I stand at the lake's shore, my father's arm around my shoulders.
"How you feelin', cupcake?" he asks. I smile and look out at the vast expanse of the water before me. The calmness of it all soothes the anxiety I've gotten from my nightmares; every night, a man entered a woman's house and killed her in front of me. When he realized I was there, he'd smile and say, "Nice to see you again, my little accomplice." It was becoming unbearable.
My dad noticed my unhappiness, so he took me to our favorite summer spot: the lake.
"I feel better," I say, still having a voice at this time, but its strength is waning.
"Not worried about that nightmare anymore?" he asks. I shake my head vigorously.
"Good," he says, kissing the top of my head. "Daddy will always be with you; you know that?" His hand engulfs mine, and we stand together, listening.
A singular tear fell on my face as I stood at the lake's edge. My dad's warm hand was no longer there, and the sunlight faded.
"You all right?" Mindy walked up next to me and nudged me lightly. I nodded and hastily swiped the tear off my cheek. Her eyes roved about my face, but mine remained fastened on the lake.
"Let's walk around," Andy suggested. I stood rooted in place. "Don't you wanna come, Hazel?"
"I need five minutes," I signed, and Blake translated.
"All right... we won't be far," Andy said. "You see that rocky ledge over there?" I nodded. "We want to sit there and hang for a few. Meet us, okay?" I nodded again.
When their footsteps receded, more replaced them. I looked up, and my eyes met Grey's form beside me. "What're you doing here?"
"I followed you guys," he said and stared me dead in my eyes. "I still have more to say."
"I have nothing to discuss with you," I signed.
"Do we share dreams?" he asked.
"Nobody shares dreams," I signed.
"There's no other way you would know my mom drowned," he said. "You saw what happened, you asked if I was okay, and then the dream switched to your memory—"
"Do you hear yourself? It was just a dream." I looked back out at the lake and clenched my hands into fists. A fog rose from the clear water, mixing with the cool night air.
"In that dream, I relived my mother's death. And then I experienced your father's."
I swallowed and then signed, "You have one crazy imagination."
"He was wearing a dark gray t-shirt with Crunch gym's logo and gray shorts. His eyes were a deep blue, and he had dark, short curly hair. Am I right?"
"Again, it was just a dream, Grey—"
"The robber was wearing a mask and dark sunglasses. He spoke with a lousy-sounding British accent. His clothes were all black. He had—"
I frantically covered my ears, unable to hear anymore. I tried hard to have self-control, but Grey's words stabbed deep into me and twisted.
"Sorry... if this wasn't a real memory, why would you be acting this way?" he asked softly.
"It was just a dream," was all I could sign.
"It can't be. If you're the Hazel I've spent so much time with in my dreams, then you're why Sasha cheating on me hurts my pride more than my feelings."
"I've got to go." I attempted to take a step away, but he grabbed my wrist firmly, not so hard that it hurt me.
We stood in tense silence. I heard my friends laughing together as they stepped out onto the rock. He took two long steps closer to me and enveloped my hands into his. The heat of his hands sent a flood of warmth throughout my body. "You've been in my dreams, haven't you?" I shook my head.
He sighed frustratedly. "Hazel, I've got to know how you know my mother drowned. Because if it isn't the dream, then Evan told you. Which you said he didn't. Did he tell you?" I paused and looked into his eyes. Those vulnerable—almost sweet-looking—eyes. There was hope, but I had to break it. I removed my hands from his.
"I've got to go."
"Hazel, this isn't fair. You know something very personal about me, and you're gonna walk away without telling me how you know?"
"I can't tell you," I signed. "You'll have to accept that. Just like I had to accept all Sasha did to me while you stood idly by."
"I didn't know half of the things she was putting you through—"
"Stop with the excuses."
"Stop with the lies! I know we've shared dreams!"
"You're insane," I signed, stepping away from him. He rolled his eyes. "Normally, I'd have to agree. But you refuse to say how you know when it would be so easy to say, Evan."
"Maybe I'm afraid you'll hurt him if I say he did."
"Well then, I promise you I won't lay a hand on him if that's what you're so worried about. Did he tell you?"
"Don't worry about it."
"You are so frustrating—"
My anger boiled over. "Me?! You're the obnoxious idiot! You let everyone manipulate you, and then you come over here trying to do the same to me! Of course, Sasha cheating on you hurt your stupid feelings! You went to go smash Evan's car in because of it!"
"That doesn't mean—!"
"I'm tired of your excuses," I continued, "so leave me alone! Stay out of my life."
"That's not fair, Hazel; I never was trying to mani—"
"Manipulate me? Lead me on?" Stop ranting. "To stay with Sasha even though you kissed me? And then the icing on the cake, letting her say horrible things about me while you watched and did nothing."
He was silent before slowly saying, "We never kissed, Hazel." I processed the words he told me and replayed them several times. The realization that I mentioned another dream struck me hard in the stomach.
I met his eyes which were unreadable.
"I kissed you in my dream." His gaze held me in place. "If our dreams aren't connected, how did you remember that kiss?" I felt a lump in my throat. He knew. "We went ice skating and swimming, right? And I dove after you and kissed even after you reminded me about Sasha?" I tried to make my eyes just as unreadable as his. My phone began to buzz repeatedly in my back pocket. I pulled it out to see Mindy calling me. Before I could pick up, he snatched the phone out of my hand and put it in his pocket.
"Give me—!"
"Hazel." Grey's voice was firm. "Is that when I kissed you?"
"Give me back my phone, Grey." I reached for it, but he grabbed my wrists and pulled me into him.
YOU ARE READING
Little Sweet Dreamer - Wattys Edition
Teen Fiction"Oh," he said, as my back hit the wooden wall. Damn it, of course. With nowhere to go, his arms locked me in between him and the wall. He stared down at me as he said, "So you're trying to piss me off?" His lips were surprisingly close to mine. No g...
