Truth Or Dare (Ch. 2: Dream Vs. Reality)

Chapter 2: Dream Vs. Reality

Angrily, I rolled over onto my side hoping for more sleep.  I couldn’t believe that there was no Jayden, still our band had no drummer, and I still was without guy.  With a moan, I threw my covers off and tore myself out of my warm queen sized bed.
Winter in Seattle was brutally cold, and when my feet hit the wooden floor, I shuttered.  I could already tell that this was not going to be my day.  As I headed towards my closet, I clumsily stubbed my toe on the edge of my dresser.
“Ow!” I yelped hopping around for a minute until the throbbing in my left big toe calmed down.
I decided I had time to take a long shower and clear my head before I started to get ready for another Monday at West Seattle High.  It took all of my control to relax and not think about Jayden and dream while I let the hot water wash over me.
“It was just a dream.  Jayden’s not real.  Another guy will come along.  It will be a normal day,” I kept telling myself as I washed and exited the shower.
Once I was dry and dressed in a pair of jeans, a dark green button up top, a white tie, and my Converse shoes, I attempted to blow dry my hair straight and stop it from frizzing.  With that done I threw on some black eye liner and mascara, and I grabbed my stuff to leave.
I shivered when I stepped into the cold garage and hurried to unlock the door to my black 1995 mustang.  Getting in, I started the car and turned the heater on high as I roared out of the driveway and onto the street.  ‘Here we go again.’ I thought to myself.
The drive to school was filled with more thoughts of my dream.  It just seemed too real.  Everything about Jayden, his voice, his touch, it all felt like reality to me.  When I arrived to school, I pulled into a spot and just sat in my car for a few minutes.
I noticed instantly when Natalya pulled up next to me in her lime green slug bug.  A smile pulled at my lips when it dawned on me that Natalya would bring me out my dream world and into reality.
Natalya got out of her car at the same time I did and we met in front of the two.  My heart stopped when I noticed her blond hair was tied back into the same tie-dye headband and she wore the same outfit she had on in my dream.  This was just too weird; it had to be a coincidence, right?
“Are you okay, Brie?” she asked with a questioning tone.
I looked at her and forced a smile.  “Yah, just confused is all.”
“What about?” She stopped and converted her gaze to meet mine, raising an eye brow as she did so.
“This dream I had last night.  It seemed so real,” I stated.
“Don’t they all?  Why did this one bug you so much?  Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, it was a good dream,” I emphasized the word ‘good’ maybe too much, for she got an interesting smirk on her flawless face.
“Good as in how?”  She winked.  I giggled punching her lightly in the arm.
“Not like you think it was.  There was a new guy, Jayden.  He played drums, and he was amazingly beautiful.  He invited me to his house, and we were about to kiss when my alarm clock woke me up.  It just seemed so natural, so real to me,” I explained the very abridged version of my dream to her.  “He was seriously the perfect guy.”
“Wow, that sounds,” she paused looking for the words to fit my tone, “amazing.”
“Oh believe me, Nat, it was.”
With a laugh the two of us started walking up the school building dodging all of the passing cars.  The scene looked all too familiar to me, but it was everyday occurrences.  I must have just been overlooking the entire situation.  What does one outfit symbolize?  Nothing.  It was just a dream.
Once inside the crowded hallway of the school, Natalya parted from me and went to her locker to drop off her bag.  I always took mine to class with my few supplies, so I went straight to English.  It was different today though, I was eager to get to English as if to prove he wouldn’t be there and that I wasn’t going insane.
I turned the sharp corner, holding my breath, unsure whether or not I wanted to actually run into him like in my dream.  When I made it through the doorway clearly, I breathed a slight sigh of relief and began to head to my seat glancing around the room casually just to make sure.  Suddenly, my feet stopped in their tracks and I could move no further.  Sitting relaxed in the seat right next to mine, was him.  It was Jayden, or at least the exact mirror image of my dream guy.
Struggling to breathe evenly, I moved to sit down in my seat.  This was too much, it was just a dream.  There was no way this could be the same guy.  Maybe I had just overheard people talking about this guy before and was just thinking about him when I slept. 
