Dark Dreams

LONELINESS

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.