didn’t want to wake you,” he said with a scratchy, untested morning voice. He cleared his throat. “You fell asleep so quickly, and you said you were having problems sleeping so—”
From inside the museum there were murmurs of people calling out. I guessed they were looking for us. I stood up. “We have to get back inside.” I couldn’t even figure out what I was thinking! I didn’t wait for Russ to get up. I did my best speed-walk back to the door to the museum. When I opened it, I heard a groggy voice shout, “Guys! It’s police! Help me open this up,” I think it was Terrell. I walked slower hoping I could mix into the hubbub without anyone (except maybe Rainbow) noticing I was out of my cot.
Russ caught up to me. “Natalie?” He grabbed my hand gently.
I turned and squeezed it gently back. “Wait,” I said. “Something’s going on.” I pulled him with me to the front room, holding hands and sinking into the feeling of being leaned up against him in the night. What was I running for? I was with Russ, what was the big deal? The fears that brought me running into the museum slowly evaporated as we walked, together, back to the group.
As we entered the main room and caught a view of the group at the front door making way for whoever they were letting in, Dustin called out, “Ho-ly shit! Look what the cat dragged in!” Dustin stepped aside, throwing his arm around a very tired-looking Matthew Murphy. He instantly locked eyes with me, before dropping his gaze to my hand. My hand… which could not let go of Russ’s fast enough.
Leave a comment - Question of the Week
Thanks for continuing to read the GIRL, UNPLUGGED! The timing of this chapter release is so interesting. This morning, on my local radio station’s morning show, the question arose concerning when New Yorkers have had enough of living in the city. For this week’s question, I’m wondering do you live in, or have you visited, New York City? Are you energized by it, or are you more lit up by life under a natural night sky like Russ is experiencing in this chapter?
If this is your first time here…
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