by Nic Tatano
And when the alarm woke me up, I was actually upset I'd been interrupted.
The tears are already flowing as I make my way downstairs despite the fact I'm in serious need of a cold shower. I hear the coffee pot gurgling and know Mom is already up, so I pick up the pace. She glances up from the morning paper, takes one look at my face and immediately gets up with her arms outstretched.
I run to her, hug her hard as she wraps her arms around me. I rest my head on her shoulder and my emotions explode.
"Good God, Jillian, what's wrong?"
I'm sobbing now, tears streaming down my face. "My dream. The dream weaver…and I cheated…"
She takes my head and pulls back to look at me. "I thought that emerald ring thing solved that problem."
"It wasn't my dream, Mom. She sent me into someone else's dream. I couldn't get out. I was trapped."
"Whose dream?"
"Trip Logan's."
Mom's eyes narrow into the death stare. "We've gotta take that bitch out. I'm tired of her messing with my little girl. This is getting out of hand." She brushes my hair back and takes my hands. "You say you were in someone else's dream?"
"Yeah. I thought it was a nice dream when it started out and when I found out it belonged to Trip, I couldn't escape. We were in this house and all the doors and windows disappeared. If the alarm hadn't gone off I might have been in there even longer."
"Wow. Being able to send you into someone else's dream is not part of the legend." She reaches up and wipes my tears. "It's okay, sweetie. Still just a dream. What did you mean when you say you cheated?"
The tears start again, she sits me down and places a box of tissues in front of me. The coffee machine beeps, she fixes two cups, slides a chair next to me and wraps an arm around my shoulders as she sits down. I tell her the whole story, sobbing the entire time, feeling like I have lost control.
"Okay," she says. "First, you didn't cheat on Ryan. All of this…stuff going on in your head…isn't real."
I stare at my coffee as I wrap both hands around the cup. "Mom, I didn't want to leave. I knew it was wrong but I kept…"
"Did it ever occur to you that she's doing the same thing to Trip?"
Her words make me stop and think for a moment. It makes sense. A guy who looks like that with an off the charts gorgeous girlfriend…is obsessed with me? "I never considered it."
"Well, consider it. You saw him and his girlfriend in a reading, right?"
"Yeah. It looked like they were in love. No, I'm sure of it."
"There ya go. She's screwin' with his mind too, kiddo. He's in love with the other girl. The dream weaver is still using him to make you question your relationship with Ryan."
I nod slightly. "It makes sense. But I'm still confused about my feelings for Trip. I mean, we have such incredible physical chemistry and he does things to me Ryan never has. I wanted him, Mom. I wanted him bad. I've never felt that about Ryan. Not like that anyway. I kept telling myself it was only a dream but I didn't stop. I couldn't stop." I feel the tears coming and my voice cracks. "And I hate to say this, but I think I want him in real life."
"Oh, don't be ridiculous. Look, I have a naughty dream every once in a while, you know. I don't even wanna tell you what I did to Christian Bale last week."
I can't help but laugh at her attempt to lighten the mood. The tears slow down as I wipe my eyes. "Thought you were hot for Bradley Cooper?"
"Hey, this girl's not gonna be tied down to one guy. I need variety in my fantasies, you know?"
"So who else you got on your roster?"
"I've had a thing for Pierce Brosnan for a while. I fancy myself as Miss Moneypenny. Judi Dench is out of the office, and, you know…one thing leads to another."
"So that's why we have all his James Bond DVDs."
"Well, the VHS copies wore out."
"Mother!"
"Look, Jillian, this is simply a teenage fantasy for you. You just went from spending all day with high school boys as young as fourteen to being surrounded by college men. In case you forgot, you just turned eighteen. You're a kid in a sexy candy store and the best thing in it is on sale and wants to be in your shopping cart. Let me ask you this. How many guys in high school looked like Trip?"
