Wildest Dreams

t h i r t ee n

The rest of the day went by normally. I kept myself awake and lie to six more people to how I got a bandage on my face.

When school ended, I waited for Grandpa in the waiting shed in case he'll drive me home. But after half an hour, walking home seemed to be a better option.

Walking by myself gave me time to think, to sort out my thoughts, or even shut them out for awhile. But what's the use to shut them if they're the memories I wanted back. I instead reminisced about what happened today and last night, and the coincidences that lie in between the lines.

Everything was odd; like dejá vu except I was pretty sure I'd never encountered this before.

"Dreams can't be real, can they?" I sighed to myself. Maybe it was best to silence my mind for a while.

I slowed down my steps when the crossing light turned red, the huge hand smacking me in the face. With another sigh, I leaned on the pole and waited for the minutes to clock down.

A couple of other students from my school came beside me, some of them I knew in my classes.

"Hello Maple Syrup," Samuel greeted with a snarky grin. "Heard you got a seizure in math class?"

A seizure? Seriously? What's next—I raise the dinosaurs from the dead?

Rumors are the worst thing in this planet, a good challenger against murderous nightmares.

"Sammy," I glanced at the boy, unbothered, "it will do us good next time if you verify your sources first."

"Oh really? 'Cause I heard that's the same thing that happened to Thompson."

"Yeah, I was in her class and we were reading Hamlet, and then—" Connie chewed on her gum like a freaking alpaca, and I fought the urge to take it out of her mouth myself and throw the nasty thing to the sun "—and then she started screaming like crazy. Ms. Hayes tried to stop her, she stopped screaming, and then ran out of the room. Totally nuts!"

"That is so weird," Samuel commented. "Dude, I knew she's a weirdo ever since she dated that loser Glen."

"Hey!" I scolded him. "Watch your mouth, asshole."

Samuel turned around to face me again. He was taller, almost the same height as Rod but with a bigger build.

"Or what, syrup? You gonna have a seizure again." He then joked on having one, which his friends found funny. I narrowed my eyes at him, clenching my jaw.

"This ain't the circus. If you want to act like a monkey and go nuts, come back in the summer," I told him and glanced at the others behind him. "And bring your friends, I heard they hire jokes too."

"What did you fucking call us, bitch?" Erica walked towards me but Samuel placed a hand in front of her, preventing a war I so much expected. He took a deep breath and stepped closer to me that I could smell his cheap musky cologne.

"You know something, syrup? You act like you're all above everyone, you pretend that you're brave and you want to start a fight. Man, I could squish you right now if I want to. But you're a fake, you're crazy just like that dead girl and the rest of them."

"You shit!" I threw in a punch on his jaw and the war started, but it didn't last long. His friends pulled me away from him, pushing me away and almost into the busy road. "You talk about my friends like that, you're gonna wish you never said anything, you son of a bitch! You're fucking rotten."

The red light finally became green. I fixed the bag straps on my shoulder before leaving them on the sidewalk.

"And you're fucking bleeding, you fruitcake!"

I heard Samuel shout when I was in the middle of the pedestrian. When I passed by a store, I saw in the reflection that blood had seeped through the cotton. Grumbling, I hurried on my way home.

#  #  #

I accidentally slammed the front door when I arrived, which startled my grandmother in the living room.

"Can you please be careful with the door, Maple? Do you know how much it costs for the repair?" She called.

"Sorry," I said, rolling my eyes. There were letters on the floor so I picked them up. I was about to place it on a stand when something caught my eye.

The name of my bank account on an envelope.

"What," I muttered under my breath. I always knew it was strange to let them move my bank money from summer three years ago.

I stole the envelope then went upstairs. I read its contents after cleaning the wound and changing clothes. I sunk in my bed as more anger boiled inside me that I could feel blood wetting the new bandage I just placed. With one last reread, I stomped out of the room and downstairs.

"I'm heading out!" I called as I grabbed my jacket on the rack.

"Where?" Grandma asked from the kitchen.

"Out!"

When I was a couple houses away, I tore the envelope and papers into pieces then threw them into the sewers. I sat on the sidewalk, trying to calm myself down. I want to be anywhere else but home. Taking a deep breath, I let my feet take me anywhere.

The sun was almost setting on the horizon when I reached the junction between my street and Elm Street. I turned to the right, crossing the road nonchalantly with my hands tucked in my jacket pockets.

"Maple!"

I swiftly turned around on my feet when someone shouted my name. No one was around me, and Elm Street was quieter than usual. Only a few steps, I heard another—

"Maple!"

I stopped on my tracks again and surveyed the area. There was no breeze, no noise, no people. The leaves of the trees were motionless like the stones on the empty quiet road. The clouds above seemed to be steady as well. I continued to walk with my rushing steps the only thing I hear now.

"Maple."

My instincts kicked in and I punched the space beside me. Small bush leaves fell to the ground at the impact of my fist. I stepped out of the sidewalk to look at the poor bush and other neighboring plants. My hand touched the ear the voice whispered at. Cold shivers ran down my spine and sent a tremble to my hands. My breath came out shaky.

With only fear running through my mind, I ran away as quick as I could with the thought of not wanting to be murdered in broad daylight.