I'm running. I'm running fast. Away from something. I see the cliff up ahead. The cliff. It's the only way out. I hear the river below before I see the rushing waves. I guess this is it, I think as I stop right near the ledge. I can hear them.
20 feet... 15 feet... 10 feet... 5 feet...
I don't see what they do next because I have jumped off the ledge...
I wake up, breathing hard. I feel the space around me; I'm in my own bed, not the forest. It was that nightmare again. It always ends that way and I don't know what it means, unfortunately.
I sigh as I push the covers off of me and sit cross-legged in the middle of my bed. I ponder on the dream, as I do every night this stupid night terror occurs. I should tell my psychiatrist about it, but I don't. All I know from the dream is that I'm an escape mental patient running away from the doctors (at least I think they're doctors) that chase me to the cliff. I always end up jumping and then waking up.
I sigh yet again and check the time on my radio. 5:12 A.M. Oh, well, I should get ready for school. I swear that damn nightmare is the only thing waking me up in time for school these days.
I get out of bed and put on black boxers, black skinny jeans and black Green Day T-shirt. I head to the bathroom, brush my teeth, wash my face, and start straightening my longish black hair, brushing the fringe to the left. When I'm done, I walk downstairs and make myself some breakfast.
I look at the clock on the wall. 5:35 A.M. Looks like I have an hour to kill before my bus gets here. My parents and little sister are still asleep, and not wanting to wake them, I pull out my sketch pad from my book bag and flip to a clean page. I go to my phone's gallery and scroll through some pictures I've saved from Tumblr. I find one of Gerard Way kissing Frank Iero as the Fabulous Killjoys. I set my phone down next to my sketch pad and start drawing.
I wonder if its normal for 18 year old boys to be drawing two guys kissing. And even more so, have that saved on their phone. Probably not, but whatever, it makes me as happy as listening to a great punk song. So it's okay. As I finish up the sketch, I check the time on my phone. 6:28 A.M. Crap! Going to miss the bus!
I pack up my sketch pad, grab my keys, and walk out the door quickly but quietly. I walk to my bus stop, knowing very well that it'll be a bit late. As always.
"Yo, Mikey!" I hear someone yell. I look over and see Alex walking towards our stop.
"Sup, Homie!" I call back to him. He slows to a walk and stops a foot from me. "Hi," I say and wave to him. He and I met at Comic Con in San Diego before our freshman year and became best buds. He was dressed as Finn The Human and his girlfriend at the time was Flame Princess. I went as Marshall Lee The Vampire King. We became friends because of our Adventure Time cosplays. We later found out we'd be going to the same school, Belleville high in New Jersey. Coincidence? I think not.
"Hey, you did the homework for Nelson's class, right?" Alex asks. I nod in response.
We start talking about if we have dates to prom, considering it's our senior year. I was thinking of just going with a group of friends or something, considering there aren't many gay guys at my high school. Alex starts describing this girl he met at the last football game that he was thinking of taking to prom. As he's talking, I notice how the sun hits his face and makes his eyes twinkle. Wait- Mikey. Stop. Don't think that. He's straight. But, God, is he beautiful...
I sigh as the bus gets here and we climb on. "Hey, look guys! It's that stupid fag sitting all a-" I don't hear what else the bully has to say because my ear buds are blaring 'Thnks fr th Mmrs' by Fall Out Boy. My music suddenly fades away. I turn to see what's going on when I'm instantly punched in the face. Fuck! That hurt!
