Lemon Street

"Crap."

I woke up with a jolt. That dream was too real. Too, too real. Ever since I found out we were moving I've been having that dream. I thought it would stop after we got into the new house, but it hasn't. My back hurt too much to think about unpacking boxes, but I knew I had to. A strange feeling went through my spine as I tried to move. I realized Corey's hands were still on my back. I slipped out of his arms and went to a box full of my dolls. There was a shelf hanging on the wall on the opposite side of the room. It was mostly clean, which was good enough for me. I took out my knife and cut the tape that was holding the box shut. Sitting on top was my Diana doll; dressed in a beautiful floral top which was complimented by a silky, blue skirt. I placed her in the center of the shelf with plenty of room on each side. The next item in my box was a Micheal Jackson doll to go with Diana. He had a stand to hold him up, so I placed him to the right of Diana. Underneath some paper was another Micheal doll, possibly my favorite one. It was the one with the red Thriller jacket. I heard my mattress moving behind me, "Hey, Kali. How'd you sleep?"

I felt my face getting hot, but I ignored it, "I, uh, slept alright. How'd you sleep?"

"Better after you fell asleep. You were tossing and turning all night." His face turned into a wide smile, "driving me crazy."

"Don't think that you're getting any, Corey Melnitz. I'm not that easy."

He laid on his side, "I didn't want to get any. I'm not that sleazy. Come back to bed, please?"

I jumped onto the bed next to him and buried my face into the pillow. He laughed and put his arm over my back, "Kali? I know we just met but do you maybe, wanna, um- do you wanna cuddle for a little while?"

I put my head on his chest and wrapped my arm around his waist, "I'm always down for cuddling."

Just then I heard a cough from my doorway. I looked up to see my dad standing in the doorway with his arms crossed. Jamie appeared right behind him, smiling like an absolute moron. We got up quickly and I went back to unpacking my boxes. My dad approached Corey, who was now leaning against my dresser with his head down. He stared at him in painful silence for what seemed like years. I wanted to say something, but knew it was against my better judgment. Jamie's eyes were wide with shock. We were both surprised that he hadn't chased him out yet.

After a long period of silence, my dad finally spoke, "Young man, did you sleep with my daughter?"

Corey's voice was quiet, "We shared a bed, sir. That was all. Nothing else happened."

"Alright." He paused, "would you like some coffee?"

Jamie practically fainted as she dragged me out of the room and into the bathroom across the hall, "ok, what the hell just happened? I totally thought dad was gonna kill Corey!"

"I-I don't know." I leaned against the sink, "Jamie, I swear I didn't sleep with him! You know me, and you know I don't do that kind of stuff!"

"I know it, and dad knows it too. He's not doing anything to Corey, so you'll both be fine. Just don't pull any more stunts like that and you'll be fine. Do you want to help me unpack my room?" 

I opened the door and motioned for her to leave first. We went to her room, which only had a mattress in the corner, and furniture and boxes scattered around the room. I pushed some of the boxes into her closet to create more space. The dresser went back against the wall next to the first box. It was filled with her clothes, so I pushed it to her. She had a specific way of organizing clothes between her closet and her dresser. In the bottom of that box was her American flag. I went down to the kitchen and grabbed the hammer and nails sitting on the counter. Corey and my dad were sitting at the kitchen table, talking. That couldn't be good.