One Night

Evan had been dreaming, for most of the night, about not much more than a small dog. The breed was nothing specific, probably a mutt, but the dog still had meaning to him. He'd seen it as a child. It used to come around his neighborhood and sniff for Evan. Finally, despite his parents' warnings, he went and approached the dog. He'd gotten a severe bite on his arm, when he attempted to pet the dog's head, but it didn't stop him from going back. He hid the bite from his parents, washing it and then keeping it wrapped by a medical bandage underneath the protection of a hoody or jacket. Every day, he'd go back to where he saw the dog. And, as with the first day, he'd always come home with a bite.
Finally, Evan had the idea to ask a neighbor for some dog treats. The woman asked why he needed them, knowing Evan had no pets to speak of. He looked at her, with his adorable grin, and said, "I'm making a new friend and I want to give him something special."
The woman nodded, handed him a handful, and advised him to only give one or two treats a day to his special friend.
In Evan's dream, however, things changed from that point. Instead of the dog taking the treats, as it had during Evan's true early childhood, it attacked Evan more violently! Pinned to the ground, the dog seeming now three times its original size, Evan screamed right as the dog went to bite at his face or throat.

Evan awoke, shaken, and looked to his alarm. It was only ten minutes before it was due to sound off, so he went ahead and shut it down for the day. After he dressed himself, Evan went downstairs to make a bowl of cereal for breakfast. His mother, however, was already in the kitchen. She handed him a plate of Over Easy Eggs and a glass of orange juice.
"Thanks" he said, sitting down. His mother didn't respond, but rather just continued to work in the kitchen. She seemed a little on edge, which in all honesty wasn't too out of the norm, but she was more twitchy as well.
"Mom, are you okay?" Evan asked, right before taking a bite of his eggs. He usually went for the yolk, first. He loved to savor the gooey center and enjoy the mildly gritty texture of the cooked portion of the yolk.
His mother stood still for a moment, looking down at the counter, and sighed. "It's April, Evan..." she said, slightly flat in her tone.
"Yah...and?" Evan asked, a little confused.
"Graduation is in two months. I suppose..you'll be going to college not long after" she said, a little shaky in her voice.
"Not until at least August, mom. And that's only if I go this fall. I might just wait a year, so that I can save up a little more. I haven't decided..." he said, looking down into his glass of orange juice.

Evan wasn't an only child. He had an older sister, but she was six years ahead of him. When she left for college, their mother clung to Evan. She was afraid of when her other child left the nest, too. Their father still had another few years before he could come home, since he was doing some out of country business for the company he worked for. So if Evan left, his mom would be all alone. This scared her, and Evan knew it, but there really wasn't much he could do about it.
He didn't want to live at home when he left for college. Rather, he wanted to stay in the dorm rooms.
His mother looked at the clock and motioned for him to go. The bus would soon her arriving and she didn't want him to miss it. She didn't think she could handle having to drive him into school or, at least, not without crying anyways.