by TJ Hines
“Hey Kinz. I’m gonna hang out here for a little while. Drew is studying and I don’t want to disturb him. Do you mind?”
“You know you are always welcome to stay, but I hope you don’t mind if I take a nap. Four hours of sleep doesn’t last long, and my night is far from over.”
“I never do. It’s actually easier to deal with you when you’re sleeping.” He laughed.
Haha. Very funny. I pretended to stretch my legs out and then I jabbed him in his side with my right foot.
“Um. Ow, I guess. What was that for?”
Of course, it would hurt me more than him. He was solid muscle.
“Because you were being a jerk.”
“I’m sorry. But you have to admit it was pretty funny,” he said smiling innocently.
“Yeah, yeah. Hilarious,” I said rolling my eyes.
He grabbed my legs as I tried to pull them back and laid them across his lap. Before I could object, he took the blanket off the back of the couch and draped it over me.
“Before you start snoring, can we discuss…one more thing?”
I tried to kick him again, but he held my feet down giving me a crooked grin.
“I don’t snore,” I said stubbornly.
“Yes, you do, but it’s adorable.” I opened my mouth to argue, but he put his hand over my mouth. “So, can we talk?”
“What do you want to talk about?” I murmured through his hand.
“Tyler,” he grimaced.
“What about Tyler?”
I didn’t want to fight again. We had already made up and everything was somewhat back to normal. Now he wanted to talk about the person that led to our massive fight. Was he crazy? Or a masochist?
“You know my feelings about him, but it’s not my place to tell you who you can or cannot date.”
“Okay.”
“I know he’ll be at the party and I am sure you will want to hang out with him.”
“Maybe, but not for long,” I said.
“I’m suggesting that we compromise on the subject of Tyler—frat boy—Mitchell. I won’t give you any more grief about him, if you don’t ask me to hang out with him or be near him. I seriously doubt…no scratch that…I know I wouldn’t be able to be nice to him.”
“That sounds very reasonable.”
I was kind of shocked by the maturity and confidence he was exuding because earlier today I thought that he and Tyler were going to start fighting like a couple of Neanderthals. Since he was acting so normal, I decided to ask the question that had been weighing on my mind since the incident. Yes, that is a good word for the horrific event that took place earlier.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Anything,” he said.
“Why do you hate Tyler so much?”
“Honestly?”
I nodded.
“I don’t trust him. There is just something I can sense in him that rubs me the wrong way. Who knows, though, maybe I’m wrong…but I doubt it. Promise me that you will always be careful around him.”
I wanted to say that I thought Tyler was very trustworthy, but I couldn’t find the words. I wanted to believe the reason I could not defend Tyler was because I didn’t want to argue with Will anymore, but I’m not sure if that was the true reason. I really hadn’t known Tyler all that long and even though I am a pretty good judge of character, so is Will—maybe even better than me. I knew deep down when he said those words that he was very serious—it wasn’t like he was jealous—he was worried.
“I promise to be careful. Thanks for being honest with me…and for being so understanding,” I murmured in a low voice.
“I didn’t say I understood, Kinsey. Because I honestly don’t see why you like him. I’m just…prioritizing,” Will said with a sigh. “You come first…always and forever. And if Tyler makes you happy then I have to accept that.”
Staring into his eyes, I could see that he was in pain—he really did not want me hanging around Tyler. I wanted to say to him, Will I love you and I only want to be with you. I’ve never had feelings for Tyler. Never. But I couldn’t force the words from my mouth. I did have some feelings for Tyler—not as strong as the ones I had for Will, but they were there. Moreover, I owe it to myself to see how things develop with him because Tyler was a good guy. Or at least I thought he was. And it would be nice to have a boyfriend. So, I would just wait to see how things go between him and me at the party before I make any hasty decisions.
“Well, thank you for your acceptance, then.”
He pushed my head gently down on the pillow. “Get some sleep. I’ll wake you in a few hours.”
