I Was Only Dreaming

I awaken feeling very grungy. Sand was everywhere, in my mouth, between my shoes, in my bathing suit. Mike was lying next to me, an arm draped over my waist, and his face nuzzled in my neck. I really didn't want to get up. I felt like I could sleep all day. But that wasn't gonna happen. As soon as I closed my eyes, the door burst open and a huge body collapsed on the bed. Tre. Mike jumped up, accidentally kicking Tre in the forehead, all while screaming death threats. Tre laughed, and then ran back up the stairs into the kitchen with Mike after him. It is very true that girls mature faster than boys. Very true.
I sit up and rub some of the sand from my eyes, then get up and steal Mike's blue bathrobe. I wrap myself in the comforting fabric and breathe in its smell. It smells like Mike. I follow sandy tracks into the kitchen and find a pot of coffee next to the sink so I happily chug some of it down. I go upstairs to shower and almost get taken out by Mike chasing Tre (Good Lord).
I shower and dress in a pair of grey jeans, a Misfits shirt, and my black converse. It's almost noon, so I doubt that school is an option for today. Maybe tomorrow. Mike and Tre are in the basement, jamming up a storm, while I eat some toast and a pear. My thoughts drift to last night. How Billie and Brad went at it like that. It kind of reminded me of back home. Dad and Patricia would fight a lot. Almost every day, I would come home and see them screaming at each other, and every once in awhile I'd hear something break or fall. But Patricia would always find a way to blame me for it.
I wondered about Billie. I hadn't seen him since last night, when he ran out after dinner. I kind of wanted to look for him, partly from boredom, and partly because I wanted to make sure he was fine.
I put my plate in the sink and open the door to the basement. Mike is arguing with Tre about something. I catch Tre's attention. "Hey, I'm going out, I'll be back later."
"Where?" Mike asks, turning to face me. He hasn't even taken a shower.
"I dunno, I'm just gonna walk around," I say, eying the fact that they are both still in their swimming trunks.
"Alright, see ya!" Mike smiles at me.
Tre gets up and runs over to hug me, but I slam the door before he gets near me. I don't want to get sandy again.
I go out through the front door and begin to wander around town. I go into almost every store that catches my eye. A few record stores, a few clothing stores, even a bookstore. I stroll through neighborhoods, watching kids play in front yards, women sweeping porches, and a man smoking a pipe and reading a newspaper.
Then all of this gets boring, so I try and go back to that little hill over-looking Rodeo that Billie and I sat on a few nights before. After getting lost a couple of times, I find it. And, sure enough, Billie was there. He was lying there, looking up at the sky, smoking a cigarette. There were two small, empty bottles on the grass next to him. Billie's clothes are different, so I guess he did come home last night. I watch him for a few minutes, as he smokes and watches an airplane cross the sky. I let out a breath and approach him.
Billie looks over at me when he hears me. He smiles. "Hey," he says.
"Hi there. Whatcha doing?" I ask. I sit down next to Billie, who props himself up a little, resting his head on his hand. "Nothin' much, just hanging out. Sorry 'bout last night. It sorta got outta hand quick. But hey, I gave Brad a chance, just like you, and Mike, and Mom wanted me too. Don't blame me for what happened," Billie takes a long drag from his cigarette, and then I take it from him. I realized that this wasn't just any cigarette.
I take a drag, almost choking on the taste. I hadn't actually smoked weed in a long time.
Billie and I sit and chat for awhile, smoking joint after joint, each getting higher than a kite. Eventually, I was completely out of it. I found myself enveloped in Billie's warm body, his lips pressed against mine. I knew what was happening wasn't exactly good. My unconscious was doing something my conscious would never allow me to do.

I woke up in my own bed with the world's worst headache. It was pitch-black outside, and I saw a glass of water next to my bed. Ugh, double vision please stop.
I sit up, and almost throw up all over myself. My stomach hurts like hell. I take the glass of water and take a small sip, mentally thanking whoever left it there. I lay back down, trying to remember what happened. How I got here. Lemme see, I got high, and then I think Billie and I just made out on top of that hill, right? But I had the sinking feeling in my stomach that we did much more than that. And it made me feel very sick.
I get out of bed and look at the alarm clock. It's almost nine at night. I change out of my clothes into pajamas and Mike's bathrobe. I open my door and look at the bottom of Billie's door. The light is off, so he must be in the garage. The light to Ollie's room is on, and so is the one in the bathroom, but both doors are closed. I hear Ollie giggle from her room and take it that Brad decided to pay her a visit. I slink downstairs and find the TV is on, but muted. There are dishes in the sink in the kitchen, so someone had dinner. I hear guitar, drums, and bass in the garage, so Tre is still here. The door to the garage opens, and Billie comes in. He smiles at me.
"Can I talk to you for a sec?" I ask him. Billie sees the concerned look on my face and his smile fades.
"Sure."
"Okay, um, when we were smoking and stuff, how far did we go there? Like, I know you were kissing me and stuff, but how far did we go? Did you, like get to second base, or even third base-"
Billie laughed a little bit. He comes closer to me and kisses my temple before whispering, "Home plate." Then he passes me and goes up the stairs. My breathing gets heavier. I can't believe myself. I mean, sure this could happen to anyone. Right? I mean, I'm sure that almost everyone gets high and accidentally has sex with their best friend's (or possibly even more than friend) best friend. Right? Right?!
I hear the garage door open, and Tre comes out this time. He grins at me, and, of course, gives me an unwelcome bear hug. I manage to pry Tre off of me, and he heads out the front door. I have a drink of water and eat some leftover Mac n' Cheese before knocking on the garage door. Mike opens the door, dressed in a white tank top and boxer shorts. My heart skips a beat when I see how trim his upper body is. I shake thoughts from my head as I hug Mike. Even if he didn't know what happened (and do you really think I'm gonna tell Mike what happened this afternoon?), he can still comfort me. I could just put what happened behind me. Just forget what happened. But yeah, that'll take awhile.
I stand in the doorway to the garage for about ten minutes, just wrapped in Mike's arms. The feeling in my stomach when he was near me was unspeakable. I felt good, like anything else that happened prior never happened. Mike was like a drug. A drug that can be very addicting.
Mike let me sleep with him (Nope, not in that way) that night, but I was still worried about this afternoon. I'm very sure that I could put it all behind me, but could Billie? I mean, did he even regret it? He's a guy, of course he didn't regret it.
I lay next to Mike on his bed, his arms still around me, protecting me, as he slowly kisses my neck. He sees that I'm preoccupied. "So, I heard that Pink Floyd's on tour this year. And that Star Trek is a reality."
"Huh?" I ask, still thinking about Billie. Mike laughs a little. "Where's your mind at right now?"
Tight Wad Hill "Oh, nowhere in particular. Can I come with you to City Hall tomorrow?" I ask.
"Of course. I'll need someone to keep the mayor's daughter off of me," Mike says, making me giggle.
"Oh, please. Don't bet on it," I say, randomly kissing Mike's hand that is next to my face.
I yawn and close my eyes, deciding to sleep.