6 Dream

I followed my classmates, running out the door and into the schoolyard. Everyone was spreading out, taking balls and organizing into groups to play basketball, soccer, or football. Others just hung out in groups at the edge of the courts. The sunshine warmed my face. It was a cool autumn day and I watched as leaves drift down from the trees that surround the yard. I wandered aimlessly around the yard, trying to avoid getting hit by the flying balls. I was clutching a book to my chest as I raced to get to my quiet reading spot. But when I got there, someone was already there. The boy had dark reddish-brown hair and his eyes were brown. When he turned his head towards me, a ray of sunlight caught his eyes, and it produced a reddish color. I gasped. What an unusual color! Nevertheless, I glared at him. Who did he think he was, taking my spot? I had this spot every day, to read in the shade. And now he comes along and takes over my territory.

"Get lost. This is my spot, my territory," I said coldly.

He laughed. "You must be the girl my friends warned me about, the one who does not like to be disturbed. The territorial one."

I stared at him. "I told you to get lost. I don't care what you were told or who you are, I'm telling you to get lost."

He jumped off the fence. "You really are cold to strangers. Don't worry, I'm not taking over, why would I? I have other places where I'm more welcomed." He sauntered off.

Fuming, I plopped down onto the fence and opened my book. Soon I was so absorbed in the story that I forgot everything that had happened, and everything that was happening. If balls flew my way, I instinctively dodged and avoided them. I was brought back to the present when the whistle blew, signifying that the period was over and we had to go back inside. When I closed my book, I was scared half out of my mind when I saw the boy from before sitting on the other side of the fence corner.

He smirked. "So, you really do get lost in books if you didn't see me sit here the whole time."

I snarled, "You really don't get it when people don't want you around, do you? I don't care how popular you are at this school. You. Are. Not. Welcomed. Where. I. Am."

"Just so you know, I'm not popular. And I really don't care if you don't welcome me. I'm allowed to be here as much as you are," he answered evenly.

"You really love doing this, don't you?" I asked. "And why me? There are plenty of other lonely girls around here who would kill to have someone like you pay attention to them."

He shrugged. "Heard stuff about you. I had to see if it was true or not." Then, grinning, he said, "Apparently, all the things I heard were true."

"I don't want to see you again," I spat. I turned around and left through the entrance of the courtyard.

Diane woke to screaming. A tear rolled down her cheek. Lifting a hand to wipe it off, Diane realized where she was. That was when she realized that the scream was coming from her. She was screaming, but there was nothing here that scared her, and she didn't feel any terror. She was just screaming. Diane was in a white room, a room that patients would normally be in. Why am I here? What happened? She climbed out of the bed and opened the door, almost bumping into Cassie, another nurse. Diane grabbed Cassie's shoulders and asked her, "How did I get here? The last thing I remember was being in the conference room...I passed out, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did. Hannah was looking for you, and found you in the conference room unconscious," Cassie answered. She glanced uneasily at Diane. "Do you know why you passed out?"

"No," Diane said, choosing her words carefully. "I probably fainted because of the heat or something like that. No worries, I'm fine now. I can get back to work." She said nothing about her dream.

Cassie nodded. "It's almost 8:00, your shift is almost over. Might as well get plenty of rest for tomorrow. I'm sure you can leave a few minutes earlier." Dismissing her with a wave, she left through the doors.

Diane did not want to leave earlier than 8:00 since she hadn't been working for about two of the hours. She thought that she should probably stay and work extra hours for the hours she missed. But she left with a pang of guilt in her chest.

When she got home, she realized that she still remembered the dream. The boy, the yard, the book. Everything. This was the first time she didn't forget the dream within minutes. She made dinner, ate, and showered. She walked into her bedroom, and sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the picture. The boy from her dream, her vision, was the same one as in the photo. But the boy in the image was happily getting along with her while in her dream, she was very cold towards the boy. Did I eventually fall in love with the annoying boy? Then, another more important question emerged. Who is he?

Diane was free of nightmares now, but her blackouts started to get worse. They started to come more often. But the dream was always the same one. The one about the boy. She could be doing a check-up one second and be lying on the floor the next. They came randomly, so Diane could not predict when she was going to have one. The only clue to when she was having a vision was when she started to tremble and sweat. But when these signs started to show, it was too late to run into the bathroom or an empty room. She even had a check-up of her own, but nothing was wrong with her body. Why is this happening to me? Why am I getting these dreams?

One night, Diane received a message from Lorenzo. All of the events from the past week had practically made her forget Lorenzo even existed. Diane was excited to see what Lorenzo had to say since he didn't text her for the whole week either, almost as if he forgot about her too.

Lorenzo: Hey!

Lorenzo: Free on Sunday?

Diane: Yes, why?

Lorenzo: Up for another night out?

Diane: Just what I needed, especially after what happened this week.

Lorenzo: What happened?

Diane: It's nothing, I'm fine.

Diane: I just needed something to take my mind off my problems.

Lorenzo: Ok.

Lorenzo: This time, I'm picking you up at 8PM.

Lorenzo: Ok with you?

Diane: It's great.

Diane: I'll be waiting for you!

Diane: Love you.

Lorenzo: Bye!

Once again, with the prospect of being with Lorenzo on a date again sped up the days. It seemed as if the thought of Lorenzo dispelled the blackouts. She stopped fainting and started to get more work done. She didn't have to work on Saturday to make up for the hours she missed. She could go home and sleep peacefully and go to work without having the shadow of a vision near.

When Catherine arrived for the Sunday chat, Diane was exploding with things to say about her week. Catherine talked about the normal, the residents at the nursing home she worked at, and Picky the cat. Then, Catherine started to giggle when she told Diane about this guy at the coffee shop that had started to flirt with her. Diane, laughing, told her friend that "No one can resist your beauty and fashion sense." Diane poured everything out to Catherine. The first dream, the blackouts, and the date. Catherine had said, "Lorenzo really doesn't know when to give up, does he?" Diane had answered that she liked him and that he wasn't really as obnoxious as she'd thought any of the suitors would be.