Dreambreaker

Lost in Daydreams

Jayde sat at her desk, her notebook open to a half-filled page of history notes that might as well have been in another language for how much attention she was paying to them. The clock on the wall ticked in slow motion, dragging the last fifteen minutes of class into what felt like an eternity. Her thoughts weren't anywhere near the words on the board or the dull drone of Mr. Freeman's lecture. No, her mind was wandering to Wes.

She couldn't stop thinking about him—his tousled brown hair that never seemed to obey the rules, his easy smile that always looked like he was on the verge of some inside joke, the way his eyes lit up when he got excited about a new idea. The guy was practically a walking daydream, and Jayde had been getting lost in thoughts of him more than she'd like to admit lately.

She imagined them together in the library after school, surrounded by shelves filled with dusty old books no one read anymore. But instead of studying, they'd be working on something far more interesting—maybe creating a mural on the library walls, splattering paint in vibrant colors across the brick like a chaotic, beautiful masterpiece. Wes would laugh that carefree laugh of his and encourage her to go bigger, bolder, until the gray walls were alive with their shared creation. She could almost hear his voice. "You're overthinking it again, Jayde. Just go with it." And then he'd pick up the brush, his hand guiding hers, close enough that she could feel the warmth of his breath against her cheek...

"Jayde?"

Her name snapped her back to reality with a start, her heart pounding in her chest. She blinked and turned to see Kyle, her best friend since forever, leaning toward her from the desk beside hers, his brow furrowed in concern. He'd been whispering, though from the way the girl sitting in front of her was turning to look, maybe not whispering quietly enough.

"Are you even here right now?" Kyle asked, giving her one of those soft smiles he always wore when he was trying to pretend something wasn't bothering him. "You looked a million miles away."

Jayde tried to play it cool, casually flipping her notebook shut. "What? No, I'm totally here. Super focused." She gave him a quick grin, but it faltered when she saw the way he was still looking at her, like he could see straight through the paper-thin façade she was putting up.

Kyle leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed. "Right. Because 'totally focused' looks exactly like someone staring off into space like they're about to float away."

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, maybe I was slightly distracted."

"By...?" He let the question hang in the air, his voice trailing off in that probing way of his.

Jayde hesitated, glancing at the clock again. Just ten more minutes of this awkward interrogation...

"Nothing," she said quickly, trying to shove down the heat rising in her cheeks. She shoved her notebook into her backpack, making a big show of getting her stuff together. "It's no big deal."

Kyle's eyes narrowed, the way they did when he knew she wasn't being straight with him. He wasn't stupid. In fact, Kyle was maybe the most perceptive person she knew, which wasn't always a great thing for her. Especially when she was trying to keep her ridiculous crush on Wes way under wraps.