Chasing the Reddened Dream

Chapter 4

Dylan sat down and waited for Nick. This classroom was a lot smaller and it only fit about twenty people. Nick walked in with a huge smile on his face. Dylan already knew but he figured that he would ask anyway.

"How did it go, man?" Dylan asked as Nick sat down.

"It went amazing. I got her number and she's trying to go out Friday."

"That's great. How long do you think this one will last?" Dylan asked with a slight laugh.

He turned to Dylan with a sudden serious look. "That's the thing actually. I could see this going further than a one time thing. She's more than a pretty face. She's smart, caring, funny and thoughtful."

"You got all that from only talking to her once?" asked Dylan incredulously.

Nick groaned. "You're forgetting how perceptive I am."

"That's a lie and you know it." Dylan laughed.

"Whatever. I still got the girl. Which reminds me..." Nick started.

"I already know what you're gonna say." Dylan interrupted. "That I need to man up and talk to some girls."

"Damn right. There are so many girls here. You have to go for someone you like. Start out small and then work your way up."

"I will when I find somebody I like."

That's when she walked in. A girl with beautiful green eyes, perfect straight, long red hair, average height and just a touch of makeup. Although she wasn't a real head turner, she was just cute enough to be seen as ute. There was something about her that insanely attracted, but he didn't know what it was. It could have been her aura of carelessness or her timid appearance. Either way, he was instantly infatuated. He knew that he needed to talk to her and he would try to put his shyness away to do it. It was with luck that she only sat two seats away from him.

"Nick." Dylan whispered. "Have you seen that girl?"

"The redhead? She's nothing special." he replied.

Dylan looked at Nick. "Are you kidding? She's beautiful. I think I might actually have a chance with her."

"Ok, so go talk to her."

Dylan started to get nervous at the suggestion. "I will... just when the time is right."

"You are always saying that. There's no such thing as the right time. You have to make it happen. We make the moments. It won't just present itself to you. If you want it, do it!"

Dylan thought about it for a bit. He had to admit that Nick was right. He didn't believe in destiny and knew he had to seize the moments. He couldn't live in a world of regrets and what-ifs.

The teacher walked in and she was certainly not what Dylan expected. She was young, blonde and drop dead gorgeous. She must have been almost straight out of school because she wasn't much older than Dylan. She had an air of confidence and he knew that she could easily control any classroom. She smiled at the class and Dylan could feel his heart flutter.

"Good morning, everyone." she said with the softest voice that he had ever heard. "I'm glad that you have chosen my class. I'm Professor Stone, but you can call me Julia. I really graduated from this school and I doubt that I'm much older than any of you. This is my first semester teaching, so I ask you all to be patient with me. I may make many mistakes and I don't want any of you to be afraid to correct me. I am only human after all."

The rest of the class went the same as the first, but Julia seemed a lot smarter than his first professor. She wasn't just book smart, she was street smart too. She wasn't just someone who memorized the book. She studied and understood the complexities behind it. She challenged the class and made them rethink their beliefs. Dylan knew that he was really going to enjoy her class.

"Now that was an actual class." Dylan said to Nick.

"Whatever." said Nick. "You're just saying that because you paid closer attention to her. I don't blame you. I couldn't take my eyes off of her."

"Nah, man. I'm saying it because she actually knew what she was talking about instead of just spitting stuff she learned from the book."

"That's your opinion. I think she's just as pretentious. She just hides it better."

They were talking when the redhead girl walked by.

"There's your chance, Dylan. Go talk to her." Nick said.

Dylan blushed. "I wouldn't even know what to say."

"Just say something about the class and go from there."

Dylan was torn. He knew that he should just talk to her and that something could come from that, but at the same time, his painful shyness was holding him back.

"I will do it another time, Nick. When the timing is better."

Nick scoffed. "You could have done it now. It's not as hard as you make it seem. You won't know if she is interested unless you try. If she's not, at least you can say you tried and it will make it easier for you next time you try to talk to someone."

Dylan thought about it, but just couldn't bring himself to do it.

"I will. Just next time." he said.

Nick just rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say."

...

"Dude, look at these photos that she's already sending me."

Dylan took his eyes off the road just for a second to see. It was Stephanie topless with just her arm covering her breasts. Dylan knew it was just a sneak preview for what Nick was in for.

"Don't you think you want to take it slow with his girl? I mean, you like her all and all you could see yourself in a relationship with her. What if you mess things up?"

Nick at him and shook his head. "The way I look at it is if the sex is good, then the relationship will be. They say that more than fifty percent of relationships end because the sex sucks."

Dylan laughed. "You just made that up, didn't you?"

"You caught me, but it doesn't matter. Don't get me wrong. Sex isn't the only thing that matters, but it's important. But I don't think I have to worry about that with her. She's got mad experience. It's good to keep a good sex life going, man."

Although Dylan wasn't a virgin, he didn't have sex a lot. It took him a long time for his ex and him to do it. He wanted to make it special and wanted to make sure that he loved her. He didn't want to give his virginity to any random person. He looked at sex as a connection between two people that love each other. It was the ultimate sign of trust and people couldn't get more connected than sex. Literally. The sex was amazing with his ex and she was often accommodating although she liked to take charge most of the time.

"Let's talk about you. You're the one who needs to get some." said Nick. "You can't just pussy out when it comes to talking to girls. If you get nervous, just treat her as a friend instead of someone you like. It works for me all the time. If she acts interested, then you start flirting."

'Nick certainly did know what he was about. I should take his advice more often.' Dylan thought.

"I know it's easy and I should think of it in terms of 'Life is short' but every time I try, I freeze up." Dylan said.

"Because you think too much. Just relax yourself and make small talk."

Dylan was silent and kept his eyes on the road for the rest of the trip home. As he traveled through the empty land that stretched for miles on the road he was taking, he couldn't help but feel if his future was going the same way.