With that, I passed out.
CHAPTER FIVE
I didn’t have a nightmare this time. It was just a normal dream. Okay, so it was not completely normal, but there were no plane crashes. And that is always a positive sign in my book.
I was walking through a meadow of flowers. It was gorgeous. I glanced down at them and realized to my horror that I was wearing a white sundress. A dress!!! You have got to be kidding me. Well, there was my evidence that this was a dream. I never wear dresses. Ever. Technically that’s not completely true. I wore one to my prom, one to my parents’ funeral, and a whole bunch when I was a little girl. However, I try to keep a safe distance from them now that I’m an adult. I have nothing against dresses. Personally, I don’t feel comfortable in them. I do, however, wear skirts—I know they are very similar. I didn’t say it made sense. Hell, not much about me makes sense. But enough ranting.
It was very sunny in the meadow, almost blinding at times. I felt an urge to pick the flowers that surrounded me—they were so beautiful. It was like a sea of color. I was instantly drawn to a patch of daisies near me. Daisies were my second favorite flower (orchids being the first). They were so delicate and graceful, yet strong at the same time.
As soon as I picked the daisy, a bright light flashed over the meadow. I glanced over to where the light came from and to my utter astonishment, I wasn’t alone in the meadow anymore. There under a ginormous oak tree stood Will. He was gorgeous—like always. It was not a shock to me that I was dreaming about him…it was a regular thing. Even him shirtless, which he was, was fairly regular. Nevertheless, it was still a breathtaking sight to behold. What was a shock to me, was that he wasn’t speaking. He just stood there and beckoned me over with his finger.
I immediately smiled and wanted to run to him, but my feet wouldn’t budge. I tried to move again. Still nothing. Then I felt another uncontrollable desire to pick another flower. I chose a red rose that was near me. I don’t care that much for roses. They always seemed so ordinary and generic. I hesitated on picking it because I was afraid Will would disappear. But I had to pick it—almost like, I was under some kind of flower picking spell. I know it doesn’t make sense, but neither was the sudden urge to start picking flowers. I have never been a gardener, nor do I ever want to be one.
Another flash came when I picked the rose; I quickly looked towards the oak tree to see if Will was still there. Thankfully, he was still standing under the tall oak, looking beautiful and stoic. So, I glanced to the opposite side of the meadow where the flash originated. And there standing under a weeping willow was Tyler. Now that was a shock to me. I never in a hundred years would have thought he would appear in one of my dreams, especially because I wasn’t even sure how I felt about him. And, of course, he was shirtless, too. Damn hormones!
Tyler wasn’t speaking either, but he was beckoning me towards him. Will and Tyler never took their eyes off me—and neither of them spoke. My subconscious must have preferred semi-naked, mute men. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that, but on the plus side, I no longer felt the need to pick flowers. I thought that was somewhat ironic because now I wanted others to join the three of us in the meadow to take the awkwardness out of the situation.
I still couldn’t move, but my feet were no longer the problem. Now it was my mind—my heart. How was I supposed to decide between the two, especially in front o
f them? I felt like one of Pavlov’s dogs. Starving to death seemed so much easier than choosing. I was trying to process what was happening when a third guy appeared in the meadow, but there was no flash this time. I was so astonished by this new apparition that I let out a small yelp.
I realized that the newest guy in my dream was not like the other two. This one was not immobile. He walked right up to me with his famous bad boy smirk that I loved and missed so very much. He acted like such a rebel, but I knew it was a total façade. He never said a word, but I immediately felt a hundred times better. He had a way of always making me feel so much stronger—like I could deal with anything in the world as long as he was near me.
I ran into his open arms and he held me there for what felt like hours. When he finally sat me down, I looked up into that strong face and into those familiar emerald green eyes.
“Caleb!” I exclaimed.
