Real Life

I wake up late the next morning and stare up at the ceiling. But I don't see the glow-in-the-dark solar system I glued up there when I was younger. Instead, I see a lab full of men and women in long, white coats. They're studying what seems to be some sort of virtual computer screen. The screen displays a list of names. I don't recognize any of them---at least, not at first. But then I study the list more closely. On a list of about thirty names, I recognize three:
Anderson, Jenni
Pepper, Jack
Solaris, Brittany
I shake my head, and the glow-in-the-dark solar system comes into view. And now my mind is swimming with questions:
Who were those people?
What was that list for?
Why were our names on it?
Where did those images even come from?
My cell buzzes on the table beside my bed, breaking my train of thought. I enter in the unlock code, revealing a text from Jack:
"Are u up?"
"Yes." I reply. After a second, another buzz:
"Meet me @ our spot."
"Give me 15."
"Ok."
I toss the blankets off of me, throw on some skinnies and a black t-shirt, slip on my studded flip-flops, tiptoe past my parents' bedroom door, and leave out the back, heading up the wooded hill behind our house.
Once I reach the top, I can see Jack, waiting for me atop the giant boulder beside the lake. That's been our spot since the very beginning, a year and a half ago. It's where we had our first kiss. It's where he gave me the black band that's on my right middle finger on our one year anniversary. The top of that huge rock is about 20 feet above the water, and it's where he pushed me off---fully dressed---the first summer we were together. And now it's our designated meeting spot.
I cross the field, climb to the top of the boulder, and greet him with a kiss.
"Hey. I almost thought you weren't coming."
I roll my eyes. "Yeah, right. When have I ever not come when you asked me to?"
With a smirk, he says, "Well...There was that one time, a couple months ago..." He raises one eyebrow, clearly teasing me.
"Now, that's not fair. I got grounded. You know that."
"You asked."
I cross my arms, stick out my tongue, and then mumble, "It was a rhetorical question..."
He laughs, then wraps his arms around me, pulling me so that I'm leaning back, into his chest, and rests his chin on my shoulder.
I look out across the lake. Its rough circumference is dotted with trees and flowers, but, for the most part, I can see beyond the water's edge in every direction. Its glittering surface reflects the clear blue sky perfectly, disturbed only by a fallen leaf blown onto its surface by a gentle breeze, causing ripples to blossom on the sky's mirror image.
I smile at the beautiful landscape before me, then sit up, turn, and say, "Care for a swim?"
"Definitely."
I stand up, help Jack up, and strip down to my favorite bathing suit. I've always been pretty self-conscious, but Jack assures me, time and again, that I look great in the bathing suit I bought early in the spring. Its a black bikini with a halter-style top and a white skull pattern. Jack takes off his shirt, revealing an oddly muscular, pale torso.
Jack's a major gamer, and he never works out, so the fact that he's got a well-formed six-pack always makes my breath catch when I see it. Jack has a better figure than me, but its really hard to be jealous when you're fighting to regain your breath.
Jack takes my hand, we step back about four feet, and take a running leap off the edge of the rock. I release his hand, reveling in the brief shot of adrenaline that rushes through my veins before I plunge into the cool, clear water.
I let my body sink for a moment, then kick my feet, opening my eyes and turning my head up toward the surface. I use my arms to aid my ascent, pulling myself up as my feet propel me.
My head clears the top of the water, and I take a deep breath, rubbing my eyes and smiling at Jack, who surfaced a moment before I did. He swims toward me, and I dart to the left, taunting him as he changes direction in an attempt to catch me.
It's a game we play often---on land, or in water---but it's always fun. I stay in one spot, kicking my feet gently to keep myself afloat, then dart quickly to the left or right, just as he's about to reach me.
The game only ever lasts a short while, though, usually ending with me being too tired to escape him again.
That's how it goes this time. Playing the game builds stamina, so that I can taunt him longer, but, still, I'm only able to dodge him about eight times before I give up and let him catch me.
But, as he wraps his arms around my waist in the water, an image flashes into my mind:
It's the same men and women from this morning, still staring at that
same list of names on the virtual screen.
Jack must have noticed something, because the look on his face goes from playfully triumphant to concerned, as his hands move up to my shoulders.
"Are you okay? You got real tense, and your face went blank. What happened?"
"I...." I look at his face, then meet his worried gaze. "I'm not sure. I thought..." I shake my head, then force a smile. "Nothing. I'm fine."
He looks at me for a minute, studying my face, still concerned, then smiles back. "Race ya to the shore!" he says, and we both swim toward the nearest edge.
***************************
Back on top of the boulder, lying in the sun, drying off in its warm rays, I hear my phone buzz. This time, it's Jenni:
"Hey! Where r u? :)"
I text back: "At the lake." She knows what I'm talking about.
"Yay! I'll be there in 20! :D"
"Okay. :)"
Jack knows who it was without me having to say a word. "Jenni?"
"Yup."
"How long?"
"Twenty minutes."
Jack smiles. "Good." Then he rolls onto his side, grabs my waist, and pulls me close for a kiss.
**************************
"Hey, guys!"
I turn toward her and smile. "Hey, Jen."
Jenni notices the new bikini I never told her about, and says, "Sweet suit."
