Dreamer

Lena McGuire

"I still can't believe he was in your dream." Caroline gushes. "This is so weird!"

"I know, and you can't tell anybody," I say, holding her by her shoulders and looking into her eyes.

"Are you doing some creepy mind trick theing here on me?" she asks, looking innocently up at me with those big puppy dog eyes that kill me. Caroline has different faces for everything.

"Hello? Lena?"

"What, Caroline?"

"You went off into your little world again. Are you okay?" she looks worried.

"What do you mean? I'm just sitting here lisening to you!"

Caroline gives me a wary, sidelong glance before turning back to her lunch.

We were sitting at our usual table with our usual group of friends.

"OMG! Have you guys seen the new kid? He's so hot," said my friend Mona a.k.a Mo.

"Well back off because he's Lena's!" standing, Caroline announced to the table, a big grin on her face.

I swatted her arm. "Caroline sit down. He is not."

"Really! You dig the new boy?" asked Mo. "Ugh. That means I can't have him."

"He's not, Mo. Have at it," I sighed.

At that moment he chose to walk by in his white t-shirt, jeans, converse, and worst of all, a leather jacket. He already dressed like them. The Boy was walking with the crowd of jocks. They were the most popular boys in school and all the girls treated them like the most amazing male specimens in the world. They ranged from twelfth graders to the occasional tenth grader, even a few ninth graders and they were all on either the baseball team or the football team. A couple were on the soccer team as well.

They had a crowd of slutty cheerleaders following them around, either pressed up against one, or fanning themselves vigorously.

Two of the boys walking next to the Boy were looking at Caroline, and one of them points at us, drawing the Boy's attention to us. I quickly look down at the book I'm reading and let my hair fall to shield my face. I can feel myself blushing and I don't want anyone to see.

I feel my stomach drop and my hands become clammy when Robert and Eric, the people walking with the Boy, start bringing him over.

"Hey Caroline, and company," smirks Robert, who leaps onto the table and narrowly misses my camera which I snatched away and replaced around my neck.

"Hey, Joey, this is Caroline, Caroline, Joey," Eric does the introductions. "That's Mona, Kara, Riley, Lizzy, Belle, and... and...."

"Lena. " I mumble. I raise my head and glare at him. My eyes throwing daggers at him and probably boring through his thick skull. If that's even possible.

"Right! Joey, this is Lena. I've known all of these kiddos since we were just babies," Eric smiles and pats my shoulder as if he wasn't even repulsed a little bit by touching me. I knew he was.

Ever since my foster brother kissed me on the cheek at school. We would hold hands and stuff and people took that as us having an affair. We weren't.

He was bisexual and didn't want anyone to know. We had just been friends. But when the rumors reached my mother he was instantly transferred to a new home. It was terrible. Now everyone think I'm a whore. My mother eventually forgave me and believed me, but she never fostered a boy again.

My mom enjoyed fostering kids because she wanted to give them a chance and help them get on the right path. I almost wish she wouldn't anymore. My life was ruined now because of it.

"Hi," I was jolted from my thoughts when the boy, Joey, sat next to me, our shoulders brushing. "Are you okay? You left Math pretty quickly, not feeling well?"

He actually looked concerned. I didn't think that was possible. He was a jock after all.

"I'm fine," I grumbled, turning the page in my book. I really didn't want to talk to him.

"Whatcha readin'?" he asked, peering at the cover of the novel that was in my lap. "Hmm, Dracula, you like Bram Stoker?"

"Just older horror stuff. I like how cheesy it is," I laughed a little, a smile warming my face. Mistake one.

"Me too. I read Frankenstein and loved it. I still have yet to finish Dracula," I had to look up to make sure he wasn't mocking me. Mistake two.

His ocean green eyes were completely mesmerizing. They searched my face with such an intensity I never knew possible of a jock. He looked straight into my eyes. He actually looked at me not the rumor me, not the me that everyone though I was.

Joey reached out tentatively and tucked a strand of hair carefully behind my ear. He was examining my face with such an intensity, I didn't know what to do.

"Have we... ever met? Before this?" he asks, his brow furrowing in concentration, trying to remember.

"No," I wanted to say yes so bad. He had such a sincere look in his eyes, I felt like I could tell him anything.

"Hey, Joey, earth to Joey, wanna go play football?" asks Robert, looking back and forth between Joey and I. Joey reluctantly tears his eyes away and stands.

"It was nice to meet you, Lena, I hope to chat again soon," he smiles and winks at me then they run off tackling each other and jumping around.

He had winked at me, which made my heart all fluttery and lungs gasping for air. What is this boy doing to me?

I went back to reading my book when I noticed he had written a phone number on the inside cover of the book. Hopefully it was his and not some cruel joke.

~~~

When I got home I plopped down on my bed, phone in one hand, book laying open in my lap. Should I? I thought.

Finally I turned on my phone, and typed in the number. It started ringing.