"Are you kidding? None. There was no one even close. Actually, he may be the hottest guy I've ever met. Plus he's a real gentleman, he's smart, he's funny—"
"That's why she's throwing him at you. One big hunky piece of temptation. He's what your generation calls the total package." She smiles as she sips her coffee. "You know that old ratty New York Mets shirt you sleep in?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Why don't you throw it away?"
"Don't change the subject, Mom. I need you to help me figure this out. I have to get Trip outta my head."
"Indulge me for a minute. Why don't you toss the shirt?"
I roll my eyes. "Because it's the most comfortable thing I have to sleep in. I love that shirt."
She reaches out, takes my hands, squeezes them and looks into my soul. "Right. You love that shirt, holes, rips and all. It's the same with men. Once you get past the physical stuff and the sex, you have to feel comfortable with someone. There's always gonna be a guy who's better looking and seems like the perfect man who you'll be attracted to. But you already have that guy with Ryan. He may not compare physically with this guy, but you're very comfortable with him. And when you get older that's all that matters. That's what love really is."
The coffee cup slides onto my table and I look up into Aspen's glowing face. "Hey, matchmaker," she says, as she sits down.
"Hey yourself. I take it from your look that things are going well."
She beaming as she licks her lips. "It was a very happy Halloween last night. Let's say there were only treats and no tricks."
I smile and nod. Some good news about her relationship with Trip getting stronger could make me feel better. "Considering your costumes, I can only imagine what the treats were."
Her smile gets bigger. "Ah, you saw the huge Chippendale on my arm. The outfit was my idea."
"You clever little vixen. No spilled drink this time?"
"Honey, you can only use that trick once. And the shirt didn't exist."
"Makes sense."
"But, hey, I didn't invent the thing, so you're welcome to steal it. Consider it to be in the public domain."
"Thanks, I'll give it a shot. And I suppose since you were dressed like a cave girl he hit you on the head with his club and carried you away."
"What can I say? Yabba dabba do me."
The great line makes me laugh. Aspen is such a quick wit and so nice I'm glad things are going well for her. "So, I take it your after party went on for quite a while."
She raises both eyebrows. "We went to my place and played fistful of dollars."
My face tightened. "You dressed your boyfriend like a male stripper and you went home to watch a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western?"
"Duh-uh. Not the movie, silly! Trip was a Chippendale, I had a bunch of dollar bills. Do the math, girl!"
The image of Aspen tucking dollar bills into Trip's waistband flashes through my mind and makes me blush. "Sorry, sometimes I miss the obvious."
She takes a sip of coffee, leans forward and lowers her voice. "Anyway, he spent the night and it was terrific. Jillian, I don't usually kiss and tell but the guy is incredible."
"I wouldn't expect any less looking at him. And he's a really nice guy. You're a lucky girl. You two make a gorgeous couple."
"Thank you, though I must say it's a bit unnerving being with a guy who's better looking than me."
"You're not exactly chopped liver, Aspen. You could be a model and I saw plenty of guys checking you out last night."
"That part I'm used to. But being with a guy like Trip…I mean, women are constantly staring at him, and they don't even try to hide it."
Thankfully she doesn't have an accusing look for me despite the fact that I was locked on Trip like a heat
seeking missile. "Yeah, some girls are so rude. Steal a glance, for goodness sake."
"I know. I went to the ladies room at one point and some girl was hitting on him when I came back."
"But he went home with you, that's the important thing."
"Very true. Speaking of which, after I thought I drained him last night, I wake up this morning and he's, you know," she looks around to make sure no one can hear, "needing to be serviced."
Really? Wonder how he got that way?
She adds a little sugar to her coffee and stirs it in. "Boy's got stamina, I'll give him that."
"Again, lucky you. And he's very fortunate to have a great girl."
She gives me a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Thanks to you! And speaking of lucky, I saw you at a table with a couple of hot guys last night. The cute little genie is yours?"
"Nope, that's Jake, and he belongs to my best friend Roxanne. She was dressed as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz."
"The Amazon with the legs up to her neck?"
"That's her."
"And she's with the little guy?"