My smile widens. "Thanks. I got it a couple months ago."
Jenni's smile fades, and a mock-hurt expression crosses her face. "What? And you never told me?"
"Nope. I thought I'd surprise you."
"Well, I'm shocked," she continues, keeping up the facade. "How could you possibly go bikini shopping without me?"
I laugh, playing along. "I don't know how I managed without you. It was so hard, choosing a bathing suit all by myself! I'll definitely take you with me, next time!"
She crosses her arms and pretends to pout. "Do you promise?"
I laugh and say, as seriously as I can manage, " Yes, Jen. I promise."
She completely drops the act, brightening and yelling, "Yay!" before she pulls off her dark blue tank top, revealing a muted purple bikini top, and sits next to me.
Jenni is way hotter than me, and I think she knows it, but she doesn't rub it in. Where my hair is short and black with almost cool-looking blonde roots from a failed bleaching, hers is long and cascading, and naturally so black that it looks blue in the sunlight, where mine looks kind of reddish. Where my eyes are a dull blue color, hers are almost purple, standing out beautifully against the black hair and forever-pale skin. And her skin is better than mine, too. Her pale skin, with its light dusting of freckles across her nose, always looks good compared to my not-pale-but-never-tan, acne prone, freckle-free skin. And it doesn't stop there. Her body is amazing, especially when compared to mine. Now, I'm not saying I don't like my body. I'm just saying that, if I could make some changes, I would. We both have a narrow waist---we share clothes all the time. But her stomach is flatter, and her boobs are bigger, so, yeah, she's hotter than me.
But I'm not worried. About Jack, that is. Jenni and I were together when we met Jack, and he never showed any sort of interest in her, so I figure he chose me for some reason. So, I'm not worried.
Jack's pretty hot, himself, though he rarely admits it. His hair is long, black, and constantly messy. His eyes are ice-blue, his skin is sort of pale, but not as pale as Jenni's, and he's about half a foot taller than me. Oh, and he's about four months younger than me. I'm not sure why that's important, but I've always kind of liked the thought. Even if he does always forget.
Jenni looks over at me and says, "I can see that you guys swam before I got here, so now I'll take my turn." Then she stands, shimmies out of her cutoffs, and dives elegantly off the edge of the rock.
I move toward the edge and lie on my stomach, chin resting on my crossed arms, watching her float on her back, eyes closed against the sunlight. Jack follows suit, occasionally turning to look at me, then back at the scene before us.
After a few minutes of silence, I rest my forehead on my arm and close my eyes. My intent is simply to rest in the warm sunlight, but that isn't quite how it works out. Instead, I get more images:
The people in the lab coats, studying the screen.
A room filled with people, all lying on silver, operating-
type tables, wearing hospital gowns, hooked up to
machines.
Clipboards and charts and clocks counting down, each
reading a different length of time.....
Then I see Jack. In a gown, on a table, hooked up to a
bunch of strange machines, with a clock counting down
above his head. But the clock is kind of fuzzy, so I can't
tell what length of time it displays.
I gasp, snapping back into reality, and sit up quickly, staring out into the distance.
Jack reacts immediately, sitting up beside me, taking my hand, and studying my face carefully. "What? What is it? And don't tell me 'nothing'. That's the second time that's happened today, and I'm starting to worry.
I bite my lip, look down at where my hands are clasped tightly in my lap, and take a deep breath.
"Actually," I begin, unable to meet his gaze, "it's the third time..." I glance up at his face, then turn my gaze toward the water, still sparkling in the sunlight, the surface rippling as Jenni swims in circles, kicking and splashing and having fun, totally oblivious to our conversation, up here on the rock.
Jack looks at me, confused. "Wait, what? When was the other time?"
"This morning, when I woke up. Before you texted me."
"Oh. So...what is it? I mean, I know what happens on the outside, but...what really happens?"
"I...I'm not sure, exactly... I...see things, I guess. Like, these strange images pop into my head, and I don't know where they come from or what they mean. I just... I'm not sure what it is."
"Hmm...Images. Well, what do you see?"
"Well... This morning, I saw a bunch of... I don't know, doctors, or something---men and women in long, white coats. They were gathered around a virtual computer screen, and there was a list. On the screen, there was a list of about 30 names. At first, I didn't recognize any of them, but, when I looked more closely, I saw yours, mine, and Jenni's."
"Hmm..."
"The second time, it was just a flash of the first image, but, just now, it was...different. This time, I saw a room full of people---all teenagers, I think---and they were all lying on tables. They didn't seem to have much in common, except that they were all dressed in hospital gowns, they were all hooked up to a bunch of machines, and they all had digital timers with red digits counting down above their heads."
"Whoa... I wonder what that means..."
"I don't know. But, that's not all of it. I also saw...Well, I saw you. You were one of the people on the tables."
Now he doesn't have anything to say. He just stares out at the lake, letting what I said sink in, probably trying to figure out what it means.
"I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to worry."
He forces a weak half-smile. "I always worry. You know that." He grabs my hand and squeezes it, then looks off into the distance again. After a moment, he looks back at me and says, "But, you shouldn't worry. Everything's gonna be fine. We'll figure this out." He smiles, a real smile this time, and I try to smile back, not fully convinced.