Chapter 1841

Suddenly, Drake reached out and pulled her into a tight hug. It was the only way he felt grounded.

The hug caught Debra off guard.

She blinked. "What's wrong? Are you sleepwalking?"

Drake didn't let go, and she added, "Are you feeling unwell? Should I take you to the medical room?" Fresh chapters posted on findnovel.net

"Just be quiet for a second," he murmured. "Let me hold you."

Debra's legs were getting sore. Drake was way taller, and if she wasn't on her tiptoes, her face would've been buried in his chest.

"Ease up a bit. I can't breathe," she mumbled.

He realized she was suffocating and let go. She stumbled back, barely staying upright.

He froze, shocked by his own action. For a split second, he'd panicked, terrified he'd be trapped in this dream forever.

But when Debra showed up, it was like she anchored him. Hugging her made him feel real.

"You got a fever or something? Your face is flushed," Debra said, reaching for his forehead.

He swatted her hand away. "I'm fine. Just stop following me."

Debra was confused. "I was just being nice. What's the fuss? Does your family have, like, a history of mental stuff? I get it. You can't control it, but you don't have to..."

"You have a mental problem," Drake cut her off, exasperated.

He didn't know what she was thinking. Her brain was all over the place, spitting out wild ideas.

"I didn't say you're crazy. I just mean lots of people have family mental health stuff. If that's why you're thinking of jumping, it's not worth it," she clarified.

Drake rubbed his eyebrows. "First, no mental health history. Second, that's not why I wanted to jump. Third, I'm not jumping. Got it?"

"Yeah." She nodded seriously.

He felt like he'd just wasted his breath. He stepped aside.

"Go to class and leave me alone. I don't wanna see you right now."

"We're in the same class. Do you have anywhere else to go?"

Unable to come up with anything better, he just spat, "Mind your own business."

He needed to figure out how to escape this dream, not waste time with these NPCs.

Agitated, he reached for a cigarette, only to find his pockets empty.