Dreams
Amidst the violent rainfall outside, my sleep was cut short because of loud coughing sounds. I forced my eyes half open, and I couldn't quite explain what I feel. I felt drowsy, half numb and light; the twist and turns against the sheets didn't feel very realistic. I was either half-asleep or simply dreaming.
The coughing started again, and I forced my eyes wide open. At that very moment, I realized that my cheek was against a burning hot, big and sweaty chest that glistened against the moonlight, and my arms were across a set of six steel pack abs that were just as hot, sweaty and shiny. I felt something big and warm around my shoulders, and it felt like flesh. Out of curiosity, I looked past the chest and saw Jared's face instead of Bingo's.
"Jared?" I gasped. Seeing him here was impossible, so I was positively sure that this is a dream.
"I'm sorry, if I woke you up." He apologized. It may sound stupid, but I said it, anyway. "It's okay. This is just a dream, you didn't wake me up."
"Uhh, yeah." His eyebrows pulled together and my stomach started twisting. "Let's go with that." He grinned. The silly grin on his face was abruptly wiped off when he coughed one more time, droplets blood spewed out of his mouth and trickled down his lips.
"Jared, are you okay?" I wiped the blood off his lips
"Yeah. Just don't mind that." He softly placed my hands back on his stomach and wiped the blood off himself.
"You're not okay."
"I am. This is just a dream, remember?" I suddenly felt confused deep inside. A person in a dream who knows he's in it? That's odd.
"Dream or no dream, you're not okay. Stay there, I'll get you some medicine." I got on my feet and headed for the door. From the corner of my eye, I could see Jared struggle out of bed but gave up easily. He was too weak.
I went downstairs and grabbed the first aid kit, which was just above the refrigerator. I also got a bowl of ice-cold water, a sponge, and a glass of ice-cold water too.
"Drink this." I handed him the glass and the yellow capsule that my dad drinks whenever he spits blood. I watched him gulp it down, and my eyes widened in shock as I saw him finish all the water up in that one gulp.
"I better get you some more water."
"No, I'm fine. Seeing you works better than drinking water."
"Wow, dream Jared's just as plastic as the real one." I muttered to myself. "I'll still get you water." I went back to the kitchen and brought one pitcher of water up to my room.
"Here."
"Thanks. But I was serious about you working better than water."
"Sure, sure." I said sarcastically as I kneeled beside him to dip the sponge inside the bowl. By the time I was sure that the sponge was cold enough, I gently placed it on Jared's forehead.
"I must be the luckiest man on earth. I've got such a beautiful nurse." He sounded weak.
"Beautiful nurse my ass." I laughed. I took the fever syrup out of the kit after, and fed him a spoonful.
"You know, I'll be needing more than that." Jared took the bottle from me as I was about to seal it and gulped the remainder of it.
"Are you mad!? You could get an overdose!"
"I won't." He smiled. "Go back to sleep, these things will heal me up, and sleeping with you tonight will heal me up for good."
"Sleeping with me tonight, that sounds so wrong."
"Don't look at it that way." He snickered. I took the sponge and dipped it in the bowl for one more time.
"Good night." I placed the sponge back on his forehead and tucked myself back to sleep.
"I love you." Before I was given a chance to react, he firmly took my small face in his big, hot hands and tenderly pressed his soft, warm lips against mine. It stayed there for so long, and when he pulled away, I was debating with myself.
It's just a dream, you could say it. "I love you too, very much." I leaned in to return the kiss, hoping that it was just as heavenly as the kiss he gave me. I placed my head back on his chest after.
"I was made to love you more." He whispered in my ear.
"Another missing hiker." My dad clucked his tongue in disapproval. Ever since he turned the car radio on, the Quileute radio keeps on talking about missing hikers and gigantic bears. "That's why some rangers from Forks are coming to the fair."
"What fair?"
"The Quileute Elementary Annual School Fair. A lot of people will come. It's been ages since the last time they had one."