I sat down without a word.  There was no rule saying I had to speak to him.  No rule saying I had to speak to him ever.  That was a rule I was willing to follow.
Natalya walked happily into the room, a single red rose in her hand.  I knew that she had caught up with Daniel, her romantic stud of a boyfriend, and I smiled.  She giggled, smelling the rose, and sat down just as Mr. Jameson started his lesson.
About five minutes into the lecture, I felt something land on my desk making a quiet thump.  It was a note.  I opened it sneakily, watching that Mr. Jameson wouldn’t notice.
Oh my gosh, who is that?
It was from Natalya.  She was referring to the guy next to me.  I didn’t even know if his name was Jayden.  This guy was not the same guy, I did not know this guy.
He’s the guy from my dream.  But wow, he’s cute right?
Yes, he is.  You two would look so perfect together!  Have you talked to him yet?
No, not yet.  Honestly, Nat, I don’t know if I can.  Just look at him, he’s so out of my league.  Plus, this is reality, not my dream.  In my dream he talked to me before I even knew what was happening.
Oh my gosh, Brie, just say something to him.  He’s you dream guy, literally, you’ll never know how he feels unless you talk to him.
That’s true.  But what should I say?
I don’t know.  Just talk to him.  Say hello.  He’ll most likely talk back, he’s the new kid.
What if he’s a total jerk?
Then you’ll know.  Just say something to him.
Give me some time, then I’ll talk to him later.  Okay?
Natalya didn’t reply, she just looked at me and nodded.  My mind started to drift off into day dreams about Jayden, but before I could get lost in them, Mr. Jameson’s angry voice ripped me to reality. 
“Mr. Smith,” he addressed sternly looking towards the guy of my dreams, “Do you have a problem with my lesson?”  I noticed that the guy next to me was looking out the window and laughing.
“No one, sir,” he answered.  His voice was just like it was in my dream.  The hint of sarcasm wasn’t easily caught though.
“Not one?  Are you implying that you have more that one, Mr. Smith?” Mr. Jameson snapped.
“Possibly, sir.  Honestly, I’m shocked you caught it.”  The class gasped and Mr. Jameson crossed his arms tightly around his feeble, old body angrily.
“Are you being smart with me?” Mr. Jameson demanded.
“Well, it’s better than being dumb, don’t you think?”  I stifle a laugh as he spoke these words, picturing steam coming out of Mr. Jameson’s ears.  His voice was so hypnotic it held me captive.
“Why don’t you take your ‘smarts’ down to the detention hall, Mr. Smith,” Mr. Jameson spat handing him a pass.
Before I could stop myself, I blurted out, “That’s really not fair Mr. Jameson, he was just having fun.”
“Oh, Ms. Williams, what a surprise.  I take it you want to join him down there?” Mr. Jameson scowled in my direction.
“I didn’t do anything!” I fought.
“I don’t like your tone, and you’re interrupting my class.  Here’s a pass.  Have a nice day.”
I got up grabbing my bag and glancing towards Natalya for last minute advice.  She just winked and turned back so that she wouldn’t get sent to detention as well.
My walk through the hall and down the stairs seemed to take forever.  That could be because I had to stop every ten steps and stop my legs from shaking and falling out beneath me.  I was so nervous, what if this guy was the opposite of the Jayden in my dreams?  What if he hated me?  Why did it matter to me?
After a walk that seemed to take an eternity, I arrived at the detention hall.  He was already there, sitting in the same seat I dreamed him in.  When I walked in the room he didn’t say the slightest word to me.
“Um, hi,” I said trying to make competition.
“Hi,” he snapped shortly.
“I’m Brienna,” I attempted again at getting to talk.
“Jayden,” his name and angelic voice were the same, but his attitude was so much more harsh.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said quietly still standing in the doorway.
“I guess.”  That’s all he said.  Those three words.  This was definitely not the Jayden of my dreams.  The Jayden of my dreams was so much sweeter.
Maybe I was being stupid, but yet again I tried to make conversation.  “So you’re new here right?”  That was a dumb thing to say, and I noticed that instantly.
“Yes, isn’t that quite obvious, seeing as you’ve never seen me here before?” he snapped.
