Dream Chaser (Preview)

Chapter 6

The morning finally came, and the alarm clock beside my bed started blaring out. My hand raced through the shadows to shut it off while the room fell back into silence. Laying there, I let out an exasperated sigh and stared up at the ark ceiling. Not long after, my mom knocked on the door to my room, and I threw myself out of bed and then opened it just a crack. Only my heart dropped when I saw her standing on the other side, holding the yellow dress in her hands.

"Come on, you have to get ready." She reminded me, causing my heart to sink.

"I don't know about this anymore, Mom," I admitted.

"Well, what happened to that positive attitude of yours? I bet Sunny Williams never gave up on his roles." She mentioned and it was unfair of her to use my childhood hero against me.

"Mom. Please." I begged as she continued attempting to persuade me.

"Son, what's the worst that's going to happen?" She asked.

Her words caused a barrage of well-kept secrets and realistic scenarios to play out in my mind. It was always her go-to question, and she was usually right, but today was different. Normally, it helped me to keep from doubting myself when it came to school, but I kept that side of my life a secret from her. The last thing that I wanted was for her to worry about me. Today, though, I was getting close to finally cracking and spilling the beans. Whatever was about to happen might have been what pushed me over my limit. I was at a loss for what to do when it came to a response. Both options continued to be weighed in a matter of nanoseconds. At the same time, I could feel the burn mark that made up the blister on my hand. It was starting to throb, but I didn't want to let my mother down since she genuinely looked excited about the whole ordeal.

"Fine, you're right, Mom," I answered.

The words were struggling to leave my mouth as I gave her the satisfaction she seemed to be looking for, and I was ready to take the first steps to start my day. Leaving my room, I followed my mother up the stairs to the kitchen, where she had her makeup and a chair already pulled out. It was as if she expected to only get a yes answer out of me from the beginning based on what I was seeing in front of me. Taking what I figured was my seat, my mother started to work, dolling me up. It didn't take long until I started to look like a gorgeous southern belle ripped out of history. It got to the point that anyone who didn't know me would actually believe that I was a girl in the dress. My mother then put the finishing touches on my face before stepping back to observe her creation. Looking at me with a smile, she seemed proud of the way she made me look. I couldn't help but weakly smile back to appease her. From here, I knew that there was only one thing left to complete the outfit. The yellow dress that I despised the very sight of. Picking it up, I shimmied my way into it while realizing how real this was becoming. With each second, my heart was only picking up speed.

"Well, don't you just look adorable." She cooed.

My mother's words caught me off guard as I changed. My body jumped at the interruption to the silence, and I spun around, causing the dress to flow around me. I tried to put a brave smile on for her, but I figured she could see the doubt behind the makeup on my face.

"Thanks, I guess," I replied as she placed her hand on my shoulder.

"C'mon, you'll do great today." She said in her motherly tone.

"Yeah, I hope so," I said, trying my best to believe her.

She knew that I was stubborn, and trying to pressure me into talking more would undoubtedly be a challenge. At the same time, my mother was already walking on thin ice when speaking to me. My voice was cracking as if I was resisting the urge to cry. Yet my back was up to endure anything that came my way. I would never admit how I felt since I wasn't the type to ever let anyone down or break a promise. In the couple minutes that followed, my mom decided it was best for her to leave since she still had to get to work. She was praying for me, hoping that I would be okay. She grabbed her stuff and headed out the door before looking back one last time. As she did this, I managed to leave the bathroom and started walking down the stairs, holding the dress up in front of me so that I didn't step on it. Seeing as I had come to terms with the outfit, my mom closed the front door and left for the day. Alone again, I went to get my phone. Fighting with the dress, it took me some time to return to my room, where my phone was lying on the nightstand beside the bed.