Kate:

I was having a dream.

It began at the hospital prom I had attended with my boyfriend, Taylor. I remembered it well, down to the disgusting fruit punch they served and the color of the corsage Taylor gave me. Taylor made me feel so beautiful.

In my dream, I wandered around aimlessly, taking in the dancing couples and the soft music and the dim lighting. At first, it was nice to just breathe and enjoy the dance. But soon I was feeling impatient. Where was Taylor?

I found him in a corner, dancing with a tall, thin girl with a surgical mask concealing most of her face. It took me a moment to realize that the tall, thin girl was me. It felt weird to see myself from the outside. I wondered if I looked so bone-thin and pale to everyone, or if I was I just overly critical of myself.

I saw Taylor close in slowly. I remembered this. This was the part where he kissed me.

I watched with excitement as Taylor pulled away the surgical mask. I leaned in, wanting to see the look on my face as he kissed me. I saw a grin grow on my face before I realized. . .that wasn't my face. Taylor was dancing with another girl.

He was dancing with Anna, my sister.

___

I jolted awake, my whole body tensing.

My heart was pounding like a wild drumbeat, tapping out an irregular tune. I had to concentrate to keep my breathing normal.

Jesse said something, but I couldn't hear him past the deafening sound of blood roaring in my ears. I clenched my fists and squeezed my eyes shut until my body cleared its system of the adrenaline.

"Kate?!" Jesse was yelling. "I saw you tense up. Are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

I shifted in my seat until I was facing the window, my back to Jesse. I sighed and said, "Just a bad dream."

There was a silence. "Oh." Jesse turned off the radio, which had been all static anyway. "Do you want to tell me what it was about?"

And further prove my mental unstableness? "No," I whispered.

Jesse sighed through his nose. "Okay. But if you ever want to talk about it. . ."

I nodded and rested my head against the cold glass window. I loved that Jesse was looking after me, but sometimes his big-brother act was tiring.

I thought again of my dream. What had it meant? Was it some sort of sign? What was I afraid of, that Taylor and Anna were hooking up somewhere in Heaven? Somehow, I didn't think that was a problem.

Well, whatever the dream meant, it had shaken me up pretty well. My body was running on nervous energy. I turned on the radio again and fiddled with the different stations, but decided the music was bothering me and turned it off. I played with the heat and air-conditioning just to keep my hands moving.

Finally, Jesse pulled into a vacant parking lot. He turned off the engine and rested a hand on mine, stopping me in my tracks. "What are you doing?" he asked.

I looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

Jesse raised his eyebrows ever so slightly. "You know what I mean. Getting restless. Smearing your fingerprints all over my dashboard, which I just polished, by the way."

I shrugged. "Sorry. I guess I'm just hungry," I lied. I sat on my hands so I wouldn't wave them in the air as I spoke. Glancing around at our surroundings, I asked, "So where are you taking us now?"

"To the cemetery."

"To the. . .oh." I swallowed. "To. . . Anna's grave. Okay, then."

Jesse bent over to look into my eyes. He cupped my chin in his big, rough hand and asked gently, "Do you want me to take you home?"

Of course I want you to take me home, you idiot, I said telepathically. This is one of the scariest things I've done in my life, including the cancer! I'm scared!

But I didn't dare say it out loud. I was going to see this through, and it didn't matter if the sky was falling- nothing was going to stop me.

"No."

"Positive?" Jesse asked.

"Yes."

"Absolutely positive?" Jesse asked, grinning.

I laughed. "Jesse!" I scolded, slapping him playfully in the arm. "Shut up and drive!"

___

I'm already excited for the next chapter!

A big shout-out to everyone who encourages me to write more- I'm so grateful! You all inspire me to write stories like this!

Read and review, please!

-girlnextdoor14