Hey Dreamer

“What exactly were you busy with, Zeke?” I asked later as we packed up our stuff, ready to leave and head home.

“It doesn’t matter,” he mumbled, in what I assumed was supposed to be an assuring voice. He never was that quiet; never quiet at all, actually. If he wasn’t being loud and obnoxious, he wasn’t okay.

He started towards the door first, rushing past me as if I were toxic. I moved after him when Mrs. Barrows caught my arm, frightening me which sent me flying into a table. I yanked my arm away quickly, cradling it close to me.

“If you needed me, you could’ve said my name!” I snapped, grabbing up the books I’d accidentally thrown to the ground.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized, but her voice lacked any hint of sincerity.

“No, you’re not. And I didn’t ask you to be. Just, don’t touch me.”

She nodded.

“I wanted to ask you if you were planning on entering a piece to the regional art show,” Mrs. Barrows asked. She was a slender woman, with bony limbs, a narrow face and frayed dark hair that fell almost to her shoulders. She wore a pencil skirt which was too large and a blouse, also too large. Her face reminded me of one that belonged to a small rodent, like a mole or a rat. Her features were scrunched up, her eyes too close and too beady to be attractive. She was married, but I’d never seen hide or hair of Mr. Barrows, nor had she ever so much as mentioned him. She towered over me, glaring down at me with 4 or 5 inches between my height and hers.

“I don’t know. That’s between me and Mr. Colgate,” I reminded her, and left without another word. I used to be a nice, rule-following girl with the greatest friends in the world. Now, I’m snippy, rude and friendless. Well, I have Zeke. Ever since then, the world didn’t look the same.
Imagine this: One day, everything in the world is a cartoon full of singing birds and helpful woodland creatures. Then, tragedy strikes, and that cartoon world is thrown into darkness. Bright yellows and sparkly purples suddenly transform into smudgy grays. Every smiling face turns into a sinister cackle from the shadows, a hand reaching out to snag you and drag you down. All of your furry friends from the forest have fled, and you’re left standing in the middle of a thicket of darkened trees with no light, no map and no idea where you’re going. That’s what my life is like.

“Lydia!” I heard from behind me. I let out a growl and spun around to find Zeke jogging towards me.

“Zeke?”

“Yeah. Hey. Sorry about that. I’m an asshole, an untrusting one at that,” he said.

“What?”

“Come on, I’ll walk you home and we’ll talk about it. How’s that sound?” he asked, brushing past a gaggle of freshman between me and him. I shrugged.

“Sounds good to me, but if you come over, Mom is going to insist you stay for dinner. I’m just warning you ahead of time. Mom is all about being polite and sociable.”

“I’d like to meet your mom, actually.”

I stared up at his blonde head, as he steered me through the throngs of students, fighting to get through to their lockers. It was like watching animals fighting over a scrap of meat.

“Why on Earth would you want to meet my mom?” I asked, finally reaching my locker with Zeke just behind me.

“I want to see if your mom is hot,” he said. I reached behind me and punched him in the chest.

“Shut up. There’s no need for that,” I said, laughing.

“It’s good to hear you laugh,” he replied.

“I’m not above hurting you,” I said, quoting Rhys from earlier.

“Yes, you are. You couldn’t hurt a fly. You wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

“Speak for yourself! I kill many a fly, sir.”

“Oh, alert the police. We have a fly murderer over here!” Zeke called out, causing several kids to look towards us.

“Shut up, asshole,” I muttered, pushing my way into the crowd to get to my locker.

“No, but seriously, you and the guys from the team are my only friends. And I only really trust you. I want to meet your family and be a part of something. I mean, if that’s okay with you, that is. I don’t want to impose.”

I smiled at him.

“Just prepare yourself. My mom’s intense. She’s, she’s interesting. She’ll insist on knowing your background and asking your sign. She’s bizarre and wonderful, so just prepare yourself for what’s coming.”