“I’m so glad I found you, Kinsey. I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
There was a loud explosion and a massive flash of light in the woods surrounding the meadow. Automatically, I took a step towards the sound. Caleb grabbed my wrist and started pulling me back to the side of the meadow where Will was.
“No, Kinsey! You’ve got to get out of here right now!” Caleb said frantically scanning the area like we were in immediate danger.
“What?”
“I don’t have time to explain right now,” he said tugging me along after him.
He turned around, placing me behind him. “Damn it! They’re everywhere,” he hissed.
Before I had time to ask the obvious question, who is everywhere, he had his hand over my mouth, silencing me. There was another loud explosion.
“Will!” Caleb screamed.
To my surprise, my immobile dream Will started running toward us. At an alarmingly fast speed and he too was scanning the area. Wait...how did Caleb know Will? Will reached us in seconds and both of them were glaring towards the trees. Both of them had positioned themselves in front of me. There was another bright flash and then both guys turned towards me.
“Get Kinsey out of here,” Caleb gritted through his teeth.
Will put his arms around me and started to pull me back. I struggled to get out of his arms, but he was too strong.
“Wait. Why? What is going on Caleb? This is all a dream…you guys need to calm down,” I said trying to reassure both of my best friends.
A loud scream came from the wooded area.
“Go! Now!”
Before I could say another word, my dream world dissolved, and I was being forcefully shaken.
“Kinsey!” Will called. “It’s time to wake up.”
“Ten more minutes, please,” I said pulling the blanket over my head. “I was having a great dream, but the ending was very, very weird.”
“Anything you would like to share with the class?” Abby said with a certain amount of arrogance in her voice.
Abby’s here. Damn, what time is it? And did she say, class??? I sat up quickly to see what she was referring to. And there they were--one of Abby’s numerous study groups. Personally, I felt Abby used them. But whatever. I was mortified. I smiled hesitantly at their gaping faces.
“Sorry. I, uh, typically don’t pass out on the couch, but I didn’t get much sleep last night. And I have to be at work in a little while,” I said groggily trying to pat my hair down in case it looked like a bird’s nest.
I looked at Abby and gave her the best apologetic smile I could muster. She glared at me obviously more embarrassed by me than I was. I looked over at Will, who had buried his face in a pillow to silence the laughter coming from his treacherous mouth. I smacked him on the back of the head, forgetting it would hurt me more than him. His head was as hard as a rock.
“Thanks so much for waking me. Jerk,” I muttered keeping my voice low so only he could hear him.
He took the pillow from his face, still trying to stifle the giggles. He finally got enough control to look at me, but his eyes were still full of amusement.
“I would have woken you, but you said that you needed sleep. And far be it from me to mess with Princess Kinsey and her beauty sleep,” he said out of the corner of his mouth as he leaned towards me.
I could not think of a witty comeback, so I opted for an intimidating glare instead. This day just kept getting better and better. I started the day with a nightmare, lost a ton of sleep, got wrangled into going to a costume party, manipulated my best friend into going with me to said party, had to take an excruciating midterm, almost got kissed by a hottie, had a massive blow-up with my best friend in PUBLIC, cried like a little girl, lied to by my brother, pressured into spending my winter break with my family, made up with aforementioned best friend, had the strangest dream starring three of the men in my life, woke up to a crowd of unfamiliar people while my roommate and best friend mocked me, and now I get to go to work. It had been a very long day. I stood up and stormed off to my bedroom. Will was right behind me.
“So, what were you dreaming about? You seemed to be enjoying yourself.”
I sat down on my bed, while he stood in the doorway. What do I say? Do I tell him the truth? Well, you and Tyler were in it—half-naked, and then Caleb showed up, that’s when things got strange. Yeah, that wouldn’t sound the least bit stalkerish. I guess I shouldn’t say anything about Tyler or him or for that matter the strange part. So, what did I tell him?
“Flowers.” I smiled at my answer. Simple. Honest yet vague. A perfect response.