I shrug. "What can I say, opposites attract, but they're perfect for each other. She once kicked his ass in high school but now they're head over heels in love."
"So, the other one is yours. The football player. Excuse, me, the tight end."
"Damn, your mind is in the gutter. But yeah, he's mine. Ryan's my high school sweetheart. I've known him since we were little."
"Well, he's hot. I hope you took him home and ravished him."
As if on cue, Trip stops by, leans down, and kisses Aspen on the cheek. "Hey, babe. Wanna go to lunch?"
"Sure," she says. "I can be free." She shoots me a wink that tells me she's cutting another class.
He looks over at me. "Hi, Jillian. You doing okay?"
"Sure, Trip. You?"
"A lot better since you introduced me to Aspen. I owe you big time."
I cover my mouth as I yawn. "Oh, excuse me. Consider it a random act of kindness."
He studies my face. "You look a little tired, Jillian. Late night, hungover, or both?"
"Neither," I say. "Just a dream that made for a restless night. My dreams are very real. Very lucid." I look right into his eyes. "Sometimes they're a bit frustrating, if you know what I mean. Like when you wake up and things aren't resolved."
His eyes widen a bit. "I'm, uh, one of those people who never remembers dreams. They're like soap bubbles that pop when I wake up."
I study his face and know he's lying. Time to go fishing for more info. "I guess you're stuck with only daydreams then, huh?"
I bit of color rushes into his face. "Yeah, I guess."
Bus-ted.
He locks eyes with me for a brief moment and I can tell he remembers every detail. And that he's daydreaming about me as well. I keep telling myself it's all the work of the dream weaver, but it feels so right. I gotta get outta here. "Well, I'm gonna be late for class," I say as I get up, even though I don't have a class. "You two have fun."
I walk away, happy that their relationship is going well.
But wondering if I still have a chance with him.
Chapter 13
Fuzzball hands each of us a copy of his research as we all sit around my living room. Everyone is here but Sebastien, though I've already talked to him about recent events. "Unfortunately, we cannot find any birth certificate proving Cruise had a baby," says the detective, sitting on the fireplace hearth. "There are several possible explanations. She could have given birth out of the country. Or with her family's deep pockets, someone could have been paid off to make the records go away. The child could have been given up for adoption. It might not even be alive. However…"
I sit up straight. "However?"
"Cruise did basically go off the grid for several years during her early twenties. Since her family was high profile society and an out of wedlock baby would have been quite the scandal, she might have been sent away or even exiled from the family. Bottom line, she more than likely had a kid but we can't find it. Maybe we never will."
"Appreciate you trying," I say. I quickly scan the sheet to find out when Cruise disappeared, hoping against hope it's after my father left so my mother won't get another dagger in the heart. But the period begins a few years before he took off and ends a few years after. So there's no way of knowing when their affair started. Or how long it lasted. For all I know they were still lovers when we fried his brain. And if so, she would be the woman scorned, but not by a man.
By us.
Fuzzball continues. "Now, as to what the dream weaver did to you by putting you in someone else's dream…Sebastien says there's nothing we can do right now, but they're working on some theories regarding the rapid eye movement that accompanies dreams. They might be able to create some sort of alarm that wakes you up when you start dreaming. I'm sorry, Jillian, I know this is frustrating for you and I wish I had better news."
I exhale deeply. "I guess I'll have to deal with it until we take her down. Hopefully it won't be too long."
Ryan leans over and pats the top of my hand, then entwines his fingers with mine. I gulp and my eyes mist a bit as I'm still overcome with guilt about my feelings for Trip. But I can't let it show. I've told Ryan about being sent into Trip's dream but lied about what happened, that Trip tried to convince me to heal my father. He bought it, along with the theory that Cruise is also controlling Trip's dreams and therefore he is an unwilling participant. It helps a great deal that he saw Aspen all over him at the dance, so Roxanne's suggestion was definitely a good one.
