anxiety.

twenty.

"compete against the stars with all of our hearts 'til our temporary brilliance turns to ash."

scarlett.

the warmth of the sand felt therapeutic against my feet. the beach was such a calming scenery that i enjoyed, i could spend all day here. a breath of the salty air filled my lungs before i dusted sand off of myself. the crashing waves seemed to call me as i ran to the water. a splash of cold water hit my leg, causing me to squeal before fully emerging my body. i looked up to the sky, noticing that the once bright sun was nowhere to be seen. my head turned to the left to see dark clouds creeping my way. a crackle of thunder boomed from the sky.

i figured it would be a good time to get out of the water and return to mason. the waves grew heavier and the current dragged my body to the side. one huge wave crashed on top of my body, sending me underwater. i swam back to the top and coughed up water that i previously swallowed by accident. i tried to approach the shore but with no avail. i couldn't escape the brewing storm. i screamed as i continued to be dragged and pulled under by the waves. my lungs filled with water until i couldn't breathe anymore. i slowly sunk further before i jolted awake.

i shot up next to mason in a cold sweat, panting heavily. my sudden movement woke him up as he raced to turn on the light. his face, full of worry, returned back to normal when he realized i was in no real danger. no real danger to him, but the dream felt extremely real to me. my mind was no longer able to tell the difference between reality and fantasy.

"look at me scarlett, it was just a dream. you're safe now." he reassured me. his hand went to my cheek before worry hit his face once again. he moved his hand up to my forehead before back down to my other cheek.

"you're burning up pretty girl, i think you may have caught a fever from being out in the cold yesterday. are you feeling okay?" he asked me.

i gave a weak shrug. i'm not quite sure anybody felt like their best self this early in the morning. my eyes squinted in reaction to the blinding light illuminating from the lamp. "maybe a bit chilly." i answered groggily.

mason engulfed us back in his warm comforter and pulled my back into his chest. i turned myself around so that i could see his face and look up at him. his face looked angelic in the dim light of his bedroom. i began to speak to him before noticing he was already sleeping again. i let out a quiet sigh, my brain was not about to turn off any time soon.

i moved his arm off of my hip as gently as i could to not disturb his slumber. his closet light remained on and i saw a hoodie i desperately wanted to wear at this moment. it was the dark blue football hoodie he had lent to me in class the first time we began talking to each other. that sweet memory replayed in my head as if it was yesterday rather than a few months ago.

my stomach released a large grumble, indicating the extent of my hunger. my legs traveled to mason's fridge to satisfy my upset belly. as i turned the corner of the living room, a voice startled me making me coward behind the wall. i clutched my heart before peering over the wall to see skylar sitting on a bar stool. her voice sounded heavy with sadness and a touch of anger as she ranted. a second, more masculine, familiar voice drew from her phone.

i knew it was wrong of me to ease drop in on her conversation, but my nosy self couldn't resist.

"i can't sleep again." she whined, letting her forehead fall against the marble countertop.

"princess." the voice from her phone breathed out. princess? i wasn't aware skylar had a boyfriend and to my knowledge, neither did mason.

"tommy." she pouted, looking up with an exhausted face. she swirled the tea bag around the cup while keeping her head bowed. the name clicked in my mind, she was talking to thomas kersey. that was that doctor mason had wanted me to see. part of me relaxed, knowing that i hadn't discovered a secret love affair between skylar and a random boy.