Dark Dreams (COMPLETED)

Disasters

When I left my small pool house that morning I didn't have the slightest suspicion that I would find myself in a strip club with two strippers.

"He always does that," sighed Chastity. "He's a magician at disappearing into nothing."

"A magician? That's why he had that hat," observed Ginger. I lowered the mediocre IQ that I'd attributed to her even further.

I was going to ask where he'd gone when my cell phone rang.

"Hello?" I asked, not even seeing the number.

"Sarah, where are you?" It was Jay and he didn't seem at all pleased. "In ten minutes, you have to introduce yourself to the singing club."

"What?" I yelled at the top of my lungs. "What time is it?!"

"It's five fifty," he said, annoyed. "Don't tell me you forgot about it."

"No... no!" I lied, waving to the girls and dashing to the front door of the casino. "I'm coming, I'll be there in ten minutes. Try to keep Chuck entertained with your singing."

"I'm not a siren," he said irritably.

I took advantage of his reply to put on my skates as soon as I was outside the building.

"Are you sure you can get here in ten minutes?" he asked.

To get to Union Hills from where I was would take at least forty. "Can I do it? Are you really asking me that?" I was already skating as if I were going to save the world from a meteor shower. "Of course I can!"

"I hope so for your sake, Sarah," he said, before hanging up.

Something told me that he smelled a rat.

I went faster, trying to figure out how many miles I would have to skate to get there in time. I continued without checking the time, sure that my heart was beating as fast as someone about to have a heart attack.

After two falls, almost running over a Chihuahua, and knocking a shopping bag full of apples everywhere, I arrived at my destination.

But once I reached the room of the singing club I realized that it was empty. I looked at the time on my phone: "Damn, it's already six twenty!"

I let out a roar like an angry gorilla. I kicked the door, hurting myself in the process.

I was afraid.

Afraid of what would become of me without Silver Wings; afraid of disappointing my mother and afraid of having my first argument with the guy I liked. I thought highly of Jay and I knew he'd done all he could to convince Chuck to give me a second chance. I could already imagine the look of disappointment on his face. Maybe he'd no longer be interested in me. He would definitely realize that I wasn't as special as he said.

I was just a regular girl who turned ordinary situations into disasters.

I headed to the main gate, ready to return home, a victim of a war against high society that I hadn't won. But he was there waiting for me, sitting on the hood of his Rolls Royce.

"Jay, I don't know how to tell you how sorry I am," I said almost in tears, running towards him.

"Then you'd better not say anything," he replied curtly, leaping down from the hood like an agile lion.

The engine of the car started, its roar reflecting Jay's anger. By the time I saw him, the mild afternoon sun was covered by gray clouds that lowered the temperature by several degrees. I did up my sweatshirt, trying to stop my teeth chattering due to the sudden icy wind that surrounded me.

"I'm sorry! You have to believe me," I pleaded. "But something came up. My mother needed me to go to the Grill & Chips to give her the keys to the back storeroom. You know how much we need that job."

I'd had all the time in the world to prepare that speech and recite it a thousand times in my head to make it sound natural.

His gaze was fiery.

"Next time you want to lie to me, make sure the guy you've been seeing in secret isn't my best friend," he said through gritted teeth. "Unfortunately for you, we spoke a few minutes ago."

I had never seen Jay so angry and, to be honest, I hadn't even imagined that a guy like him raising his voice.

I felt like I was dying. Lying is horrible, but being caught lying was even worse. I was ashamed of myself, I felt like a naked worm which had just emerged from the ground after a storm. I wanted to find the right words. Those magical words that can fix a situation before it gets worse.

I was silent, looking down.

"Do you know how hard I struggled to convince the singing club to give you a second chance?" he yelled. "And what were you doing? You went to a strip club with my best friend!"

"It's not how you think," I replied, biting my lower lip.

"So, how is it?" he asked sarcastically, arching his eyebrow.

"I went there to investigate a photo taken at the party," I said softly.

"So, finding out what happened more than a month ago was more important than your future... our future," he said glumly. "I thought attending that university was your dream. Not to mention the fact that it would enable us to keep seeing each other."

He opened the car door.

"I suggest you reevaluate your priorities, Sarah. People can't spend their time chasing after you," he said bitterly. "I, for one, am not going to do it anymore."

He closed the door and left.

I let myself fall to my knees, scraping them on the tarmac.

I was gasping for air. I shook my head forcefully, repeating the word "no". I didn't want life to take away one of the few wonderful things that it had given me.

Tears, sharp as blades, scratched my face until it bled. I didn't know if every girl felt this way when their first love dumped them but I felt as if the world around me was collapsing. I could see a hole opening up in the street beneath me into which I would sink forever. The school and the trees around me began to spin as if we were in the middle of a hurricane.

I had to do something.

But what was the point in getting up?

I could stay there, sitting on the roadside, and no one would notice.

I had to react.

Problems always have a solution, you just had to find it.

In my mind, conflicting suggestions echoed back and forth as if there were two people there.

I took the cell phone from my bag. Although my hands were shaking as if there was an earthquake, I managed to type Kiki's number. If there was someone who could calm me down, that someone was her.