Little Sweet Dreamer - Wattys Edition

Chapter 6

"The way he moved with my body," Mindy gushed, "was so sexy. You could feel his muscles through his shirt!" She hardly focused on the road as she drove me back home from DQ. Fortunately, she was sober. I couldn't imagine how she'd be if she raved over him while tipsy.

The car came to a halt in front of my house. The lights were on inside, so I assumed my mom was home, watching TV.

"I'm never gonna get over this night," Mindy said. "Thanks for coming with me." I nodded with a smile and hugged her. She hugged back tightly, squeezing the air out of me. "And I'll let you know when I get home, Hazel; you don't have to scold me."

I laughed and shut the door, the breeze around me giving me goosebumps. I waved goodbye to Mindy and then rushed into the house.

"Oh, baby, you're home!" my mom said, surprise in her voice as I entered the living room. "I didn't expect you this early." A tall man held my mom in his arms. They stood in front of the TV, dancing to the music they had playing on it. There were two glasses of red wine on the table, the insides stained as they were both close to draining their cups.

The man who was getting my mom intoxicated had lean muscles, a jawline sharp like a blade that made me think he'd be able to stab somebody with it if he so pleased, bluish-gray eyes, and wavy brown hair. His smile was too friendly as he looked between my mom and me.

I wanted to punch him. My dad was ten times more attractive than he was. The sight of them two made me sore but judging from the hopeful look in my mom's eyes, I knew she needed me to like him.

"That's the guy you met?" I signed although I knew the answer. She nodded and swallowed. Approaching them, I offered my hand out to shake. His hand firmly clasped mine and dragged me into a hug. I internally screamed as I gently hugged him back. He let go with a big smile on his face. "It's nice to meet you, Hazel. I'm Jared." Cool, but I didn't ask.

"Tell him I said 'nice to meet you too,'" I signed, trying not to look too hasty to get away from him.

"She said it's nice to meet you," my mom said, smiling. I could tell she was so excited that this interaction was occurring smoothly, but I needed to get away from them. And I didn't want to be a party pooper, but this was the last thing I wanted to come home and see. "I'm going to bed now. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, baby," my mom said.

"Nice meeting you again, Hazel."

I couldn't leave fast enough. Timmy followed me, zooming up and down the stairs happily. At least he's happy. Maybe my mom, Timmy, and Ken doll Jared can start a happy family together far away from here.

I collapsed onto my bed with a heavy sigh. Of course, my go-to person to vent was Anastasia. But, as I was about to hit send on a thoroughly fleshed-out message, the recollection of her withholding the fact that she and Blake were dating reared its ugly head. Frustration cluttered my chest, so I threw my phone across my bed, curling up into a ball. I didn't know how to feel.

It wasn't the end of the world—I at least knew that for sure. But there was no one I could talk to about my problems.

I got up and showered. When I came back out, I still heard the music playing downstairs. I didn't even want to picture what could be happening. I laid down on the bed, Timmy curled up next to me, and we slowly drifted off to sleep.

***

Discomfort filled my chest as the dreamer slowly allowed me to gain all my senses. It started with a smell. The air was damp, grassy, and fresh. Then suddenly, I could feel the chill of the air on my skin; something very whispy and frightening about it led me to conclude that I was in someone's nightmare.