Still, I hate lying to someone I love, especially when it concerns my infatuation with another guy. And my mother is convinced that's all it is. Infatuation. Unfortunately, the images from that dream have been playing on an infinite loop in my head and are having the desired effect. If the dream weaver wants me to obsess about Trip, her plan is working. It's all I can do to focus on the fact that I love Ryan and that my mind and emotions are being manipulated. Throw jealousy into the mix, and my brain is tied in an emotional Gordian knot.
"You know, Jillian," says Jake, "you might not have to deal with it."
"You got a magic potion?" asks Roxanne.
Jake shakes his head and leans forward. "No, listen. What's been the dream weaver's main objective all along? To break the four of us all up, right? Divide and conquer. She knows when we work together we're powerful enough to take down anyone, and she's afraid. She won't move forward with whatever her plan is until she's made a dent in our team. Which means she's going to continue manipulating Jillian's dreams."
"We already know that. What's your point?" asks Ryan.
"My point is that she's going to keep screwing with Jillian's head until she breaks up your relationship. Or until she thinks she's done it."
"Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" asks Mom.
Jake nods. "Yeah." He looks at me and Ryan. "You two have to break up."
"No!" we both say in unison.
"Not really," says Jake. "Hear me out. You have to do something so Cruise thinks you're broken up. Once she thinks she's achieved her goal she'll stop with the dream tricks. At least I'd bet that she will."
"How exactly do you propose we do this?" I ask.
"Look, Cruise is coming back to town this week to do a press conference on her identity card project, and she's doing it at our school. You two need to go. At some point when you're nearby you guys get into a fake argument, make a loud scene, something like that. Something that shows you aren't getting along. One of you says you're done and storms off. When she sees that, she'll think you've broken up and she'll back off. Pleasant dreams, Jillian."
They're already too damn pleasant. That's the problem.
Fuzzball scratches his chin. "It could work. I vote we give it a try. If it doesn't work, we haven't lost anything."
Roxanne raises one finger. "There's a possible flaw in the plan. Cruise may have minions around the school. In fact, considering the fact t
hat she's nailed several male students in her office lair I'm sure she does. Suppose someone sees Jillian and Ryan together after they supposedly break up and tell her?"
"Jillian and Ryan can't be seen together in public," says Jake. "At least not till we take Cruise down."
Ryan puts an arm around my shoulder, pulls me close and shakes his head. "No, I'm not staying away from Jillian. We all need to stick together. That's the whole point. This has the same effect as breaking us up for real."
"No, it doesn't, because you don't have to stay away from her," says Jake. "She can be in two places at once, remember? You avoid each other during the day and in public places, then at night she beams over to your place or wherever. As long as it's not a public place."
I begin to slowly nod. This actually could work. I turn to Ryan. "What the hell. I'm game if you are."
"You sure?"
I give him a soulful look which I know he cannot resist. "Sweetie, these dreams are killin' me. I'm afraid to go to sleep at night."
"Okay, Sparks. But if we're gonna do this we'll need to rehearse breaking up."
"That's it!" I try my best to glare at Ryan as we stand in the center of the living room. "I've had it with your jealousy! We're through!"
And everyone cracks up. Ryan doubles over laughing.
"What? What did I do wrong?" I ask.
Roxanne is laughing so hard she has to wipe the tears from her eyes. "You're not exactly selling it."
I put my hands on my hips. "I yelled. You told me to yell and I yelled at him."
"Yeah, but you look like an angry Strawberry Shortcake while you're doing it."
"Well, dammit, I'm sorry. I can't help the way I look. And I've never been mad at Ryan. This is hard for me."
"It's gonna be hard for me not to laugh," says Ryan. I put out my lower lip and he gives me a quick hug, patting me on the back. "It's okay, Sparks. You're just not cut out to be a bitch. Thank God." He pulls back and looks at me. "I hate to be cliché, but…you're awfully cute when you're angry."
This breaks everyone up, even me.
If nothing else, this "rehearsal" is lightening the mood significantly. For the first time in a while we're having fun.