say yes. (dwayne hoover)

chapter eight

warnings: mentions of sex and porn (nothing explicit, just average teenage talk)

When he went to sleep after the fair, Dwayne had a dream. The most vivid, amazing dream of his life.

He was sitting on a beach somewhere, looking out onto the setting sun that crashed against the waves. There was a pier in front of him, like the one he had stood on with Frank in Redondo. At the end of the pier, there was a figure sitting on the top rail, their legs dangling over the hide tide sea.

Dwayne willed himself to move toward them, but he was stuck in that dream state of stillness.

For a time, he just watched them and listened to the waves crash.

A moment later, from their spot on the railing, the figure jumped into the wild water.

With that, Dwayne shot to his feet and ran to the shore.

"Hey! Hey! Are you okay?" he was yelling, but his voice was hoarse. Like it was when he first broke his vow.

Then, from behind him, a voice called, "I'm fine. Nothing to worry about."

He whipped around and was met with an angel.

A girl was standing in the sand, wearing a drenched white dress. Her hair was long and dark and it flowed wildly in the salty wind. She was smiling and her entire face was glowing brighter than the sun.

"How did you get over here?"

"I swam."

"But...you were-"

"Come with me!" The girl grabbed his hand and dragged him back up to the pier. "Sit with me. You can see heaven from here."

He pulled himself up the wooden plank and sat on the rail. She joined him. When he looked over, she was completely dry.

"Who are you?"

"You know who I am," she laughed.

Dwayne tried to recognize her but his mind was blank. He was mad at himself for not knowing her name. She looked like a girl he wanted to know.

"What were you doing up here?" His voice still felt distorted.

"I told you. I'm watching heaven."

"Why'd you jump in the water?"

"When the waves get high enough, and you jump at the right moment, you can see the entire world for a moment."

"Really?"

She nodded and swayed to the side a bit.

"Give me your hand." She intertwined their fingers and placed them on her leg. "I'll tell you when to jump?"

"Won't we get hurt?"

She laughed. "I won't let that happen."

They sat and watched the sun. Dwayne tried to find the heaven she was talking about but all he saw was her reflection.

After a moment, she looked down and began counting. "1...2...3...Jump!"

She jumped and pulled him into the water after her.

When they hit the water, they were sucked deep into the currents. Dwayne held onto her hand as tight as he could. He opened his eyes under the salty water, expecting it to burn, but everything was clear. The girl was smiling brightly and bubbles were coming from her mouth. Her dress was floating in the water and her hair was standing up.

Dwayne understood what she meant. He could see the whole world right then.

He smiled back and the girl swam closer to him.