Lonely in Your Nightmare

A Novella

Bopping and wiggling in the driver's seat, Rhea's hands intermittently tapped the wheel as she sang along to the song on the radio. Chocolate tresses, thick and wavy, were gathered in a cascade over one shoulder, carefully coiffed to appear messy and casual; the subtle highlights catching fire in the dim glow of the dashboard lights and occasional passing overhead of a street light. Her makeup, flawless and perfectly selected showed signs of the evening's wear and her copper-colored eyes were slightly glazed as she drove, staring ahead into the night. Even in her somewhat altered state, Rhea was everyone's idea of pretty, coupled with a personality that made her popular too.

Riding shotgun, in her second hand subcompact, I watched her anxiously. I was trying to catch her effervescent enthusiasm but I couldn't manage it but. Of course, I hadn't had as much to drink as she had. I knew what time it was and what I would surely face when I got home. Half an hour past curfew, I knew I was already in deep crap but Rhea wasn't the best driver when she hadn't been drinking and tonight she'd had more than her share so I wasn't about to hurry her even though she was singing off key. It wouldn't do any good any way. Rhea always did just what she wanted to; lucky for me she wanted to be my best friend. Maybe it was because I always did what she wanted too.

With a frown, she glared at the radio as the song changed. "Oh, man, I hate that song." Starting to fumble with the preset buttons, she took her eyes off the road and the car veered.

"Rhea!"

Giggling, she brought the car back into its own lane and looked at me triumphantly before punching the button. "It's all good, Jamie. Be cool."

My phone's text tone went off and I jumped. For just a minute, I felt paralyzed with dread. Sure it was my mother demanding to know where I was and why I was late; I didn't want to check it.

"Hmmm, wonder who that could be?" Rhea teased. She cast a wicked grin in my direction, but when she saw my expression, she sobered. "Dude, it's not your parents, is it?"

With a shrug, I tried to shake off the foreboding and pretend not to care but I felt the weight of her scrutiny. When the car drifted, I chose the lesser of two evils and opened my phone. "Watch the road, Rhea." It came out harsher than I intended. I felt the weight lift as I read, heat filling my cheeks. Shaking my head with involuntary relief, I couldn't suppress a grin. "It's Zach."

"Go figure." Rhea sighed. "You're so lucky. He's so hot."

Didn't I know it? Some part of me still wondered how I'd scored a guy like Zach Masters. One of the most popular boys in school, I would have thought he'd be interested in a girl more on his level; a girl like say, Rhea. Just now I chose to lose myself in the conversation.

"So, how bad is it?"

"IDK." I texted back. "We haven't made it home yet."

"Seriously? What's up?"

"You know how Rhea is when she's drunk."

"Dude, be careful. Let's hang out this weekend. If you're not grounded."

"Ok." With a heavy sigh, I came back to the moment. Sometimes I couldn't help but envy Rhea and most of the other kids I knew. No one else had a curfew; it wasn't fair. Busting it -- again, wouldn't be good. I was trying to come up with a plausible story but wasn't having much luck. Then there was the fact that I'd been at a party and probably reeked; compounded by the vaguest guilt over making out with Zach.

Absently, I fingered the ring on my left hand and the heaviness went deeper. My church taught plainly the importance of purity and along with the rest of the youth group I'd taken the purity pledge two years ago. Even making out was pushing it, or so they said. I told myself I wasn't sure. So we'd kissed a little --- okay a lot --- we hadn't done anything else. I had put him off going any further when he'd tried at first and he said he was okay with it. Had we really done anything so wrong? I reasoned that we hadn't but it didn't stop the feeling.