“Flowers?” He asked incredulously.
I nodded.
He shook his head confused by my answer. “Well, Kinz. It’s getting late so I’m gonna head home. I’m hoping Drew has finished studying or passed out somewhere. See you tomorrow...oh and by the way nice hair.”
I threw my pillow at his back but missed.
“You’re still a jerk,” I yelled at his retreating figure. I could hear him laughing all the way down the hall.
I got to work early to update my playlist and to do some research. I needed to know what the word Equitum meant. After I talked to Jack, which was completely pointless, I decided that I would have to figure my dreams out on my own. I wanted to start researching the word as soon as I got home, but Will was there. I usually tell Will everything, but this was a little strange and I didn’t want him to think I was becoming obsessive. I know I had heard that word before somewhere, but I couldn’t figure out where. And the word seemed so important—why else would my parents say it as their plane was crashing to the ground. I had to know what it meant.
I googled it while I was looking over my updated playlist. I found the word on one of those online dictionaries. According to the site, Equitum was a Latin word for Horsemen. Okay, I admit I have been a little stressed lately. But why would my parents start speaking in Latin? Better yet, why would I start dreaming in Latin when I can’t speak German (after three years of it), and I am currently failing Spanish? It had to be stress, right?
I pushed my nightmare analysis as far out of my mind as I could because I still had a job to do. And with everything going on today, I had not even thought about tonight’s show. I was hoping that Addison had because if not we were so screwed. But knowing Addison like I do; I’m sure she was completely prepared. Addison rarely ever had drama in her life.
“Hey, Kinsey! You ready for tonight’s show?” Addison asked sitting down next to me.
“Uh. Sure. I guess. I added some new songs to the playlist tonight. But to be honest I haven’t thought much about the show at all today. So, it’s going to be really boring. Sorry, Addie.”
“It’s okay, Kinz. Not every show has to be awesome. Besides most people are asleep or studying for midterms, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it.”
“Thanks, Addison. You know you sure know how to put things in perspective. I mean having no audience at all makes things so much better,” I said rolling my eyes.
“Sorry. I’m sure everything will be awesome. Totally mind-blo
wing. And I’m sure the whole school will be listening…is that better?” Addison asked with a little innocent reassuring smile.
“Much better. So how are you doing on your midterms? I missed having you here with me yesterday. Frankie made me work with Greg—that kid is so boring. I swear he never laughs.”
Addison usually works every show with me. We are the youngest, so we were put together. Which actually worked out great because we were already friends. But yesterday afternoon when I was called in, she had a midterm, so I got stuck with the ever-dull Greg. The boy seriously needed help—socially and fashionably. If he wears one more suit to work, I swear I’m going to smack him. Who wears a suit to work at a radio station? Seriously? And his monotonous voice. Ugh. He almost put me to sleep, and I was only half listening. The rest of the time, I was contemplating ways to make him scream like a girl. I know it sounds mean…but if you heard him—you would definitely be thinking the same thing or worse.
“I’m so sorry you had to work with him. But the dynamic duo is back together and barring anything unexpected we won’t be separated again,” she said.
“Yeah let’s hope so for our sake and Greg’s,” I said laughing. “So, how did you do on your midterms?”
“I hope I did well on them,” Addison said shrugging. “How do you think you did on yours?”
Addison knew that my last midterm was in Spanish, even though hers were not finished until the next day. Lucky, for me, half of my teachers decided to start our midterms last week. They thought it would help. I guess it did help in most of my classes—with the exception of Spanish.
“Well, let me put it this way. I’ll not be starting a career as an interpreter anytime soon.”
“Uh oh. I’m going to guess that your Spanish midterm did not go that well.”
“Actually, I hope I did okay—which means I probably failed it. But the bright side is that I managed to snag me a study buddy—a hottie at that.”
“Well, that’s great news. Anybody, I know?” She asked.