Fairs. Something social, and when it's something social, it's something I hate. "Oh."
"Honey, are you okay?" The question caught me off guard. "Yeah. Yeah, I am."
"Something's bothering you. Is it Jared?" I automatically shot my dad a surprised look, and wished that I shouldn't have when I realized what I just did. "It is about Jared. No need to deny it, Kim."
"What made you say that?"
"You should see his papers. Your name's written all over the back…and his notebook, don't get me started with his notebook."
"What's with his notebook?" I sounded like I was pleading.
"Poems, really epic ones. The boy's gotta gift. He got the words right out of my mouth when I think about your mother. Your mom even told me about his little sacrifices." He chuckled. These were the moments that I terribly hated—when your parents talk about your love life right in front of your face. It felt irritatingly awkward.
"I don't like him, dad."
"Good. 'Cuz maybe he likes you for the plain reason of you being prettier. Those are the people you should avoid. You should find people who will always love you, pretty or not, just like how your mom loves me." It was a good thing my mom wasn't here now. They usually end up making out if my dad gets started with that subject. Other than that, dad's words were rubbing themselves against my brain. I should stop liking Jared because I'll admit it, there's still some feelings left.
"See you later, honey." The car pulled to a stop across the schoolyard.
"Bye, dad." I climbed out of the car and ran fast towards the school to avoid getting wet. My fastest wasn't fast enough—I was soaking halfway through.
I didn't know why, but the rain suddenly stopped pouring—on my head, at least. I looked up and saw a black umbrella held on my head, and not too long after that, I looked at its holder.
"Hi, Kim." Jared smiled. It was wrong, having the most desired guy on campus hold an umbrella up for me.
"Oh. Hi." I continued walking; the umbrella was still following me. I turned around to tell Jared that I didn't need it, but I saw that he wasn't even sparing a space beneath the umbrella for himself. The raindrops left dark grey blots on his light grey muscle shirt.
"Hey, use your umbrella. You might get sick."
"It's too small. It can only hold one person."
"I'm fine without it."
"No way am I gonna let you get wet." So he wants it the hard way, huh? I ran to the right, he followed. I ran in circles, he followed too.
"Fine." I groaned in defeat. "Let's just try to share it…so you won't get wet." He inched closer to me on the same second, got a firm grip on my waist, and we walked together towards the school.
He folded the umbrella close when we were by the classroom door, then I caught up with his pacing, just to show him gratitude.
"What the?" I blurted out when I saw him take Stacey's seat.
"I have bad eyesight, so my mom requested the teachers to let me sit somewhere in the middle." He said with a mischievous smirk, a wink accompanying it.
"You're impossible."
"Hello, class!" Ms. Samson said out of nowhere. "Today, we will be playing a fun game!" Everyone started to get uneasy. Ms. Samson, unlike my dad, was the funniest and most loved teacher, and whenever she says she has a fun game for us, it really is fun.
"Well, I'll explain its connection to our topic for tomorrow so let's just concentrate on the game for now. The game's called 'The Blind Bachelor.'" As expected, the girls shrieked their heads off when they heard the word 'bachelor'.
"You will pick a bachelor, then we'll blind fold him. Then, we'll pick five girls to play the game. The bachelor will ask her some personal questions, ask the contestants to do stuff to please him and on the final round, the contestants will prove themselves by convincing him that he should pick her. The winner, which is the girl the bachelor chooses, will get a chance to date him during lunch. Lunch is on me, of course." She chuckled. "Are your ready?"
"Yes!" Everyone shouted, even the boys.
"Okay! Now, who's the bachelor?"
"Jared!" They all said at freakishly the same time.
"Okay! Jared please step out of the room so we can select our five contestants." I turned to look at him, and abruptly looked away when I saw him looking at me.
"Go Jared!" Stacey playfully elbowed him. Everyone stood up and pushed him out of the room.