I backed up a bit with a simple, “Sorry.”  Making conversation was a bad idea.  I sad down quickly and took out my notebook and pen.  The back was already covered in doodles, so I opened to the first page and started to write a new set of lyrics.
The hour that I sat there seemed to drag on forever.  Each ‘tick’ and ‘tock’ of the clock on the wall at the front of the room sounded loud enough to wake a hibernating bear.  My heard didn’t help much, it was beating so loud and fast from embarrassment, that I was certain he could here it.  I could feel the stare of his eyes on my back as I sat there trying to focus on my lyrics.  The hate I saw earlier in his eyes was burning through my concentration.
I was shocked when I looked down and saw that I had written nothing but ‘Jayden Smith’ in little hearts all over my paper.  Quickly I slammed my book shut and ran up to the detention monitor sitting at the front of the room.
“May I use the restroom please?” I asked breathlessly.  I had to do anything to get away from Jayden’s gaze.
The monitor nodded and I half sprinted out of the room and down the hall to the restroom.  My hands were shaking so bad I could have sworn any person that walked by would have seen it obviously.  Why was this Jayden so mean?  What did I do?  Was he just bitter about being in detention?  Did I remind him of bad memories?  What?
I splashed cold water on my face and took a couple of deep breaths to relax.  I glanced down at the clock on my black cell phone and noticed that I had been gone for five minutes and had to head back.
This time I walked a little quicker, but still slow, so that I could clear my head.  Why did it matter if he liked me or not?  Before last night I didn’t even know a guy like Jayden Smith existed.  All I had to do was ignore him and move on.
I sat back down in my seat, not bothering to look in his direction because I was scared to make eye contact.  It would be easier if I didn’t try to think about him at all.  With a new train of though, I opened my spiral to a new page and tried again to write my lyrics.
This time I began to succeed, and I had the first verse to a song written when the bell rang.  With a sigh of relief, I got up and rushed out of the room.  My graceful streak disappeared though, and I tripped over my own foot and fell in the doorway.  I could feel the red blush rising in my cheeks and couldn’t believe I had just embarrassed my self in front of t he hottest guy I had ever seen.
Before he could say or do anything, I got up, grabbed my bag, and stormed out of the too-quiet room.  In my walk to my locker to get my supplies for the next class, I tried to clear my thoughts.  I didn’t even notice Natalya trying to get my attention until she tapped my shoulder causing me to jump.
“Are you okay?” Natalya asked with a curious voice when she saw my reaction to her touch.
“Yah, just mad, that’s all.”  I could tell by her look that she was confused, so I went into details.  “That guy in our English class, the cute one, his name is Jayden.  I tried to make small talk, but he was so mean.  He snapped at everything.  This Jayden was nothing like the Jayden in my dream last night.”
“Oh, wow, maybe he’s just having a bad day,” Natalya suggested understandingly.
“I don’t think so, Nat, he seemed awfully sincere in his actions back there.”
“Okay, maybe he just isn’t the guy then,” she responded sounding slightly upset.  “Maybe he has a brother that looks exactly like him, just nicer!”  The happiness returned to her voice and I giggled.
“Maybe,” I agreed just so she would change the subject.
“Come on, we’re going to be late for Algebra.”  Natalya and I became such great friends because we have the same schedule.  Algebra is our second hour.  This was also the class my preppy step sister, Lauren, shared with us.
The bell rang warning us that we had one minute to get to our classrooms.  Natalya and I rushed making it into the room just as the tardy bell rang.  Her and I giggled sharing a high five, a small celebration that we’d made it on time, and we took our seats on the far right side of the room.
I was oblivious to everything, and everyone, around us and when I grabbed my book and turned to face forward, I gasped.  Sitting in front of me was a tall, pale male with amazing near-black eyes and dark hair.  Jayden was in this class as well.  I looked behind me at Natalya and gave her a face that wordlessly said ‘I don’t want him here, yet he’s still the hottest thing on the face of this earth.”  She giggled and shrugged.
“Maybe he’s not as mean as you think.  He could hate Mr. Jameson and that’s why he had such a short attitude,” Natalya whispered.
“I guess, maybe.  But if he’s not, this will be a very long winter sitting behind him,” I told her.
“Try not to think about it,” she suggested.
