Dream Boy

Chapter Nine

"Okay, explain it to me again!" Taylor is trying her best to whisper; it's 4:30 in the morning and my parents are sleeping.
"Okay, okay! So everyone was counting down, and with each number he pulled me a little closer, and then when he whispered 'one,' his lips were nearly touching mine, and then--"
"You kissed! EEEEEE!"
"Do you really need me to explain it? Seems like you've got the story down--"
"Oh, come on! The details, the details! Were his lips soft? Did he have bad breath? Did you feel fireworks explode in your stomach?"
"Okay, one at a time, one at a time!"
"Sarah Jane Lucas--"
"Yes, his lips were soft. No, his breath didn't smell bad, and I don't really know if I felt fireworks. You know this was my first kiss, so I felt something, but it wasn't 'halleujah, I can hear them church bells.'"
"Ahhh, how romantic. Your first kiss ever, on New Years!" Taylor flops onto her back, sighing, and I follow suit.
"And he wore a tie that matched my dress."
"And, let's not forget, he kissed you!"
"Shhh! Why are you so loud!" But my shushing comes too late.

"Somebody kissed my sister and I missed it?"
"Taylor, look what you've done!"
Aaron waltzes into my room, wearing his Christmas pajama bottoms and an old band tee.
"What? You didn't think you could hide this from me, did you?" I shake my head and sigh again, but out of annoyance this time. "So, who's the lucky brute?"
"Okay, he's not a 'brute,' and you wouldn't know him anyway."
"Christian Green!"
"Thanks Taylor!"
"What? He was gonna get it out of you eventually."
"That's that kid you wrote about in your diary in like seventh grade, right?"
"YOU READ MY DIARY?"
"SHHHH!"
"You read my diary?" I whisper shout, repeating my anger filled inquiry.
"Yeah...about that...."
"Aaron? How did you even find my diary? I had it--"
"Hidden under the floorboard in your closet, I know. I was looking in your closet for your secret candy stash and I found it."
"That's why my candy was missing! Oh, you suck!"
"What? I like chocolate." I shake my head once more. "So, he kissed you, huh? This Christian kid?"
"Yes, Aaron. He did. Do you have a problem with that?"
"Well, I don't know yet. I need to have a talk with this kid. Give me your phone."
"Um, no."
"Um, give me your phone."
"Um, no--"
"Um, guys? Shut up. You guys are the most annoying fighters ever." I look towards Taylor, taking my eyes off of Aaron for a split second, and he manages to grab my phone.
"No, no!" I reach out, trying to get it back, but he is already looking through my contacts. I hear the dialing tone, and cover my face with my hands. Oh no.

"He's not answering!" I sigh once more, of relief.
"Of course he's not, it's four thirty in the morning! He's either sleeping or cleaning up--"
"Hello?" NO! "Hi! No, this is not Sarah. This is her brother Aaron. Uh-huh. Yeah. So I heard that you kissed my sister at midnight, huh? Yeah. Of course she's talking about it! It was her first kiss. Uh-huh. You didn't know that? Oh, well aren't you special. You can talk to her in a minute. Uh-huh. But first, let me tell you something--if you break her heart, I swear--"
"Aaron! Give. Me. My. Phone." I tear it away from his ear, and run into my bathroom, locking the door behind me.
"Christian? I am so sorry--"
"It's okay, Sarah. I totally understand. I'm the same way with my little sister." Awwwww.
"Well, I'm still sorry. He didn't wake you up, did he?" I close my eyes, hoping that my brother didn't deprive him from sleep.
"No, no. I was still cleaning up from the party. Evan 'accidentally' dropped a plate of cupcakes. I don't know what's with him lately."
"Yeah, weird." Yeah, weird...
"Well, anyway, thanks for coming tonight. And I had no idea it was your first kiss, I'm sorry I--"
"No, no--it was perfect. It was perfect."

"Bye Taylor! See you at school tomorrow!" I hug her one last time, and she is off, finally heading home to prepare for the return to school. 
"Bye! Tell your parents thank you!" She calls behind her as she slides into her mom's car.
I trudge upstairs to my bedroom, at a loss for what to do next. It feels so strange, Taylor leaving, because she has begun to truly feel like my sister. I look around my room, and see how messy it is. I don't have anything better to do, so I decide to clean up and then pack my bag for school. Plugging my phone into my speakers, I choose a song and begin to dance around my room.

"Shirts go in the top drawer! Pants go in the bottom!" I start singing my own version of the clean up song to a random guitar solo that started playing. I am about to serenade the world with my second verse, when I hear knocking on my door. I quickly scrambled to my phone and turn the music off before telling the knocker to come in.

"Hey." There he is, leaning against my doorframe, smiling at me like I am the prettiest thing in the world.
"Christian? What are you doing here?" My face must look pretty strange: I'm presenting a confused, surprised, happy, and curious expression all at once.
"What kind of greeting is that?" I smile at the ground.
"Well? What are you doing here?"
"How about you properly greet me first."
"How about you answer my question."
"How about I kiss you?"
"What?" Before I can comprehend the situation, his lips are on mine, and then off again.
"Now that is a proper greeting." I look at the floor once more, this time to cover my blush.
"What are you doing here?" I ask him once again, this time timidly.
"Fine, I'll answer your question." He roll his eyes and I slap his arm. "Ouch! Alright, alright! I came over to talk to your brother. I want him to know that I won't break your heart."
"Oh." Suddenly the confidence that I had felt when I slapped his arm slips away, and I shyly look into his eyes. "You really mean that?"
"Of course." I offer a small smile, and he pulls me into a hug. I am reminded of the hugs I used to experience in my dreams, but I quickly shake those thoughts away. This is real Sarah. This is real.

"See you tomorrow, Sarah." After what seems like ten years, Aaron and Chris stop talking. Apparently they are best friends now.
"See you tomorrow, Chris." He waves, and I watch him walk towards his car.
"He's a keeper, Sarah. He's a keeper." Oh, I really hope so Aaron. I really hope so.