“That’s true, maybe if I ignored him, he’d disappear.”  There was a false hope in my voice.  I knew he wouldn’t just disappear with a snap of my fingers.
Natalya giggled and Mr. Jones turned to face us.  Mr. Jones is younger than Mr. Jameson, and still strict, but he doesn’t send kids to detention often.  “Is there something you girls would like to share with the class?” he questioned.
Before either of us could answer, Lauren chimed in.  “Yah, sis, anything you want to tell us?”  It was like she knew who we were talking about because her eyes met the back of his head.
I shot her a look that she knew meant ‘I hate you’ and answered, “Not at all, Mr. Jones.”
“Okay, then please face forward and listen,” Mr. Jones accepted.
Without a response I turned to face forward, to face the back of Jayden’s beautiful head.  As the time seemed to pass quicker in this class, I studied the back of Jayden’s head pretending to be listening to Mr. Jones’s lecture.
I fell even more in love with Jayden as I sat behind him for the hour.  He seemed to catch on so easily to the equations that we were focusing on, and I couldn’t seem to grasp any of the concepts.  I turned to face Natalya again during our work time.
“Do you get this at all?” I asked her clearly lost.
Natalya’s eyes got wide, and I got nervous.  “Um… Brie… turn… around,” she said slowly, one word at a time.  Her voice was shaky.
I took a deep breath and slowly turned around to face forward, sure that I was going to meet Jayden’s gaze when I got there.  I breathed a sigh of relief.  Instead of Jayden, Lauren was sitting on my desk an angry look in her eyes.
“I’m warning you now, sister, back off,” she spat.
“Back off of what?” I asked.  I honestly didn’t have the slightest clue what Lauren was talking about.
She flipped her curled blond hair gesturing towards Jayden.  “He’s mine.  You don’t have a chance with him.  He will probably want to date somebody, I don’t know, good looking.”
At those words I stiffened.  “Good looking, and that would be… who?”
“Oh, don’t act like you don’t know.  He was looking at me earlier, Brie, and that would be the obvious gesture.”  Her eyes were devious.
“Whatever, Lauren, if he wants you, then there is obviously something wrong in his head.  I wouldn’t want to date him at all if he’s honestly that messed up,” I clarified.
Lauren just flipped her hair again and stormed off to her small group of blond, cheerleader wanna-be friends.  It was then that I noticed Jayden wasn’t sitting in front of me any more.  Where had he gone?
I began to search the room subtly, and saw him exiting just as the bell rang releasing us for next hour.
Next class was gym for Natalya and I.  Coach Riley was extremely laid back, and he let us have a ‘free-day’ every Monday.
As Natalya and I peppered a volleyball back and forth, other students were playing basketball, badminton, or studying, and Coach Riley observed casually from the West wall by the door.
“What is Lauren even thinking?” Natalya started bringing up Lauren’s ‘warning’.
With a giggle, I said, “She wasn’t, she doesn’t know how.  That girl has her head so far up her ass, she can’t even see where she’s going.”
Natalya laughed, and I continued.  “Seriously, Nat, she thinks that every guy at this school loves her.”
“She’s probably right, Brie, plenty do like her,” Natalya admitted.
“What?” I asked shocked, dropping the ball and ruining our perfect streak.
“Most guys have a one track mind and she’s cheaper than hookers.”
“Oh,” I giggled.  “I still don’t see why Jayden was looking at her in algebra.  I didn’t even notice him doing it.”
“Brie, he never looked at her,” she clarified smiling.  “Occasionally, though, he looked over that direction, but not at Lauren.  He looked in the mirror, I met his gaze for a minute.  Jayden wasn’t looking at Lauren, he was looking at you!” she explained excited.
“He was looking at me?” I asked confused.
We were silent for the rest of the hour.  As soon as the release bell for lunch rang, Natalya and I changed back into out school clothes, checked our hair and make-up, and made our way to the cafeteria. 
Natalya and I entered the noisy lunch room, and with out food, sat at the normal table with Daniel and our other friends, Alex, John, Hannah, Madison, Misty, and Ethan.
As soon as we were in our seats, my eyes began to scan the cafeteria, and I froze noticing that black haired beauty sitting with none other, than Lauren.